Can you guess what the exciting news is? You might be thinking (or hoping) RezKids is going to open back up for all ages. Well…not quite. No, no, don’t be discouraged. I promise what’s coming is good. Keep reading.
Although we would LOVE to re-open all our RezKids rooms, we are just not quite there yet. We are working hard to build an amazing team of volunteers to accommodate our RezKids in an environment that will fulfill our mission.
What is the mission of RezKids, you ask?
Our goal is to lead children in encountering, knowing and worshiping the living God; and to equip, and help them cultivate, a lifelong relationship with Him, founded on scripture and a deep understanding of salvation through Jesus Christ.
That’s a big mission, huh? We at RezKids take this mission seriously and intend to carry it out well. At times, doing something right means growing slow and cultivating things at a deliberate, un-rushed pace. To cultivate means to prepare for, tend to, nurture, rear, develop and refine. Well, that sounds exactly like what I want to do with my children’s spiritual formation. I hope you feel similarly.
That brings us to the second part of our mission.
We believe the family unit, and parental involvement, play a vital role in a child’s journey to faith and spiritual development. Emphasis and priority must be placed on a synergistic relationship between families and Resurrection Church, in efforts to equip parents to nurture the spiritual formation of their children.
Did you realize that in one year (well, a normal year, not 2020) your children will spend a maximum of 78 hours at church, while they will spend 8,682 hours under your care. Whoah! Sure, they will be sleeping and at school for many of those hours. But still! That’s a lot of hours with you and so very few at Rez!
Therefore, as we mentioned, a relationship between families and Resurrection Church is imperative. Think about it this way…
When you take your child to the pediatrician the health care provider doesn’t look at your eight year old and say, “Well, Tommy, it looks like that sore throat you have had is streptococcus pyogenes, or Type A Streptococcus, and you are going to need to take a penicillin based antibiotic called amoxicillin twice daily for ten days. You are contagious, and don’t forget to change your toothbrush so you don’t re-infect yourself.”
Ha! No way! When it comes to explaining the situation and giving details about what to do, they look to you, the parent. And they explain in terms you can understand and give resources for you to use to help your child return to a healthy state.
So, think of RezKids as the “spiritual healthcare provider” for your children. We are motivated to provide appropriate Gospel centered materials for your children to enjoy and learn from on Sunday mornings, as well as important events, like Christmas and Easter. However, we are also committed to providing Godly, user-friendly resources to PARENTS to equip you in those 8,682 hours you are doing your best to raise and guide your kiddos.
Ok, so what does all this mean? What are the new things coming?
Now that you know the why, let’s get to the what and how.
KID FOCUS:
Beginning January 3, a RezKid Lesson Video will be available EVERY SUNDAY! Yep, that’s right. We’re bringing back weekly lessons using our fantastic curriculum, The Gospel Project. Woohoo!
These lessons will consist of the following:
A short video of Mandy Seymour (and maybe some special guests) introducing the lesson and highlighting some key points.
A Gospel Project video with the Bible Story
Questions from Kids Video from The Gospel Project
Praise and Worship Songs to sing together
Activity sheets for preschool and elementary age kids that go along with the lesson
We strongly encourage you to use the lessons on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, even if your child is attending church with you. If you are unfamiliar with The Gospel Project, or want to know more about why we love this curriculum, look for a blogpost coming in January (more on this below).
PARENT FOCUS:
Ok, so yes, we are giving you a weekly lesson to do with your kids each week since they cannot, yet, be in a Children’s Ministry environment. Technically this resource is to equip you to help your children walk chronologically through the Bible in three years with an emphasis on how God has always been pointing us to Jesus.
However, we would really love to put a priority on placing resources at your fingertips that will encourage you, fortify you, and motivate you to be intentional in parenting your kids, especially when it comes to their spiritual formation.
What will these resources be? We plan to provide a combination of:
Articles
Apps
Podcasts
Books
Action steps
Suggestions
These resources will get the ball rolling and help you gain momentum in having really great conversations with your kids, while building a culture of joy and unity in your family.
Anybody interested in something like that? Ummm, yes please! Beginning January 25, a monthly blogpost will be available with multiple resources for you, the parent! A new blogpost will be released the fourth Monday of every month, giving you time to read it, take some action steps, and be ready to explore the new topics with your family in the next month. The January blogpost will also contain the ins and outs of The Gospel Project and how to get the most out of it.
FAMILY FOCUS:
So we have addressed what we’re doing for your kids and what we are doing for you. But a huge priority at Rez is your FAMILY. So, beginning January 24, every fourth Sunday will be a FAMILY SERVICE! You may be saying “Every week right now is a family service, right? So what will be different?” I’m so glad you asked.
First, think through these scenarios with me.
When you taught your child to tie their shoes, did you use words only?
When they learn a new math concept, does the teacher (maybe that’s you this year) just simply tell them the steps to take?
What about when your kids have learned to play an instrument or sport? Did the instructor, or coach, just say, “hold the instrument like this,” or “hold the bat like that?”
No, of course not. In each of these scenarios, the adult demonstrated what to do. They physically showed the child the steps to take, the path to follow; and each time there were explanations of why and how. And there was certainly lots and lots of repetition, am I right? It’s how children learn.
With that perspective, let’s refocus on our Family Service. The goal of this service is to allow for the benefits of multiple generations worshiping together at the same time. Children get to see their parents and other adults model how to worship. What is demonstrated and discussed in these services can spark spiritual conversations at home as you sit around the table, or even driving in the car. The implications of what goes on the Family Service will transcend into the day to day activities and conversations you have with your children.
We will be working closely with Stephen, our Worship Minister, to have child friendly worship music in the services.
We will also work alongside Pastor Bradley to have:
Designated, family focused teaching
Fun interactions with the kids, such as “stump the pastor”
We will begin learning the joy of walking your children through taking the elements of Communion
We will witness testimonies of how God is working in the lives of our church families
We will ask, and answer, some of the questions that maybe kids are thinking, but aren’t willing to ask at home
And we will wrap up with action steps that can be taken throughout the weeks ahead to implement all that wonderful teaching you encountered together in service
If you can imagine Anna, from Frozen, jumping up and down and giddy with excitement about the gates of Arendelle being opened….that’s the RezKids crew right now! We have so much planned for the months and years to come. But let’s appreciate what it means to set the footers and pour the foundation of this ministry. We hope you will partner with us as we endeavor to carry out the mission of RezKids well. Join in, participate, in all the resources we provide. Cultivate relationships with your children so you can influence their spiritual formation in the best way! We look forward to doing life with YOUR family!