The Word of God is powerful. It is the very instrument used by God to save and nourish our souls, fill us with hope, correct our ways, and align our thoughts with the Almighty God.
With this in mind, our ultimate goal as we gather corporately for worship is to give glory and praise to God and build up his church. We believe at Shepherd Bible Church that the tool used to do this is the very word of God. We desire our services to contain the following elements.
Sing The Word
Say The Word
Pray The Word
Preach the Word
See the Word
That we would sing songs filled with beauty and biblical truth. That we would read aloud the very word of God together. That we would pray the very Word of God to and over one another. That we would seat ourselves under the teaching and preaching of the Word. That we would see the Word of God come to life by witnessing baptism and taking communion.
As a Church, our hope is that when we gather for worship, we fill every moment with the very thing that changes everything: God’s Holy Word.
Statistics say anywhere from 50-80% of people walk away from the church in college. At Shepherd Bible, our desire is to integrate children into the life of the congregation and into the participation of the gathered church at an early age.
Why is this important?
There is so much that happens in our gathered worship service that a dedicated children’s program cannot provide.
We believe it’s important for children to worship alongside their parents.
We believe it’s important for children to see worship modeled for them by other adults and their parents.
We believe it’s important for children to hear the reading and teaching of of God’s Word alongside the whole church.
We believe it’s important for children to participate in congregational prayer times for the lost, the hurting, for our community, missionaries, and more.
We believe it’s important for children to see the facilitation of the sacraments of baptism and communion.
We believe it’s important for children to hear about local and global missions and what God is doing among the nations for His glory.
Ultimately, if we want to model and transfer Biblical principles and the values of local church to our children, the gathered church services is the best environment to do so.
During our morning worship services, children often engage in scripture readings, congregational prayers, missions moments, baptism, and communion when possible.
In the infant class, love and attention is given to our babies. We believe that in keeping the infants, the parents are able to attend worship therefore encouraging Gospel Centered teaching at home.
We believe it is never too early to begin teaching children God’s Word. An age appropriate Bible story is read each Sunday and a craft or color sheet is given. Toddlers have plenty of time for a snack and to play and interact with other children and with caring teachers.
Once a child moves into the Preschool room, the time spent reading and talking about the Bible story for the week increases. Time is spent in a group setting while the teacher reads and explains the story while making a clear connection to the gospel. Each week there is a craft, snack time, and time to play on the indoor playground.
Kids Equip is our class for children Kindergarten through 5th grade that happens during the 9am Equip Class hour. We squeeze a lot into our time, as each week starts with a time of worship, followed by a fun game that relates to that week’s story. The Bible story for the week follows a chronological timeline of scripture and is taught by explaining where it fits into the overarching narrative of the Bible. Following our story is a time where we work on learning the foundations of our faith through the use of a catechism. Finally, a fun game is played as everyone prepares to leave!
Kindergarten-2nd Grade:
The Kindergarten through 2nd grade class is a special time designed specifically for our younger elementary students, as it is offered during the second half of the worship service. After the time of corporate worship, children are dismissed with their teachers to attend a class just for them! During this time, the lesson covers what is being taught in the main worship service but at a level appropriate for them. This class is optional as you are welcome to have your children attend the entire corporate worship service with you.
3rd-5th Grade Kids:
Kids in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade attend and participate in the gathered worship service with their parents
Reach out to us if you have any questions. We are here for you and your family.
