(For our internet guests, the following text is taken from the printed version of the Prayer Guide we are using for the 50 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Feel free to interact by leaving comments on this page!)

Researcher George Barna, author of Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions (Regal Books, 2003), stresses the importance of children’s ministry by contending that lifelong moral views are largely in place by adolescence. “What you believe at age 13 is pretty much what you’re going to die believing,” Barna said. Research compiled by his Barna Group shows that children between the ages of 5 and 13 have a 32 percent probability of accepting Jesus … Wow, if that is an accurate picture then it sure highlights the responsibility the church has in coming along side parents and assisting in sharing Christ with children. Especially when there are so many kids in homes where Jesus is just a curse word and they don’t even know what real love is like. This is one of the reasons why children’s ministry is so important at HPC and why we are taking the steps to invest in a youth and children’s pastor.

From the Word…

Matthew 19:13-15

Think about it…

Think about this statistic also from Barna research:  

“Adults who attended church as a child are twice as likely as others to read the Bible during a typical week; twice as likely to attend a church worship service in a typical week; and nearly 50% more likely to pray to God during a typical week.” (www.barna.org) 

Prayer Points:

• Pray for our church and Pastor Darren as we search for a person to serve as the youth and children’s Pastor. Pray that PD will recognize the right person God is calling to HPC
• Pray that God will show us ways in which our children’s ministry can be improved.
• Pray that God will continue to raise up volunteers for this vital ministry.

For Parents…

Take an active role in what your children are learning in children’s ministry at HPC. Ask your kids questions about what they are learning, reemphasize that theme through the week in your family devotional time or around the dinner table. Learn to recognize the opportunities to connect what they are learning with what they are living.