Posted by Bobette Hatteberg, Children’s Ministry Director

The world can be a scary place! With all of the news and discussion regarding the Coronavirus it can be an especially scary time for children. Even if you are not talking to your children about what is going on in the world around them they likely will have heard about it from friends or other adults or even from overhearing your conversations. It is our responsibility as parents to help our children be wise and protect their bodies. We need to teach them what they can do to protect themselves from diseases such as this. This is also a wonderful opportunity to shepherd your child’s heart. We should always be teaching them to know and trust God but this is especially an important time to teach them to trust God in hard things such as disease. This is a wonderful time to assure them of the great God we serve and to teach them how to think biblically when they are afraid. As we guide our children, we can remember this truth: God knows what the day will bring, he is greater than our fears, and he has told us not to be afraid. If your child is struggling with fear here are several of my favorite children’s books about trusting God when they are afraid:

Zoe’s Hiding Place: When You are Anxious (David Powlison editor)

When I am Afraid, by Sally Michael

The following blog post by Sally Lloyd Jones is one of the best I’ve seen for children. It also includes a link to a wonderful cartoon for children that teaches them about the virus and how to protect themselves.

https://www.sallylloyd-jones.com/helping-children-with-scary-news/

This is another post by truth78 (Children Desiring God) that has some wonderful teaching points:

https://www.truth78.org/blog/post/7-biblical-truths-to-teach-children-about-disease-and-disasters/

Here at Cornerstone we want to do what we can to protect the children who come through our doors.

Please DO NOT bring your child to church if:

• They have had cold- or flu-like symptoms, fever, or cough in the past 24 hours
• They have been in close contact with someone with flu-like symptoms in the past 7 days 
• They have traveled from an area in the past 7 days with confirmed cases of the virus and/or you suspect they may have been exposed

Here’s what we are doing:

• Sanitizing children’s hands as they enter the classroom and after they touch their face or sneeze or cough
• Sanitizing commonly touched surfaces such as door knobs
• Limiting sharing of common items such as crayons (although this is really not possible with toys)
• Praying for God’s protection over our country and specifically over our community here at Cornerstone and the surrounding area
• Continuing to teach children they can trust our all-powerful, sovereign God!

Please stay tuned to the Cornerstone Events and News page for any further updates.