Posted 4-29-2021
By Bobette Hatteberg, Cornerstone Children’s Ministry Director
It is with great excitement and anticipation of what God will do that I share this Elementary Kids announcement!
“One Big Adventure: God’s Heart for the World” will be taking place in May and June in our elementary Sunday School class.
Through in-person and recorded interviews with each of our Cornerstone-supported missionaries, testimonies, videos and stories of what God is doing around the world, our elementary students will catch a glimpse of how God calls each of us to be part of his big adventure.
This elementary curriculum will be in place of our usual June Vacation Bible School or Kidz Blast.
Planning for Kidz Blast starts by the beginning of March. After polling parents and volunteers in late February, the elders and I were not confident we would have enough key volunteers or enough kids to participate in a Kidz Blast to make it effective. We also did not have a clear picture at that time of what COVID protocols would look like this summer. So we made the difficult decision at that time to cancel our June outreach event. Even though things have changed a lot since late February, I see God’s wonderful hand in what I believe will be a pivotal time in the lives of our families as we explore our call to go into all the world. I believe this elementary curriculum in May and June will even shape what next summer’s June outreach event will be. In God’s perfect timing this also coincided with many of our Cornerstone-sponsored missionaries being in the U.S. due to COVID restrictions. I cannot begin to tell you all the wonderful things God has uniquely lined up to be part of this curriculum! Your elementary child will not want to miss any Sunday!
From the beginning of time, God has been working to fulfill his mission to make himself known throughout all the nations of the earth. To each person who comes to know Christ as their Savior he has given a part in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus calls believers to share their faith wherever they are.
In every generation God chooses to use families, just like yours, to accomplish his plans.
Your child will be receiving a wonderful storybook entitled One Big Adventure in class on May 2nd to set the stage for our learning. The book explores five different ways families can be involved in God’s mission by welcoming, praying, going, sending, and mobilizing. Your child will bring the book home so that you can use the materials in it each week for a family devotion. The lessons in the back of the book will help you as a family explore how God wants you to be part of spreading the Gospel. There is even a fun surprise for kids during one of the assignments. I am praying that God will work in your families to give you a passion for the people around you and show you ways to engage them for the purpose of sharing Christ.
We will also be having a Mission Offering Project in the elementary class during this time. Our project will be to raise funds to help the Coyne Family return for a summer visit here with Brenda and Jimmy (their young adult children they left behind when they moved to Romania). It has been a challenging year for them on numerous levels and this project allows us to be part of supporting their mission in Romania by giving them some needed family time and refreshment. Please consider how you can give to this project as a family!
While I am still very sad that we will not be having a June outreach event, I am more than excited about our May and June Elementary Sunday School class. I am working on some other exciting summer events…dates and details coming soon. Please be praying that God will open our eyes to the lostness of the world around us and give us a heart to share Christ!