What an encouraging sight – the joyful smiles of children learning, loving, and leading sung worship on a Sunday morning!
These little grinners are God’s ‘Explorers’ – a group of children aged five - 11 years, from St Luke’s Church in Thurnby.
They get together every week for Bible stories, crafts, games and songs, joining up with the wider church for an ‘all-age’ service on the first Sunday of the month.
Each term, Explorers spend time learning about world missions. This term they’ve been looking at the work of Open Doors UK & Ireland, which serves persecuted Christians across the world.
In this session, the children heard about Brother Andrew and his travels smuggling many, many Bibles into countries where they were prohibited.
They looked at the Bible verse from 1 John 3:1: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
Emily Devas, Children and Families Work Coordinator, explained to them that if we are all God’s children, then that makes us all brothers and sisters, and we are to love each other as family - at which point the children all started hugging one another!
They decided to support their brothers and sisters all over the world by having a bake sale at church and raised a whopping £130 for Open Doors UK & Ireland.
Every Explorers session begins with singing, during which the children enjoy playing instruments.
Check out nine-year-old Joel on the guitar. Here he is leading the group in ‘God is Good’ by Worship for Everyone, which they learned and sang during one of the services, together with all the grown-ups.
“This year we have tried to be more intentional about children having time for worship and prayer in the groups. Children learn scripture so well by singing it!” says Emily.
“Children really love to express their thoughts and feelings in times of worship and prayer, so it’s important to make time and space for them to do this.
“When they pray, they pray out loud right from the heart, and often say exactly what is on their minds and hearts. It can be so encouraging for others to hear.”