The delight and heartbreak of children’s ministry
CMS missionaries Jessica & Simon Cowell serve with the Italian evangelical university fellowship, GBU. For several years, Jess has coordinated the children’s ministry at their local church. Read on as she shares the delights, sorrows, and eternal value of children’s ministry.
‘It’s a joy to see children growing, learning, appreciating moments of friendship with each other, knowing that they’re not alone in loving and caring about Jesus.‘
The joy in leading
Kids ministry at our church is my great delight, and at times, my heartbreak.
A month ago, at a church planning meeting, a friend asked me afterwards, “Was your voice shaking when you spoke about kids’ ministry?” Yes, it was!
There are 11 children in our very small church, from 2 to 14 years old. The three families who usually attend have had significant difficulties in navigating church attendance over the six years we have been in Bari.
In God’s kindness, he has sometimes given me more joy in leading these children than in any other thing. It’s a great joy to talk about the goodness of grace, and the joy of the gospel with them at their young age. It’s an even greater privilege to talk with those who are new to reading the Bible, like our children’s friends who have frequently come to church activities.
A tiring and emotional tightrope
However, it has also often been a regular source of heartbreak.
Parents are often not on the same page. A teenager might finally come along on the one week that all the others are away. In all these years, despite our consistency, these older kids have had little chance to get to know each other well.
I recognise that the kids who don’t come regularly lack a sense of community. Yet, I’m also quite alone in pushing our church not to use guilt as the motivator to inspire regular attendance.
It has also been an uphill battle to explain the importance of making church accessible, safe and welcoming for children, by adjusting to their individual needs and their familiarity with the Bible.
God always gives me the right words to say, even though they are not in my first language. But it is often a tiring and emotional tightrope walk, hence the emotion in my voice.
Bearing fruit
While it may have been simpler to run kids’ ministry by myself, God has given me people to work alongside. For the first years, I had another mum lead alongside me. But she has sadly lost interest as she works through personal doubts.
Since then, some of the graduated GBU students have joined our church and are now helping to lead the kids’ ministry. Working alongside and training them has been deeply satisfying. It’s been a joy to see them grow, and, as I frequently pray, start what might be a lifelong service to the church in Italy.
Amid challenges, frustrations and moments of feeling overwhelmed and inadequate, the fruit of this ministry is so clear to me. It’s a joy to see children growing, learning, appreciating moments of friendship with each other, knowing that they’re not alone in loving and caring about Jesus, who died to save them.
PRAY
Praise God for the ways he has worked in this children’s ministry, even in the heartbreak and frustrations. Pray with Jess that their church would continue to be a safe, welcoming and accessible place for children to learn about Jesus.
