Serving the Littlest Ones
One of the growing ministries in GBC is the Children's Ministry and its nursery service for children below the age of 3 has been burgeoning, both with children and helpers!
Currently, on each Sunday, we are seeing an average of 18 little ones attending the nursery in Room 503. This is supported by a team of around 50 volunteers with 1 teacher and 11 helpers being rostered to serve each Sunday.
Among the team of helpers, 15 are in their 60s and though some have mobility restrictions, it did not stop them from responding to the call to serve in this often overlooked ministry. We thank God for their willingness and also their experience in caring for the little ones. We are also seeing a growing group of young adults stepping forward to serve in this ministry, one of whom is Darius Ng. Darius is one of the four teachers who will prepare and share a Bible lesson with the children each Sunday. Here, he shares how he has been blessed by the children and encouraged by the work done by the hands and feet that choose to serve the littlest.
He writes,
I’ve always been drawn to children, how amazing and quick they are to show on their faces and in their behaviour the things that they learn. In the early childhood sector, I’m considered somewhat of a “rarity”, a thorn among roses. A misfit some would even say.
I believe strongly that a child’s youngest years are the most crucial and foundational. The seeds of the gospel sown each day by parents and each week by the church help shape the youngest minds of Grace to understand and know our good God.
Serving in the nursery is never dull! The children bring their joy, their tears, their everything really. We serve once a month, on a rotating roster planned by Auntie Aris.
Our morning starts at 8.30am to prepare the room for the children’s arrival. This includes disinfecting the floor and toys for playtime. The children start streaming in as their parents drop them off and all the helpers ready to welcome the children to the room.
The assigned teacher for the week teaches the Bible lesson, and this is the highlight of the day. See the children engage with God’s Word and sing God’s truths through simple worship songs. These truths serve as gospel reminders for the adults in the room too!
It’s been most encouraging to see more members join the roster to serve our children. A body is made up of many parts and it brings much joy to witness the work done by the hands and feet that choose to serve the littlest. We all have a part in building the gospel in these young ones.
We thank God for the gift of children and the team, as well as the faithful service of Aris and Ai Tho, both of whom have been serving in this ministry for many years. The ministry seeks your prayers in the following:
Pray for the safety of the children under our care each Sunday.
Pray for more helpers and one more teacher to join the team. We want to ensure that helpers are only rostered once a month so that their worship in church for the rest of the Sundays are not interrupted. Currently for months with five Sundays, we are quite short handed, and so we are still on the lookout for more helpers. If you are interested, please contact Siew Ting at siewting@gracebaptistchurch.sg.
We pray that everyone in Grace will in one way or another, be an encourager and partner to the parents, committing to love and raise these children in the faith and ways of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.