Calvary Children’s Ministry Blog

And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

-Romans 10:15

On July 11-14, Tina Jervis and I took three children from the church and Child Enrichment Center after school program to PassportKids Camp in Crossville, TN. The camp theme was Barefoot, and the verse of the week was Romans 10:15. The children had many great experiences at the camp, and I would like to take a few minutes to share their experiences with you.

The children enjoyed all the things you would expect at camp: swimming, canoeing, arts and crafts, and sports. What makes PassportKids different is the Bible study and missions.

Our four lessons for the week were:

1. Trust — Trust God to lead us to the right place
2. Follow — Follow Jesus wherever he leads
3. Share — Share with those around me
4. Serve — Do for others as Jesus has done for me

Every morning the children spent time alone with God. They had their “passports” to guide them through their quiet time. The children were good about taking this time to spend alone with God to prepare for the day. A good practice to learn.

We began each day with the Celebration. A time of fun and games to prepare for the day ahead. After the celebration was Bible study and recreation. Each day the children spent time with their Bible study groups learning about God and Jesus. The adults also have a Bible study time, learning from the same passage as the children.

Digging a well Ethiopian-style

In the afternoons, the children enjoyed their selected activities as well as missions studies. This year they learned about the value of water in countries like Ethiopia. They got hands-on experience on how missionaries help the people of Ethiopia dig wells so they can have fresh, clean water. They also got to spend time with a real missionary who shared her experiences and stories about serving in a foreign country. The exciting thing is the missionary at the camp was one we had learned about in our own mission studies on Wednesday nights.

Every night we gathered together for worship. Worship at Passport is unique because the children lead much of the service, through the procession, litanies, skits, and music. Our pastor for the week, shared a sermon related to the topic of the day, and we concluded with a challenge to go and do what we had learned. After worship, we spent time together as a church group, debriefing the worship service and the day (sort of our own little Talk-Back time).

We ended each day with a party. The first night was the messiest games you can imagine. If you came up on the party and didn’t know what was happening, you would think total chaos had broken loose. The second night is Market Night. The staff of PassportKids set up a mock Ethiopian market place. This gave the children a chance to experience and learn about culture of Ethiopia. The third night was the talent show, a chance for the children to share their talents with their fellow campers.

I hope you have enjoyed this small glimpse into the Passport camp experience. Because the camp is only for those completing 3-6 grade, our group was small this year, but we have many upcoming third graders who will be eligible to go next year, so we are looking forward to even more happy campers next year.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Topic: God is a safe place

Verse: Nahum 1:7

Need: A turtle (even a toy one, as long as it has a hard shell) and a Bible

Sermon

Good morning, children. Today, I have something special with me. It is a turtle. Now, God loves all his animals in creation, and he gave many of them a special place where they can be safe. Do you know where the turtle’s safe place is? The turtle’s safe place is in his shell. Another word for a safe place is a refuge. So the turtle’s shell is his refuge.

We all have places where we feel safer than others. But what about a safe place from our fears, our anger, and our troubles. Our verse tells us a place where we can find refuge. (Read or have an older child read Nahum 1:7.) God can be our safe place. We can pray and know God will help us with our fears, anger, and troubles. And like the turtle’s shell, God is with us wherever we go.

Prayer

Dear God, We thank you that you love us. We thank you we can come to you in our times of trouble and you will help us. Amen.

Topic: God is bigger than the things we fear

Scripture: Isaiah 12:2

Need: Penny, book, Bible

Sermon

Good morning, children. Today, I have two items with me. (Show the children the penny and the book.) Which one is bigger? (Allow children to answer.) Can you think of something smaller than a penny? Can you think of something bigger than a book? What is the biggest thing you can think of?

We all have things that we are afraid of. Some fears are small like a penny. Other fears are bigger, like a book. Our Bible verse tells us about something that is bigger than our fears. (Read or have an older child read Isaiah 12:2.) God’s love and power is bigger than our fears and worries. When we are afraid, we might forget about God’s power. When we do, we need to pray and ask God to remind us that he is Bigger than our fears.

Prayer

Dear God, we thank you that you are bigger than our fears and worries. Help us to remember that your love and power is bigger than our fears, and you are there to help us. Amen.

Topic: God is with me, Jesus is God, the Bible helps us know God

Scripture: Psalm 118:6

Needed: Small fan, small pieces of paper, Bible

Sermon

Good morning, children. Have you ever seen the wind? Why not? We may not be able to see the wind, but we can see what the wind does. (Use a small fan to blow pieces of paper.) We can also feel the wind. (Blow the fan on your face. Have the children hold up their hands some they can feel the wind from the fan.)

Just like the wind, we cannot see God. Trusting God even though we cannot see him is called faith.  But we do have the Bible that tells us about God. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God coming down to earth so we could see him, touch him, and hear him. That’s why it is important for us to read the Bible, especially the stories about Jesus. The Bible tells us what God is like and how we can know him.

Even though we cannot see God, he is always with us. (Read or have an older children read Psalm 118:6.) It is good to know that God is with us.

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for being with us. Thank you for giving us the Bible so we can know you. Amen.