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It starts with the children all around us.
“Prestonwood is such an unusual church,” said Sondra Saunders, Senior Preschool/Children’s Minister. “Very few people have the God-given opportunity that we have to do something so incredible.”
Last fall, members of Prestonwood Baptist Church began following God on a new journey called Beyond All Limits. The call is to sacrificially give so that the church can reach even more people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The Children’s Ministry is one area in which the need for expansion is greatest. On average, the staff ministers to more than 5,000 children on a weekly basis. The Saunders Children’s Building will help provide the needed space.
“God continues to fill up our church with young families and beautiful little babies and boys and girls,” Pastor Jack Graham said. “This is not just for babysitting or taking care of kids; this is for growing up these kids to be strong and vibrant and healthy believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We will break ground in June on the building which will include 18 new classrooms, additional first-floor space for young children and children with special needs, a large room for AWANA and more.
“It’s amazing and overwhelming to see how God has grown this ministry,” Sondra said. “In the beginning, the ministry was six kids on a tumbling mat in a gym. Now we have 5,000.”
When looking back at the church’s history, it’s easy to see God’s hand in the Children’s Ministry. And each step of the way, as the Lord led more children to church, people were ready to do whatever was necessary to make sure they had a place to call home.
And now it’s time to step out again.
Many people are already answering the call. Charles and Candy Priest work in the Children’s Ministry nursery and have three grandchildren at Prestonwood. When the first Children’s Building was built, the Priests donated their time and resources to decorate the nursing rooms so new mothers would feel more welcome. Now, they have stepped forward to do the same for the new building.
Candy knows that when children are taken care of, the entire family will respond. “We want parents to know their children are loved and safe,” she said.
She recalls one family that was particularly touched by the ministry.
“One mother was very reluctant to leave her child of 13 months,” Candy said. “So I began visiting the baby in their home every week or every other week. It took four to six months of visiting for the baby to become comfortable. Gradually, the mother would leave her 10 minutes at a time, then longer and longer.”
Soon, the parents were able to attend Prestonwood regularly. Eventually, they became Bible Fellowship teachers.
“The mother told me that if her child hadn’t been ministered to in that way, she wouldn’t have been able to come,” Candy recalled. “It made all the difference in the world.”
For parents of special needs children, having a ministry that attends to their children’s unique needs is a blessing. A friendly face and a comfortable atmosphere give the reassurance they need to leave their children and attend worship service and Bible Fellowship.
“It means a lot to us because there are so many families out there who could be reached because they don’t feel like there’s a place for their child,” said Carolyn Phegley, mother of two children with special needs. “With the new building, we will be able to meet the needs and minister to kids even more with facilities that are designed with equipment that will give them an environment that is safe and created just for them. The impact will allow us to go out into the community and share Jesus Christ to families with special needs children.”
Jennifer Weiss appreciates how loving people have been to her daughter, Emily, who has Down Syndrome. “She had a couple of surgeries this past year and was out for a few weeks, but the staff in the Children’s Ministry and her teachers have gone out of their way to keep in contact with us and to check up on her health,” Jennifer said.
Like the staff, many members are devoted to ministering to the needs of children.
So passionate are Dr. Ken and Millie Cooper about reaching children that they have already fulfilled their commitment to Beyond All Limits. The Coopers have two grandchildren at Prestonwood.
“Sometimes, church is the only place where children can hear about Jesus—especially today, when you can’t mention much about religion in schools,” Millie said. “Just look at the impact of Vacation Bible School, with 5,000 kids attending. When children get to know the Lord, they may eventually bring their family to church, too.”
Millie understands the importance of children’s ministry. At 71, she still remembers the things she was taught in Bible school as a young child.
“Anyone who has the opportunity to invest in the Children’s Ministry should do it,” she said. “If you send your child, you’re investing more in their future than if you put money in the bank. You’re investing in an account that can’t be taken away, no matter how the stock market is doing. You’re investing in a savings account of a child’s spiritual life.”
Millie believes the Children’s Ministry is one of the most important in the church.
“We have great leaders today,” she said, “but what will happen if we’re not training equally good leaders to take over in the future? The Children’s Ministry is our future, right there.”
And it’s a future we can each make a difference in today.
We will tell the next generation "the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done… So the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God." —Psalm 78:4-7
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