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Pastor's Corner
Dear Church Family and Friends,
At the Spring Stated Meeting of the Committee on Discipleship Ministries (CDM) of the PCA, the members approved the staff recommendation to certify those who had successfully completed a 12-month program for those who serve in ministry to children. This certification recognizes:
“... the recipient has demonstrated competency in the knowledge, skills, and character necessary to lead a children’s ministry in a local PCA church.”
This is a significant accomplishment as the certification program is rigorous, involving online video lessons, a significant amount of reading, monthly meetings with mentors, monthly projects and reports, and a final capstone project.
The PCA Committee on Discipleship Ministries (CDM) has certified Paige McClure as she has completed the 12-month course for Children’s Ministry. Please congratulate Paige and thank her for all the hard work she has done to strengthen the ministry of our church. We thank God for her faithful service to the next generation.
Please read an update below from Paige on ways to serve in Children's Ministry at Cornerstone.
in Christ,
Pastors Wilson and Brian
Children's Ministry Update
Since Cornerstone is “reformed” we often use the words “Covenant Children”. Many of us would say we believe in that concept without a clear understanding of what it actually means. A simple answer is that a covenant child is the child of at least one believing parent as we see in 1 Corinthians 7:14. When a believer adopts the covenant of grace, he brings his children within the covenant. God promises to give them all the benefits of redemption to those children as long as they do not willingly denounce those benefits.
Susan Hunt in her book Heirs of the Covenant (which is a great read for all reformed families) summarizes “covenant children are entitled to certain benefits of the covenant. These benefits include hearing God’s Word in the context of loving relationships in the home and church, prayer, and the blessed privilege of growing up as a part of the community of faith as he/she participates in church life from infancy.”
When a child is baptized one of the vows taken by the church family is that they will assist parents in the Christian nurturing of their children. This task does not just fall to the parents but to the entire church community. So much can be gained from the experiences, gifts, wisdom, encouragement and love that others can pour into children with the body.
Our children’s ministry at Cornerstone is thriving. More families are visiting each week and many of those have young children. Some of our rooms are bursting at the seams already. We have well over a 100 children from birth through 5th grade in our ministry. Babies are being born monthly! Our teachers are serving diligently and with great commitment. I am thankful for all the Lord is doing to bring families into our covenant community. It is an exciting time in the life of our church. But, with growth comes greater needs.
Each week it takes about 10 volunteers to staff the nursery for the two worship services, 8 teachers to staff preschool and infant Sunday school classes and another 10 teachers to staff the Kindergarten through 5th grade classes. Since our teachers rotate that is at about 36 lead and assistant teachers to staff Sunday school each month. In addition, we have a need for 8 teachers for our mid-week program to teach the children well. VBS takes about 40 volunteers to pull it off during that 4 day special event.
As you ponder what a covenant child is and how we each have a responsibility to teach them diligently, consider how you can fulfill your responsibility. What a treasure he has entrusted to us. We do not want to be content with providing childcare so the parents can get the real teaching. We want our children to know from an early age what it means to be part of a church community that loves and serves their Savior. If you don’t feel you have the gift of teaching maybe you can rock a sleeping baby. If you have physical limitations you can pray for specific children and teachers. If you are good at organizing you can help with curriculum and supplies.
One of the great privileges of my life is that God has allowed me to pour into many children throughout the years. There are challenges and frustrations at times but oh what joy is to be found when a young child understands what the story of redemption is about. Many times I learn from them and more times than not I have a funny story to tell. So pray, seek the Lord’s direction on how you can be part and talk to me about how you can serve.
With Thankfulness,
Mrs. Paige
If you would like to serve in some way, please contact paige@cornerstonehuntsville.org
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