CHILDREN’S MINISTRY FROM HOME

A note from Anna, DPC’s Children’s Ministry Coordinator:

As a church family, in these unprecedented and challenging times, we want to continue to love, encourage, teach and connect with the children and youth at DPC.

I also pray this will be a fruitful time for individual families to grow and learn together.

I hope the resources and info below will support parents and carers to shepherd their children’s hearts in this difficult season, pointing them towards the wonderful joy of knowing Jesus. Click here to see our weekly children’s ministry update.

If you have questions, concerns or suggestions please get in touch with me: anna@darebinpc.com.au

Sunday Gatherings online FOR Kids and youth

It is great to have our whole church family come together online for our Sunday gatherings. Here are some things to do to help your family connect:

• Pray together as a family before logging in

• Make sure everyone has a bible to look at 

• Sing loudly together and share which song is your favourite

• Make a list of all the ways God is described in the service

• Print and fill in a service sheet (and other activity sheets received during the week)

The KidSpot is still an exciting part of our Sunday gatherings online. You can rewatch or catch up on past KidSpots on our youtube channel.

getting ready for sunday

Some things to do during the week to prepare to join together for our Sunday service

• Read the passage for the upcoming sermon with your children

• Listen to some of the songs we sing at DPC 

• Pray with your children - highlight the kinds of things we do when we pray at church such as praise God, thank God, confess our sins, or ask for His help. The children can then listen out for these elements during the Sunday service.

• Print off a service note taking sheet so it’s ready to go on Sunday (there are different sheets for different aged children)

• DPC regulars will also be emailed some activity sheets specific to each week’s service - email Anna if you would like to receive them too

Weekly Age Group Programs

While our weekly kids ministry programs look a little different at the moment, we are still meeting together each week. Here’s what is happening during school term:

• Creche kids and their parents/carers can join zoom storytimes to hear a kids ministry leader read a Christian children's story

• Kinder kids are enjoying teaching, songs, games and fun from their Kinder leaders through a "DPKinder Video" each week, and parents are provided with crafts and activity ideas to build on the content of the videos

• Prep and grade one students can join in for a zoom DPKids session; sharing a Bible story, playing a game and praying together

• Grade 2 to Grade 5 students can join the DPKids zoom Bible study; full of activities, games, Bible discussion, and lots of screen sharing and drawing

• ELOS students (year 6-9) are doing their New City Catechism Bible Studies, playing games and eating snacks from the comfort of their own homes in their weekly zoom ELOS sessions. 

extra ideas for anytime

Each week we will share some resources that aim to encourage children and youth in their faith and engage them with God’s word.

Creche and Kinder

DPKIDS

Youth

All Ages

Minno Kids is a great discipleship resource. It is primarily a streaming service for Bible based kids shows (e.g. Veggie Tales) but there are teaching resources, like colouring pages and activity sheets. There are even programs done in a family devotion format. While some of the shows are a bit light in Bible or gospel content, these ones are especially good: What’s in the Bible, Theo Presents and the Jesus Storybook Bible.
The service costs US$6.99 and is well worth it.

With the outbreak of coronavirus, the CEO has arranged for a special “Church at Home” page to be set up where you can custom build your own family devotion time for free. Check it out here: www.gominno.com/lp/church-at-home

resources for Parents

There are endless resources and options online and sometimes it can be more overwhelming than helpful. One of the very best things that we can do as parents is to have our own hearts happy in the Lord by spending time with him; and then we can be sharing our own thinking, praising, praying and repenting with our kids. Seeing how we turn to God and do life with Him in these difficult times is probably what will have the biggest impact; more than any activity we could set. BUT we do want to provide practical resources that support you to shepherd your children’s hearts in this uncertain season.

This helpful article by Sandy Galea provides 7 Biblical and practical tips for talking with children about COVID-19

Show Them Jesus by Jack Klumpenhower is a great book that helps parents and children’s worker point their kids to Jesus.

Foundations by Ruth and Troy Simons

Please note: we do not affirm every aspect of every resource, and inclusion on this page doesn't equate to a full endorsement of all of an author's works. We want to encourage you and your family to read the Bible as your primary source for truth. No book or resource can ever replace the word of God. All humans are fallible and subject to error—no matter how famous, studied, or acclaimed they are. We aim for this page to provide gospel-centered resources for children and parents, to help your family grow in faith and love.