Let The Children Come to Me

Written by Erika Castiglione

My family started going to church when I was three years old because a neighbor invited my older brother and me to attend Vacation Bible School. I only have vague memories of eating flower shaped butter cookies and singing “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart,” but we must have really liked it because we were happy to go back the next Sunday, and the Sunday after that, until we eventually became members. It was there where I learned the basic truths of the Gospel, that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, and that he loved me and wanted to live in my heart (I pictured a little door on a smooth, shiny red heart shaped like the ones I liked to draw on my church bulletin).

It takes a lot of work and resources to put on Vacation Bible School and some might wonder if it’s worth it or what the kids really “get out of it.” Sure, they had a great time, but does eating frosted flakes manna and making homemade butter really teach them something about the gospel? I think it absolutely does. Maybe not the butter itself and maybe not always the Bible story time (I’m not sure how many of the preschoolers could articulate exactly why they painted a red mark across the paper bag “door” of Moses’ house), but certainly through the love, wonder, and joy they experienced.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus’ invitation for children to come and be blessed by him. We’re not told much about those children and it’s uncertain whether or not they were able to fully understand Jesus’ teaching, but I have no doubt they understood his love as he drew them in and rebuked those who disregarded them. I would love to see how those seeds of love and truth were watered in their lives and how Jesus’ prayers for them were answered. I also hope to see how some of the seeds planted through Waypoint Kids will be watered and grow in the years to come.

The theme of the week was to trust God to be near, to provide, to give to strength, and to save. For some of these children, it was their first big event, and even the first time to spend a significant time away from their parents, since covid started, and this unique circumstance provided an opportunity for them to put these truths into practice. One of the participants also had to trust God with an emergency appendectomy on the first night (and she still came back for the last night to be with friends).

If you had stopped by the sanctuary last Thursday around 7:45pm you would have seen a bunch of spinning, dancing, flag-twirling, jumping, shouting, running around, and general mayhem. You might have been able to make out the words to “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah,” and you certainly would have heard a lot of children yelling, “Trust God!” After a long week of later nights than usual for the majority of the crowd, most of the children had gone past exhausted to wired and loopy, and the energy in the room was palpable. It was the kind of scene I could imagine some serious-minded disciples wanting to shut down. And, then, Jesus saying, “the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Luke 18:16)

If you would like to volunteer once a month with Waypoint Kids, please contact Megan at Megan@waypointrdu.com

Why Children’s Ministry Brings Me Joy

Written by Megan Klinger

Chances are, if you’ve been at Waypoint for a while, you’ve heard Pastor Lawrence say at least once that we have the cutest kids in the world. It’s true. In my totally unbiased opinion, I 100% concur. If you’ve been in Waypoint Kids at all, you know our kids are the sweetest, cutest, funniest kids. And there are a lot of them! In looking forward to the fall, we’re planning for 101 little Waypoint Kids ranging from newborn to 5th grade, and our kids make up about 35% of our total church family. If those numbers mean nothing to you, trust me when I say they’re high! I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t make my head spin sometimes, but mostly I’m amazed. Those numbers are blessings! Psalm 127 calls children “a heritage from the Lord.” We’ve got 101 individual people that we get to enjoy, teach, and partner with their families. There are many things to learn from being part of children’s ministry, but here are three privileges of it that bring me joy:

Children’s ministry forms our view of church. I grew up attending church from the time I was small. My Sunday routine consisted of ruffly socks, a pretty dress, and walking down the block to our church for Sunday School at 10AM each week. There are things I remember learning in Sunday School, but I’ll be honest, what I remember most are the people – welcoming smiles, hugs, and firm insistence that I am loved by the Creator of the universe. Church for me has always been a safe place where I felt welcomed, and where people were excited to see me. My Sunday School teachers loved me with gentle patience, kindness, and consistency. Even still, when I go to my home church and see the people there who taught me about Jesus as a child, I know that I am loved and prayed for. I know my experience isn’t the experience of everyone who grew up in church – years of abuse that have come to light in recent years are devastating to victims and the Church. We seek for Waypoint Kids to be a place of safety and love where kids feel excited to be, restful with the people who are caring for them each week, and tenaciously reminded of how loved by God they are.

Children’s ministry is more than childcare. There’s a difference in childcare and children’s ministry. Both are a lot of fun, but one is babysitting while the other involves intentional teaching and relationship building. Children’s ministry on a Sunday morning is important to us because we see Waypoint’s kids as whole image bearers who are able to learn about God and His gospel plan. This means we teach simple, biblical truth, we pray for and with our kids, and we walk alongside them and their families as they seek to glorify God. I think there’s something so beneficial for kids (and adults!) in simple statements of biblical truth. For example, the slogan for last year’s Vacation Bible School was, “Jesus is our strong foundation.” I’ve been told by some parents that their kids are still saying the slogan! What a gift to have that impressed upon your memory at 3 years old. Imagine what it will look like for them to grow in understanding of what that means as they turn 5, 15, 25…50! 100! We are ever growing in God as He sanctifies us, and children’s ministry gives us the opportunity to sow seeds at a young age, often even getting to reap the fruit that God grows. Our hope is always that Waypoint Kids is so much more than childcare.

Children’s ministry gives you the opportunity to grow. Over the past year+ as we’ve been doing atypical, COVID kid’s ministry, I’ve been in the “virtual classroom” teaching each week. I was resistant at first, but in hindsight, I’m grateful for the parent recommendation to give Waypoint Kids videos a shot. I’ve been told that kids and families love the videos, but even if not one single person watched them, God has used prepping for the videos to teach me much about Himself. One of the things we want our kids to see is this big, beautiful story of the Bible. It’s amazing, really - the connections from Old to New Testament, the allusions of the Messiah to come, the depth of the character of our faithful God, and more. Prepping to teach means that I have to simply understand so that I can simply teach truths about God. When we go into the classroom with this mindset, what we share is more real to us, giving us a passion that comes through in our words. In recent months, we were learning about some of the Old Testament prophets. One of our truth statements has been, “God’s plans can’t be stopped.” The amount of times I’ve repeated that to myself over the past few months? Too many to count. As I learn more about God for teaching in Waypoint Kids, it doesn’t stay in a Waypoint Kids box. It touches every part of my life. God has only increased my affection for Him by necessitating that I spend time simply seeking Him in His Word.

When Waypoint planted in 2014, one of our oldest kids was 5 years old. This child graduates to youth group in the fall. This thrills me to no end! As we continue to age as a church, we’ll only continue to watch kids move down the Waypoint Kids hallway, ever learning more about God. We pray that the gospel would grip their hearts, and that they would be fervent disciples of Jesus as they grow. Going off the numbers, it’s clear that God has seen fit for children’s ministry to be an important part of the life of our church. I invite you to join us in this ministry, helping kids taste and see the beauty of a life lived to bring glory to our wonderful God.

A Mother’s Reflections at Graduation

Written by Erika Castiglione

When people ask me how I’m feeling about my oldest graduating and heading off to college, I normally say I’m feeling “all the emotions.” I’m sad when I think about how quiet our house will seem without her running commentary on everything, or how much I’ll miss running errands together while listening to Broadway music, and I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to hear the chorus to Carole King’s “Where You Lead,” without getting a little misty eyed.

I’m also feeling fear because I know this world is no safe place, anxiety over whether or not we’ve prepared her well, and the bittersweet reality that life here is temporal (seriously, where did time go?).

Thankfully, there is also excitement when I think about what is ahead of her, like all of the opportunities to grow, form deep friendships, and develop and use some of the gifts God has given her. I’m also interested to see the ways God will use this shift in our family dynamic to bring out different things in all of us.

As I look back at baby pictures and reflect on what now feels like a very short amount of time to help guide another image bearer from infanthood to adulthood, the sweetest emotion I feel is an immense gratitude for the grace of God. I’m thankful for his grace in allowing me to be a mom to my three children, and in the process catch even a glimpse of my heavenly father’s heart for me. I’m thankful for his grace that has covered a multitude of my sins and quieted my fears when so often I have felt the weight of my helplessness to protect those I love so deeply from pain and heartache. And I’m thankful for the grace that guides us now into this new stage we call “adult-lite” (not fully independent but getting there) and all the stages that will follow.

I know I’m not graduating from motherhood, but I also know my role in her life is changing. From carrying her inside of me, to dropping her off on her first day of kindergarten, till now, parenthood is in many ways an exercise of letting go. Yet, with each loosening of my grip on the three children he has entrusted to Danny and me, I cling tighter to my heavenly father. I’m so grateful he will never let go.

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”-Deuteronomy 31:8