Children’s Small Groups @ Restoration

Did you know that roughly 20% of our congregation is made up of kids ranging in age from nursery to 5th grade?  20%! (No wonder there is so much more room in the pews when they leave . . .)   Ever wonder what they are up to downstairs while you enjoy a bit more elbow room?

Our Children’s Small Groups meet throughout the school year in clumps of nursery (newborn to not-yet-three), preschool, Kindergarten-2nd grade, and 3rd-5th grade.  We use every inch of downstairs to share prayer requests, study the Bible, play games, and build relationships – just like the grownup small groups.  As you look around the rooms downstairs, you can catch glimpses of what they are studying:

• The blue quilt and Cheerios scattered about the nursery floor demonstrate that even our youngest come together to worship and hear God’s Word.  The blue quilt is their cue that the Bible story is about to be read and Cheerios served, and, boy, do they come a crawlin’ and a toddlin’!
• “Shadow play” in the preschool room reminds us that like our shadows, the Holy Spirit is with us wherever we go, even when we don’t see Him.
• A flutter of  paper butterflies with one word written on each come together to remind us that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  All those K-2nd graders tucked into that back room are learning truth about who they are in Christ!
• The timeline in the kitchen helps you see that our 3rd-5th graders are putting together all the clues – from Genesis to Revelation – as to why Jesus died on the cross and how God’s plan for His great rescue of you and me is simply perfect.

And, then there are our leaders!  We have 25 loving, committed, creative folks leading these small groups.  They are the ones who get to know our kids, pray for them, find out what makes them tick, encourage and grow them, and come alongside parents in showing our kids what it means to be a follower of Christ.  It’s a beautiful thing to witness each week and I am so very, very proud of them!

Want to support our children, their families, and our Children’s Small Group leaders? Please pray for them.  Ask them what they are learning.  Encourage them.  It can make all the difference!