TCNaz Kidz Church

Man, what an honor it is to be the Children’s Pastor here at Tipp City Church of the Nazarene.

At the Spark Conference I attended in October, I got to sit down with many other leaders who love children’s ministries as much as I do and we got to swap stories of what our kids min looks like within each of our church walls. Since Covid, most churches I heard about barely have a children’s program. Some are nonexistent altogether, some consist of just the pastor’s kids, and then there’s TCNaz. TCNaz had over 20 kids in service this past Sunday. Church, we are doing our part to raise up disciples on our district.

I love teaching the Children’s Church group on Sunday mornings. We are working through a series titled “The Called” where we break down the life of a different disciple each week and see how their testimony can relate to our calling toward the Great Commission today. This past week we discussed Bartholomew, also referred to as Nathanael. When Nathanael first heard about Jesus, he was quick to judge the man he had just found out could be the Messiah:

(John 1:45-49) “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”

I asked the kids if they have ever judged someone before meeting them and they were all so honest in their answers. They mentioned judging those with disabilities, certain clothes, different family dynamics. The kids were very raw about the judgment in their hearts.

What does your Nathanael story look like? Maybe you judged someone of a different political status. Maybe it was someone who is single with kids. Maybe it was someone of a different race or nationality. When the kids thought about their judgment, they felt guilt along with it. You probably are feeling some too as you reflect on your preconceived judgments.

Here’s the good news – we have a God of mercy. When we recognize we are in the wrong, we have the option to repent, accept undeserved forgiveness and move forward in a new life apart from that sin. In our call to be Christlike disciples, the whole mission behind “The Called” series, we also have the ability to have mercy on others. As we accept and appreciate the gift of mercy, we are also to do the same for those around us.

Yup, our kids are talking about deep stuff back in Kidz Church!