Children's Ministry Updates

Greetings from Redeemer Children’s Ministries! As I have said many times in the last year, we miss seeing the faces of our children and volunteers in our classrooms. So it is with great joy that I bring you updates about plans to reopen Training in the Pews this spring and hold Vacation Bible School this summer! Our goal is always to tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord (Psalm 78:4), so that our children grow in gospel freedom through the knowledge and truth of God’s written word.

Training in the Pews resumes Sunday, March 14^th

RPC is thrilled to announce the reopening of Training in the Pews (TIP) on March 14^th. At Redeemer, children have always been a part of our worshipping community. Their presence grows out of the biblical conviction that children are members of the community of God’s people. Inclusion in the  worship service, worshipping with their families each Sunday, is one of the most important ways children learn what it means to worship God. Especially in these young ages, learning is “caught” more than “taught,” and watching mom, dad and other members of our church worshipping is foundational to a life of faith.

At the same time, sitting through a sermon can be difficult. It is our hope that children will learn to listen well to God’s word as they mature through the ages of 4-6. To help them learn to listen, children falling into this age bracket are invited to our Training in the Pews program. At the age of 4, children should begin to transition out of the nursery and attend the worship service. Just before the sermon, children ages 4-6 are dismissed to our Training in the Pews program, where they are led by RPC elders and children’s ministry volunteers in singing worship songs, learning New City Catechisms and are taught a Bible lesson.

VBS 2021, June 8-11

Redeemer’s Children’s Ministry is thrilled to announce our Olympians theme for this summer’s VBS, June 8-11! As we wait to learn if the world will cheer on the 2021 Olympians in Tokyo, children will become VBS Athletes and go the distance with Joshua, the great champion of the Bible who points us to Jesus! At VBS, coaches will challenge your children to join God’s Team and run the Race of Faith with wholehearted love and obedience to God. COVID guidelines will be implemented to offer a safe VBS for our children and the volunteers.

I cannot think of a time our church needs and desires this more.  It is such a joy to prepare for VBS each spring, and we have missed it. I have heard from many families that they are excited to regather our children for this special event. Stay tuned for more information!

Child Protection Certification Renewals due for many Children’s Ministry Volunteers

As you can see from the previous updates, we hope to begin safely reopening some Children’s Ministry activities and events this spring and summer. That will require patience, flexibility, and most of all, help! One big way you can help us prepare for a smooth return to children’s ministry is to renew your RPC Child Protection Policy certification.

Redeemer’s Child Protection policies require all volunteers at Redeemer be trained and background checked before working with children or youth. Policy trainings must also be renewed periodically. This year, a majority of our volunteers’ certifications will expire and must be renewed. If your certification needs to be renewed, you will be contacted soon by RPC Ministries Coordinator Amy Arguello via email to begin the process. Please respond to her quickly! If your certification has expired, you will have to renew it to be able to volunteer with any of our children’s ministry or youth events.

I cannot wait to see our children and volunteers again!

Melanie Hsieh is Director of Children’s Ministries at Redeemer.