Service & Mercy
Security/Ambassadors
Extension
Uptown Mission Weekends
Community Journeys
Support of Church Ministries
Seminars for Student Ministry
Special Events Programs
Camp All-American Involvement
Church Resourcing
KidsTown Leadership Training Conference
Outreach
KidsTown Family Nights
KidsTown Story Times
Fingerprints
Stewardship
Offering
Campus Development Project
Special Emphasis (Food/Clothing Drives)
Notes
i Following the teaching of Scripture and our Reformed confessional standards, WSC 1, Q:"What is the chief end of man? A:"To glorify God and enjoy Him forever." (see 1 Cor 10.31, Rom 11.35, Ps 73.25-28.)
ii Covenant children - these individuals are the children of at least one believing parent (and specifically for our context, of members of Perimeter Church) who have been baptized, thereby receiving the sign of the Covenant of Grace.
iii "The nurture and admonition of the Lord" comes directly from our Book of Church Order, 56-5, and specifically the vows taken by parents and echoed in commitment by the congregation, to raise their children according to Biblical principles and in a culture of worship, with the hope that this will impress upon the child the tenets of the faith. (Dt. 6 - 1"Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.4"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates) Trusting Jesus and commitment to Him is still the individual responsibility of the child, but parents are responsible to cooperate with the leading of the Holy Spirit to make an environment conducive to the child's repentance and faith.
iv A "life transforming encounter" is demonstrated in the life of a child when:
* that child becomes passionately committed to Jesus Christ
* that child's lifestyle becomes marked by high moral standard and spiritual integrity, and
* That child develops a concern for the lost and begins practicing personal evangelism.
v The KidsTown Leadership Community will be those in the KidsTown Ministry Community who are in leadership positions. KidsTown Leadership Community will meet once a month for equipping, prayer and encouragement. Members of the leadership community will be responsible for their areas of ministry: gathering and shepherding the necessary workers, ensuring that appropriate materials are made available for their area, and reporting to their ministry supervisor the status of their area as well as significant concerns that need attention. This leadership community will also have the opportunity to enroll in a KidsTown-track course in Theological Foundations for Leaders, taught by the pastoral staff of KidsTown. Involvement in the KidsTown Leadership Community fulfills membership involvement requirements, and will provide the necessary Discipleship requirements when fully implemented.
vi Corporate worship is ideally the worship of the whole church and all its members and covenant children. However, the logistics of church life and our church culture mandate an alternative worship for the younger children of the church. To this end, we seek to provide a worship experience for our younger children that will consist of the same basic elements as would be found in the church's worship service, and with the added emphasis on making an engaging experience for children that instructs them as to the elements and importance of worship.
vii Bible Study and Small Group Discipleship - according to the maturity levels of our children in their various stages of development, the study of God's Word will be practiced for the purpose of instructing in Bible content, exposition of doctrine, and the application of godliness. This will be supplemented with a Small Group Discipleship meeting, consisting of no more than 10 children (ideally 8) and an adult Small Group Discipler who would review with the children the Bible lesson and discuss with them the application of God's Word in their lives, as well as lead them in prayer for each other as they pursue godliness.
viii Recognizing that we have been greatly blessed in resources for Children's Ministry, we seek to share with the community and other congregations in our area.
ix Understanding that our Church offers many opportunities for equipping its members, and that KidsTown programming can and does add value to those programs, we also must take care to use well our resources and have appropriate priorities in ministry programming efforts (a large quantity of programs will typically lower the quality of the programs). With these concerns in mind, we are committed to supporting Church wide events and programs with KidsTown programming, as we are able and when directed to do this by the leadership of the Next Gen Division (this would be a higher level of accountability to ensure our focus and priorities as a department).
