Sermons for Saplings
Sermons for Saplings is an interactive teaching time for preschool and kindergarten children that takes place on Sunday mornings during the sermon time of the regular service. Our plea to God for our children is that they, though saplings now, will one day be called “oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” – Isaiah 61:3
We use The Gospel Project as our curriculum. The Gospel Project for Kids is a Christ-centered Bible study resource that follows a chronological timeline of Bible events. This curriculum is also a wonderful tool for parents as it provides many different avenues with which to discuss the lesson. The multi-year lesson series starts with Creation in the book of Genesis. See the website of The Gospel Project for Kids for more information.
S4S VISION
We aim to equip fathers and mothers to train up their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” – Ephesians 6:4. This means we want to help parents fulfill their God-given responsibility to teach their children how to rightly understand and apply the Word of God, so as to delight in and obey the Jesus of the Scriptures. Therefore, our main effort to help children have a vibrant relationship with Christ will be to stir up parents to treasure Christ through hearing His Word, fellowshipping with His people and praying in the Spirit. As parents abide in the vine in this way, they will bear fruit in the discipling of their children – John 15:1-11.
We also recognize that God has gifted every member in the body for the growth of our covenant community (1 Corinthians 12:7), which includes children and youth. This means we will have opportunities for members to engage in Gospel ministry among our youth, thereby complementing or reinforcing what parents are already teaching and modeling at home. Further, for youth who are showing signs of knowing Jesus we will pursue outlets of ministry in which they can learn to serve and build up the body. We desire every member of our body, whether young or old, to be engaged in the mission of the church.
The ministry of Sermons for Saplings helps us pursue the goals stated above. It also allows for several other opportunities, including:
- allowing parents to hear the Word of God preached in an undistracted way,
- giving opportunities for gifted teachers in the body to teach our children,
- allowing preschoolers and kindergarteners to see Jesus through interactive and engaging Bible lessons, and
- allowing for our youth to serve in ministry.
Our ultimate goal will be to help prepare our kids to become fruitful participants in our Sunday sermon. We will want the older saints in our congregation to be coaching our younger parents on how to train up their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord,” including sitting through the whole of a Sunday service.
Note: We take the safety of our children and volunteers very seriously. You can read our Child Protection Policy here.