Infusion Church: Escondido, CA

I once heard it said that most people spend their adult lives recovering from the misconceptions about God learned in childhood. While we can all chuckle at the funny things we thought in our youth, I have come across too many situations that aren’t laughable. Theological misconceptions, in fact, that have driven people away from God altogether.

I find this tragic and largely avoidable.

Infusion Church takes the responsibility to our children seriously. By combining a God-centered curriculum with teachers intent on building relationships with the children, we believe the children of Infusion Kids will be given the opportunity to know God deeply and personally and to participate in authentic community within the church. The fruit of this, we believe, will be children who not only know things about God, but know God. Who are not trapped by a self-righteous legalism, but are set free by their trust in God’s provision. Who desire to minister to the world rather than to hide from it. And who are honest and humble and full of joy – a real reflection of Jesus to a spiritually starved world.

So here we are in our second month of meeting. Infusion Kids is just getting started down this path. It’s messy and a little chaotic. And you know what? It’s beautiful. We don’t have enough people in place. We are trying out systems and revising them. We are figuring out a new curriculum. But it’s already beautiful.

Take the kids in the grades 3 to 5 class, for example. On week three, when I pulled out my camera, DJ spontaneously threw his arms around Mickey and declared that he wanted to have a picture with his friend. This was week three and already the bonding had begun!

Or we can look to the infant and toddler class. When Shirley rolled out the curriculum for the first time, she had to trust that it would work with the wiggle worms in her room. After church, she came straight over to tell me how excited she was – she managed to maintain the rapt attention of several two-year-olds as she shared the story of creation. She was glowing!

If you are a parent, I hope the following explanation of Infusion Kids gets you excited about your child’s participation. If you are considering volunteering for children’s ministry, I hope this will inspire you and give you a clearer idea of our objectives and methods. If you are anybody else, may you be drawn to pray for the teachers, children, and parents involved in this ministry. There’s just too much at stake to attempt this ourselves.

 

 

VISION STATEMENT:

To infuse children with a gospel-centered worldview in a way that grows their love for God and others.

HOW WE ACCOMPLISH THIS:

Prayer

We lift up this ministry in prayer constantly. The only way to make up for any unintentional miscommunication of God’s truth is by His working. We pray that what is said and done in the classroom is always used for His glory. We also pray for and with the children. Teachers are encouraged to pray for the children in their class throughout the week. In class, kids are given the opportunity to ask for prayer for the things they are concerned about in their lives. Teachers pray with the kids during class.

God-centered Curriculum

Infusion Kids has chosen to use the curriculum Children Desiring God. This approach is  “God-centered” rather than “man-centered.” The difference between the two perspectives is best described in the program’s introduction:

“So often the Bible is used to teach children to be ‘good little girls and boys’ and the stories in the Bible are told in the framework of this goal. The story of Moses in the bulrushes becomes a lesson on helpfulness: Miriam helped her mother by watching her baby brother in the Nile. David facing Goliath is an example of courage, and the feeding of the five thousand becomes a lesson on sharing (‘A Little Boy Shares His Lunch’). In addition, the lessons become very ‘me-centered’: God loves ME, God cares for ME, God provides for ME, God hears ME when I pray, and so forth. So often the attention is focused on man rather than God.

The main focus of the Bible is to instill faith by revealing the character of God. Rather than man and his needs, God is the main character in the Bible. Instead of Moses in the bulrushes being a lesson on helpfulness, it is in fact the story of our faithful God, in His love and compassion for Israel, honoring His promise to Abraham to make of him a great nation, and rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt. It is the story of our sovereign God imposing His will on Pharaoh and defeating Satan’s evil scheme by delivering His people with His mighty arm because He is all-powerful and He always accomplishes His purposes. It is the story of God showing Egypt that He is the Lord!

In every story we read in the Bible, we should ask ourselves, ‘What does this say about God?’ As we get to know God better through encountering Him in the Word, and experiencing Him in daily life, faith grows. Good morals then grow out of an admiration for God’s character; we tend to imitate those whom we admire. As we admire God’s character more, we have a greater sense of our own sinfulness and inability to live holy lives, which pushes us to repentance and dependency on God.”

Age-Appropriate Teaching Methods

Our objective is not “to have fun”, but we meet our objective by helping children learn in a way that is fun for them. This means that we don’t lecture for a half hour. It also means that we don’t put all our energy into making Sunday school compete with other types of entertainment kids have come to expect culturally. Fun learning occurs when communication is rich, the adults are passionate and genuinely caring, children feel understood, and the activities give the kids the chance to connect what they are learning with personal experience at whatever level they are at.  For the youngest children, that might include coloring or crafts. For the older kids, that could be a game or a small group discussion.

Caring Community

Even the youngest of us are part of the Infusion family and need to know they are cared about by members of the church. Teachers and helpers will help children feel loved and part of the community through personal relationships and midweek contact such as a phone call or note in the mail.

Parental Involvement

Parents are to be the primary spiritual leaders in their children’s lives. Teachers work alongside parents in the spiritual development of their children by communicating what has been learned in Sunday school each week. Take-home sheets keep parents informed about memory verses and how to discuss lessons at home throughout the week. We also encourage parents to assist in the classroom and, when offered, to participate in ministries for improving parenting skills.

Contagious Joy

Real joy comes through a growing relationship with Christ. Our teachers will be able to share their joy with the children. We hope that the children will be actively growing in their relationship with Jesus, and as a result, will attract others to Christ.

Opportunities to Serve

Serving others is at the heart of the message of Christ. Our faith is strengthened by seeing God at work when we serve. Children are not too young to start showing God’s love to others. In light of this, we will periodically offer projects where the children love their neighbors by serving them. These may be in conjunction with Infusion’s Prosperity Projects, or it might be something the kids think up on their own.

Safe Environment

Undergirding all of the above is the need for a safe environment when the children are in our care. Infusion’s policies and procedures include fingerprinting our classroom leaders and clearing them with law enforcement personnel, training teachers for emergency situations, and maintaining a clean and safe classroom. A complete description of our safety procedures is available upon request.

 

So you want to get involved?

 

INFUSION KIDS MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES

When you think of children’s ministry, you might think that the only need is for teachers. Not so! Here’s a summary of all the different ways you can serve the children of Infusion:

Sunday School Check-In Table:  9:15 to 9:45 Sunday morning, sign kids in, talk to parents about procedures, make sure parents don't slip by without checking in their kids, turn check-in registers over to teachers.

Set-up Classrooms: Arrive at church at 8:30 to ensure everything is set up before teachers the teachers arrive at 9:00. Involves moving tables and folding chairs, baby gates, and plastic bins.

Tear Down Classrooms: Stay after church for a half hour to put away Sunday school supplies and return the preschool classrooms to the way they were before. Involves moving tables and folding chairs, baby gates, and plastic bins.

Lead Teacher:  Teach Sunday school, including one hour of preparation per week. Be in the classroom ready to pray at 9:00 AM.  Pray for the children throughout the week. Touch base with several kids by phone call or mailed note between Sundays. Be able to follow a one-month-on one-month-off schedule (or something similar – there may eventually be more time off when we get more teachers).

Classroom Helper: Assist lead teacher with classroom management, handling bathroom breaks, passing out snack, comforting any unhappy children, helping kids with the craft, cleaning up. No teaching is required, but you will be encouraged to touch base with some of the children the week after you serve in the class.

Substitute Teacher: Willing to be trained as a lead teacher, but will serve as a helper or teacher only when a regularly scheduled teacher/helper has an emergency and cannot make it.

Special Events Helper: Available to help with special events such as parties or service projects that do not occur during Sunday school. This may include planning, setting up/tearing down, or helping supervise the event.

Resource Manager: Checking in on things like craft supplies and replenishing them as necessary. Being available occasionally to run errands on behalf of Infusion Kids. At this time, this might be a few hours one day a month.

Scheduler: Able to schedule teachers and helpers and to field calls regarding cancellations and substitutions.

Snacks: Provide fresh, healthy snacks such as sliced apples, cheese, or carrot sticks for Sunday school. (Approx. 20 servings) This is something we would like to offer once a month. (The church normally provides crackers for snack. This ministry gives the kids some variety.)

 

 

THE IDEAL TEACHER

•    Loves God and has a passion for living out his or her faith

•    Loves children and has a passion for connecting with their lives

•    Wants children to feel loved by God and develop a life-encompassing love for God

•    Wants children to feel loved and cared for by the church thereby developing a desire to do the same for others

•    Understands that Christian faith should affect every part of one’s life and how one interacts with the world

•    Is teachable and committed to personal growth; can accept feedback and is willing to work through areas that need improvement

•    Is willing to put in the time to be prepared for Sunday

•    Is willing to connect with the children in class mid-week through a phone call or note

•    Can commit to a month at a time rotation (one month on, one or two months off)

 

OUR VISION FOR TEACHERS

To feel equipped and empowered to do the job. We will provide training and support throughout a teacher’s or helper’s commitment to Infusion Kids.

To see ministry in Infusion Kids as an awesome privilege and opportunity to share one’s passion for Christ with children rather than as a difficult burden.

To learn from the children as much as teach them.

To take ownership of this responsibility and demonstrate creativity and joy for teaching and providing children with opportunities to serve in the community.

To personally grow through the preparation of Sunday lessons. “Good teaching comes from a heart that has struggled with the Biblical truths being taught and has come to treasure and delight in them.” (From the Children Desiring God curriculum introduction)

 

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