Calvary Church Annual Report 2012-2013 | Page 10

Children’s Ministry Staff: Joel Shank, Scott Barry, Valerie Bierlin, Carla Boon-Julien, Brian Nix, Heidi Storms, Sara Tibbe, 2012-2013 by the numbers 240 - Number of hours volunteers have spent rocking babies in the Nursery this year children In Calvary Kids, we plant seeds and pray that God brings growth. Sometimes, we have to wait until years later to see the results of many hours of teaching, leading and praying for our children through our Sunday School program, Summer CSI (Creative Science Investigators) camp, LUMIN8 Children’s Choir, Kids-N-Action Wednesday evening program, and more. But every now and then, God parts the heavens and allows us to see the fruits of our labor that will last into eternity. It happened several times this past year. We were thrilled when eight children trusted Christ for the first time at our summer CSI (Creative Science Investigators) event. One parent reported that their child told them that she wanted to ask God for forgivness to be sure that she would live at home in heaven with Him forever. Our ministry developed a creative way to share the Gospel with children in KidsN-Action and LUMIN8 Children’s Choir, and then we also encouraged children to share that same Gospel presentation with their friends. Many children shared with 20 of their friends what it says in the Bible about how to get to Heaven. Some children presented to classmates in school during show-and-tell. Others shared with distant family members and close friends. One particular child shared the good news with random people at a playground; another shared the message knocking on doors in his neighborhood. The stories abounded from children regarding what they learned concerning how and when to share the Gospel with others. It has also been exciting to see families at Calvary engage in short-term missions together, as children and parents put what they have learned into practice around the world. One group of families signed their names on the wall of their host organization using a verse they had memorized from our Wednesday night programming centered in the book of James. We have faith that children’s lives are being changed for eternity through God’s work in Calvary Kids – whether we see results immediately or not. From infants to fourth grade, we believe in our mission in Calvary Kids – “Guiding Children to Trust and Follow Christ…for the rest of their lives!” 32- Number of children that each shared with 20 friends about what it says in the Bible about how to get to heaven. 71 – Number of children in the James Gang that memorized James chapter 4 and completed 5 serving projects. 120 – Number of children that memorized Psalm 23 in LUMIN8 Chidren’s Choir 500+ - Number of children that attended our CSI (Creative Science Investigators) Summer camp and heard a clear gospel presentation inviting them to a relationship with Jesus. 8 – Number of children who asked God for forgiveness of sins for the first time during CSI