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.

On June 2, we began our new Wednesday night summer program called Light, Cameras, Action! The children will read a passage from the Bible (a story, parable, Psalm) and in as many weeks as it takes create a project using the passage. The children are given several options on the project they wish to create. On June 2, they were given the choices of creating a short film, a story book, or a music video. They chose the short film. We brainstormed ideas on how to make the film and create the different elements needed; then, the children began work on creating the elements needed.

Through this method of study, we give the children several weeks to interact with the same Bible passage, and explore the passage through creativity. This project method engages the children on many levels. They explore through art, music, sound, and drama, individually and as a group. On the computer, the children will get a chance to learn to edit pictures and videos related to their projects. If the children chose to share their final products, we will share with the church congregation.

The Wednesday program is open to all children grades K-6. We begin at 6:30 pm on Wednesdays. Parent participation and help is welcomed for this program, as sometimes, children are involved in several different pieces of the current project at once.

A sample of a short film we have produced before is available on the children’s pages of the church web site: Parable of the Sower short film.