Discipleship Commons

A gathering of Nurturing Care West Coast creators provided the first update since the Maker’s Space gathering. The meeting focused on reviewing progress and learning from various prototype activities across different ministry initiatives, with an emphasis on capturing stories and insights to inspire others. Multiple participants shared updates on children’s and youth programs, including worship leadership, outreach efforts, and gratitude-focused initiatives, with some reporting positive feedback and enthusiasm from congregation members. Under the guidance of national coordinator, Dr. Dana Preusch, and Nurturing Care Director Dean Blevins, the group discussed implementation challenges and strategies for engaging families and children in religious activities, while also addressing the importance of documentation, communication, and adaptation of prototypes within congregations.

Children’s Worship Initiatives

Jason Visser from Bend Church described his project involving Spanish and bilingual kids’ worship videos, highlighting the role of his music producer friend in overcoming licensing challenges and connecting with professionals in the music industry. Jason reported on the first recording session for a project, noting significant cost savings and the children’s enthusiasm. He plans to involve more kids in future sessions and divide the project into phases.

Vanessa Hernandez from SW Latin Chandler church discussed the formation of a children’s worship band, highlighting the challenge of selecting participants due to high interest among a number of children. She mentioned plans to meet on Sunday to address this issue and outlined a goal for the kids to lead a worship service next year. Pastor shared updates on new families joining the church and the need for a children’s program, emphasizing the involvement of new leaders and the positive response from the board.

Monica and Jon Gage from Palmer Church (Alaska) noted that they are using “classics” like the children’s song “The Lord’s Army” to engage adults in the worship service. Monica reported: “We started the worship service portion of our project this past Sunday. Ten of our kids, plus a toddler, helped our worship pastor lead worship for the congregation, including one girl playing piano and another playing the cajon. They brought the same joy and energy into the worship service that they have during worship in our class and they shared that with the congregation. It was really amazing to see. After worship service, we had a Children’s Church lesson about Deborah and Barak, who sang a song of praise and gratitude to God after a victory. The kids then made a palm leaf, writing something they were grateful to God for, and added it to our gratitude tree on the classroom wall.”

Project Planning and Cost Management

Danielle Montano-Rivas shared updates on a leadership meeting at Sandia Valley church, planning to start lessons in October with a focus on gratitude leading up to a VBS camp. Tim King noted during Salina New Life’s meeting with key partners, one of the attendees asked if the project was limited to just the local congregation. The partner said he is excited to pursue complimentary ideas from other churches doing effective ministry involving ministry with children. Patti Rivas shared plans for training Sunday school teachers in 30 churches from the Southwest Native American District, aiming to introduce the program and gather feedback. All three churches discussed the importance of staging projects to manage resources and build momentum.

Additional Gratitude and Trust Program Implementation

The group continued to discuss the implementation gratitude and trust programs with Pastor Elaine Briefman from Sonoma Valley emphasizing the importance of creating a supportive environment and addressing potential resistance. Elaine noted that she has received some initial resistance from the traditional AA program that meets at her church since they are not use to receiving gratitude from outside the group. Elaine noted she is learning new insights to build bridges with this community.

Lucia Babb with Hisperia church reported on the positive progress of her church-focused initiative, which has gained support from pastors and will extend to include other churches and a local elementary school in California’s High Desert. Lucia described her experience with youth involvement in the program, noting an overwhelming response and the church’s willingness to support additional participants.

Bryan Campiotti at Discovery Livermore New Life shared his experience piloting a youth outreach program through letter writing to build trust, which led to a personal connection with a neighborhood youth and their family. He has since transitioned from letter writing to in-person meetings and is now working to involve his small group in similar outreach efforts. 

Church Initiatives for Family Engagement

While Kerrie Tatman at Mount Pleasant church (Texas) also noted a story of a young child participating and leading others in worship including standing beside her as she preached that morning. Christy Dickt with Pittsburg Church shared her project which involves journals, a gratitude board, and a “prayground,” which aims to enhance intergenerational worship at her congregation. Christy writes: “Our church supports intergenerational worship. All ages are together. During a time of prayer at the altar, a 2 year old girl who is normally very rambunctious but a regular attender, went up and laid her hand on a gentleman in our congregation that was praying. She remained there for about 3-4 minutes praying over him never causing a disturbance. Later we talked about this from the pulpit helping our people to understand the importance of intergenerational worship and how our children are learning the acts of worship from an early age so they are natural to them. We were able to experience the beautiful moment because she is present with us and learning what worship is and that church is a place to express that worship at any age and ability. That could not have happened if she had been in the nursery”

The range of the reports reflect just the beginning of a new year with our West Coast initiatives. Still, an excellent beginning as these churches reach into the lives of elementary age children through worship and prayer practices.