5 minute read
Perspective is Everything
To SJSM’s Junior Church leaders, choosing to see things through the lens of Mark 10:14–15 is what makes all the difference.
What do you see when you look at a child? For Junior Church (JC) ministry leaders Victor Cheong and Kerine Au, the answer is “limitless potential”. Even struggling with a perennial manpower shortage, and with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disrupting lesson plans and programmes, their boundless positivity has led to SJSM’s children’s ministry meeting some really impressive achievements and milestones.
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The December 2020 Holiday Programme introduced crafts like terrarium-making, as well as the process of planting, germination, and transplanting.
INCULCATING A VILLAGE MENTALITY
Kerine and Victor have taken pains to remind the children and their parents that church is about more than one’s regular ministry group, and that investing in the next generation’s spiritual growth and discipleship is a priority. While SJSM’s monthly all ages worships and periodical Family Services are a step in the right direction, a lot more can be done to involve the children; and the mentality of many of our grown-ups could do with a bit of expansion.
Craftwork to illustrate the road to Calvary on Good Friday
Evangelistic community events anchored by JC in late 2019 (the Watermelon Party and the Christmas Service) saw Kerine’s team working hand in hand SJSM’s Tamil Congregation’s children’s ministry, and external partners and speakers like Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and David Leong. “It’s important to see ourselves as part of the Body; kids shouldn’t be discounted, and in fact can be bridgebuilders. In fact we encourage and enable them to serve — even preschoolers are serving as co-worship leaders, helping to collect offerings, and playing different roles in their activity groups,” Kerine says. “We also encourage the kids to care for one another, and for the older ones to sit with and help the younger ones,” Victor adds.
PRACTISING INCLUSIVITY
paper props for use in worship actions and dance
Since 2020’s Phase 1 reopening, JC (Primary)’s Rainbow Connection programme has seen two children from SJSM’s special needs fellowship joining its class at SES twice a month, where care is taken to engage them without singling them out as different. The result? One of the kids’ two younger siblings, who previously didn’t really want to attend JC, now clamour to attend every week! “Moving forward, we hope to include and integrate special needs kids into JC as a matter of course,” Victor says. “This is still in the planning stages and we’re inviting trainers to come and equip our servers.”
Palm Sunday artwork
“We’re also gearing up to organise more activities and events that involve SJSM Village, like inviting the students from Little Seeds Preschool to join us for special events like Mother’s Day, Children’s Day, Chinese New Year celebrations,” Kerine says. Victor is planning to work with Heartfriends BASC to involve more children and families from the Dover community when it’s finally allowed again, and mentions a few successful JC classes to which elderly SJSMers had been invited. This reminds Kerine about JC (Preschool)’s Intergenerational Day in 2019:
“It was planned as a lead-in to our eventual involvement with Village activities. Children and the elderly need to and benefit from interaction with one another, and the kids need to know that growing old is normal and part of God’s plan. We also hope to engage the nurses, and childcare and preschool teachers, albeit in different ways.”
EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY
Closing ranks and pooling their resources and know-how was what enabled the JC team to weather the storm of 2020’s Circuit Breaker period and come out stronger. “Somehow we managed this massive coordination effort that produced the wellreceived Kids@Home activity funpacks, and online services complete with, video recording and editing, and fun interactive elements,” Kerine says. Now, she adds, they are ready and able to toggle between onsite and online lessons on short notice.
Children responding to the statement: “Holy Spirit gives me power!”
“In line with our early 2020 launch of the Parent Partner Programme, whose premise is that family is the first line of foundation builders in building up our kids in God’s Word, we’re also doing our best to equip parents with online resources to help facilitate these lessons at home. God sent us the right helpers at the right time too — people like Ong Wai Kin and Clare Chao — and it’s amazing how our servers are so natural in front of the cameras. Our efforts have been well-received by the kids, so that’s been really encouraging.”
INSPIRATIONAL EXPOSURE
“Growth in ministry, mission, and maturity is SJSM’s Jubilee vision. We want to encourage parents to come alongside us and be the main educators and disciplers for their children. Church is about fellowship and support, so this is important in the creation of a true community and ecosystem,” Kerine says. “We’ve facilitated parents in bringing their kids along on mission trips with great success, and although such things are now curtailed due to COVID, we can still involve kids in missions — the Village can be our mission field, and the kids can also do things like make thank-you cards for our expat brothers and medical frontliners.”
Active class participation during a lesson on forgiveness
“It’s the best when they get to see their parents serving, and setting a good example,” Victor says. “Seeing how much you love God and how serving Him and others is an important part of your Christian walk is the best way to teach your children to do the same.”
Join us in discipling our little ones!
JC (Preschool), ages 3–6: Email kerineau@sjsm.org.sg
JC (Primary), ages 7–10: Email victorcheong@sjsm.org.sg
