Shared by our I-Kids Director Kate Shifflett during our Image Christmas Celebration:
I’m so thankful for our Impact students! If you’ve had the privilege of seeing this group in action, you know just how incredible they are. Many of these students serve faithfully on Sundays, doing everything from running technology and leading games to helping our kids dive into God’s Word. It’s been an absolute joy to watch them grow up, many first as kids in I-Kids themselves, and now as role models, investing in the next generation of believers.
It’s a privilege to serve as the I-Kids Director here for the past three years. Through this role, I’ve had the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with both our children and their families, and I’m grateful for the dedicated volunteers whose hard work and commitment make this ministry possible week after week.
Today, I want to take a moment to share the highlights of our year in I-Kids and to celebrate the ways we are investing in the next generation for Jesus.
In I-Kids, our journey begins with our littlest church members. Our nursery is a safe and loving space for children ages 6 weeks to just under 3 years old. Our dedicated nursery team does a fantastic job of caring for these little ones, providing parents the opportunity to worship in Big Church while knowing their babies are in good hands.
From there, our kids move on to the Red Team class, for ages 3 to 1st grade, and the Blue Team class, for 2nd to 5th graders. This year, we’ve been so excited to see new friends join us in both groups. Our kids are inviting their friends, and we’re seeing relationships with each other and Jesus grow stronger!
We use a tailored curriculum for each age group, all pointing to the same message: Jesus is our Savior and we can know Him personally. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve covered this year:
In our series, "God’s Got This", we started the year by teaching the kids that God’s plans are always good. Through Bible stories, they saw how God helped people in tough situations—and how He will help us, too.
In "My Adventure with Jesus", we showed our kids that the greatest adventure they’ll ever go on is the one they have with Jesus. It’s not always easy, but it’s filled with purpose, joy, and the promise of His presence.
In our "History Hunters – Easter" series, we focused on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, helping the kids understand the deep significance of Easter in our faith.
In "The Life of Moses", we explored Moses’ journey and learned powerful lessons about trusting God, being brave, and following His commands—just like Moses did.
In "Miracles of Jesus", we studied the incredible miracles Jesus performed while He was on earth, teaching the kids that the same God who worked miracles in the Bible is still working miracles today.
In our "Royalty" series, we examined the lives of kings and queens in the Bible, discussing what it means to be royalty in God’s kingdom and how we’re all called to live according to His values.
In "Who Is He?", we focused on the life of Jesus, helping the kids understand more about His life on Earth.
Most recently, we spent time on the Christmas story, celebrating the birth of Jesus and reflecting on the incredible gift of His arrival and the hope He brings to the world.
In our Red Team class, we start our day with play. We then gather for circle time and have an object lesson and Bible story. We sing songs to Jesus. We then have a craft to help reinforce the lesson and table activities which allow our teachers more time to talk one-on-one with our class about the message from the day.
In our Blue Team class, we continue to work on Bible skills. Each week, we dive into God’s Word, practice navigating the Bible, and read passages together. We break the passages down verse by verse and have had some great discussions this year! I’m excited to continue helping equip our kids to take ownership of their faith as they grow older.
This year, we also hosted Generation Sundays, where we gathered the entire church family—babies, kids, parents, grandparents, everyone—to worship together. It’s always such a beautiful sight to see all generations coming together singing, praying, and growing in God’s Word. I had the privilege of sharing object lessons to help connect the dots for the kids from Pastor Chris’ messages.
We hosted Child Dedications where parents committed to raising their kids to know, love, and serve Jesus and as a Church body we pledged to come alongside them.
We also hosted I-Kids Baptism classes, where kids and their families learned more about the significance of baptism and had the chance to ask questions.
This year three I-Kids publicly declared their faith in Jesus through baptism. One of my favorite moments each year is when those little feet pop up out of the water during baptism and seeing their pure joy in Jesus!
I want to thank our amazing teachers team. Every week, they show up with passion, patience, and dedication. Some have been serving with us for years—since my own freshman son was in the preschool class—and others have joined us more recently. We are so grateful for each one of you.
Thank you, parents, for trusting us with your children and letting us partner with you in their spiritual growth. It is truly an honor to walk alongside you in helping raise the next generation for Jesus.
As a church, we all have the opportunity to invest in this next generation through our special One Gift offering. This offering fuels not only the ministries that happen here on Sundays, but also the mission work we do both inside and outside of these walls. I am incredibly grateful for those who have invested in my own kids, and it’s an honor to be a part of the ministry that helps nurture your children’s faith too. Thank you for your generosity and your partnership in this mission. Together, we are raising up a generation that will impact the world for Jesus!
You can support our One Gift offering by clicking HERE and selecting “One Gift” in the drop-down menu.
