We have experienced God at work in our children’s lives as we see them come to know God, grow in their love for Him, and live to serve Him.
To highlight a few important moments from this year, we would have to share about our Camp Days in July and August. We had a total of 247 kids joining us over the two days, 46 of which do not attend church! We were blessed by the 40+ volunteers who served with us each day.
Our kids continue to show us their radical generosity through their giving to Haiti Arise. So far this year, we’ve raised $1200 to support two families in the Children’s Village in Haiti. While speaking of generosity, in October, we introduced the Kids-Giving project. Our goal was to collect granola bar and juice box donations for the School Lunch Program through the Mustard Seed. Together, we collected 584 granola bars and 194 juice boxes to bless students all over Red Deer!
Our ministry has had a couple of opportunities to gather with the large church to worship together in the Big House. At Christmas and Easter, our kids joined the worship team to praise our King together. We have loved these opportunities to bring life and joy to the people of our Church through the worship of our kids. Also, at Easter, we created the Holy Week Family Experience designed to help families understand and reflect on the Easter Story, engage and serve our community, and celebrate victory over death.
It’s so impactful when we can see our kids experience the love of God in a new and life-changing way. Our 56ers (grades 5 and 6) are growing and thriving. Over the last few months, we’ve seen our pre-teens group grow on Sundays and through our 56ers Connect Events, we’ve had a chance to intentionally engage with this age group. In the last few months, eight kids in grades 5 and 6 have made a decision to follow Jesus, and 12 kids have been baptized! It’s such a privilege to see the next generation grow into an authentic and passionate relationship with the God who created them.
God has answered our prayer as we see people rising up to join our team. We are beyond thankful for the many people who serve so faithfully in K-6. They serve week after week to guide and disciple kids. None of this would be possible without our dedicated team. Truly, we are so grateful for each one of them. As the ministry grows, our need for help also grows. If you want to be a part of our team, get in touch with us. We would love to invite you to rise up with us.
As we continue with the mission God has given us, we desire to share God’s love by partnering with families and expanding outside of our walls to reach the last, the lost, the least, the little and the nearly dead. We look ahead to the future with excitement for what the Lord will continue to do as we help raise up a generation of world changers who will impact Central Alberta and the world with compassion and hope.
