Vallejo Drive church revived its Kids Worship service in January, a cherished event that occurred twice in the past before the onset of the covid pandemic. As more members are returning to in-person worship services, the desire for this special children’s program resurfaced among the congregation.
Though the service was catered to children, Jonathan Henderson, senior pastor, wanted to ensure that adults in attendance also benefited from the integrated worship service. During the worship service, children were invited to sit on carpet laid out in front of the stage. From there, they enjoyed a skit, puppet show, special music—including the children’s bell choir and Glendale Adventist Academy fifth-grade choir—and the sermon. In his message, entitled “Bearable,” Henderson dissected the difficult and often misunderstood story of Elisha and the bear attack found in 2 Kings and explored its application to both kids and adults.
“We have to understand when we read Scripture, there are times when prophets get it wrong,” said Henderson. “There are times when we as parents get it wrong. God is calling us to be better. He has charged us with sharing the love of God with our children.”
After the service, the fun continued. Volunteers pulled out all the stops with a balloon artist, a face painting station, popcorn, ice cream, a chance to hang out with Kid the mascot, and more.
“I’m just blessed that God gave me the opportunity, at 52, to be doing this,” said Audrey Zorek, Vallejo Drive children’s ministry director. Zorek’s passion for kids came from his own childhood memories of watching how his parents were involved in church. When he had kids of his own, he set the same example for them. “Because of that, I felt like I belonged to the church. Now, I feel the need to contribute with the kids and help them feel the same. Hopefully when they’re 52, they’ll also be active in the church, helping other kids.”
The appreciation for the littlest ones in the congregation was felt by all in attendance. Zorek and his team hope to have Kids Worship quarterly moving forward and to join with other churches in the future.
“It was good, and we need to do it again,” Zorek said. “We’re always looking to see how we can improve on what we did to keep reaching the kids.”
