Did you know?

• By the age of nine, most of the moral and spiritual foundations of a child are in place.
• 64% of born again Christians accept Jesus Christ as their Savior before their 13th birthday.

According to these and other similar statistics, George Barna, a Christian researcher, is correct in saying, “The research reinforces one simple but profound truth over and over again: If you want to have a lasting influence upon the world, you must invest in people’s lives; and if you want to maximize that investment then you must invest in those people while they are young.”

When the GNC was originally designed, little did we know that a contemporary service would be held in the gym reaching hundreds from all ages. The new service has attracted dozens of families, many of whom have small children. In order to minister to these children, “Kidz Station”, a K-5th grade worship service, was started.

Luke 12:48 says, “To whom much is given, much is required.” God has blessed FBC with many children and now we are required to take spiritual care of these precious and impressionable souls.  This past June Kidz Station celebrated its first year anniversary. It was an exciting year; one in which over 40 volunteers were able to minister to well over 100 children. We believe our 2nd year will be even more fruitful. Along with the blessings and successes, some challenges have also been encountered.

The greatest is a lack of space dedicated to the kids. FBC Sunday School classes meeting in the GNC have graciously allowed us to use their classrooms. However, because Sunday School usually goes until 10:15 or later, there are only a couple minutes to prepare the room before the start of Kidz Station and usually this is done while children are already in the classroom. Typically, children arrive before adult Sunday school is over, which requires them to wait outside the classroom. Teachers not only need to tend to the children, they must also move tables and chairs, set up video equipment and prepare for crafts, the lesson, puppets and other activities once the classrooms are available.

All of these props encroach upon the existing adult Sunday School classes. Each week, the beginning of

Kidz Station is extremely chaotic - not a situation considered ideal for ministering to children.

The great news is that the GNC has ample space… better known as “The Closet”. However, the space just needs to be finished.

Recently, a group representing youth ministries met to discuss ideas to finish the closet in such a way that all

FBC children’s ministries would benefit. From that meeting, a general consensus plan was formed which has been estimated to cost under $30,000. The vision is this space will be used for children and youth functions,

VBS, as well as other church functions.

The life of a child is an eternal investment. In just the past year, the children of FBC Kidz Station have tithed over $800 that will be used toward finishing the closet.

Will you prayerfully consider joining them?

For the children,

Robynn Coates

P.S. To help raise money for this project we are collecting pocket change each Sunday. Containers will be available at the Kidz Station table. Thanks for your generosity!