When I first visited Grace Kids in the Spring of 2005, I fell in love with the energy, the music, the people and the fun that children’s ministry could be. I knew immediately that being part of this is what God made me to do. I spent that summer as an intern, loved every minute of it, and joined the Grace Kids staff team as soon as I could.
Fast forward twenty years and a lot has changed. Many of the people I knew have come and gone. Kids grew up and volunteers moved on. We sing different songs now than we did then. We don’t serve snacks anymore, except for the littlest Grace attenders. We’ve repainted and moved things around here and there. There used to be puppets, but that’s a rare occurrence these days. Some things are still there – the fun and the energy, but a lot has changed.
The one constant, aside from the unchanging God we love and serve, is the carpet. The original variegated teal carpet from 1997 is still there. That carpet has been through a lot. It’s been stepped on, sat on, spilled on, and worse. It’s been soaked with bubbles and sprinkled with bits of clay and sand. Honestly, it has held up remarkably well! It hides dirt beautifully and only has a few tears.
The teal carpet has seen an entire generation of people learn God’s word and build a foundation of faith in the one true God, but the time has come to lay down something new.
As the community of Grace Church reimagined how to move into the next phase of who we are and how we participate in God’s kingdom work, the decision was made to update the entrances and flooring in Grace Kids. This is the first big renovation project since the worship “pods” were built in 2007. Goodbye teal carpet! Hello, beautiful gray floors!
The time, money, and effort being put into this project will physically refresh the space, but it also communicates an important truth: children matter to Jesus. Creating a safe, updated environment for kids to connect with God, each other, and caring leaders feels like a tangible expression of what the prophet Isaiah said, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?”
God has been moving in Grace Kids for decades. Thousands of hours have been spent in prayer, worship, and teaching His truth to the littlest and biggest children. Bible verses have been learned, and community has formed. Disciples have been made and launched into the mission of God. Some of the kids who grew up in Grace Kids are now adults bringing their own kids. Lives have been changed!
All of that will continue now with a breath of fresh air – air filled with the faint scent of paint and the bold movement of the Holy Spirit.
You are invited to join this movement! If you have kids or grandkids, bring them on Sunday morning. Invite your friends, neighbors, or classmates. Or join us as a volunteer. It takes 60 people to make Grace Kids happen on a Sunday morning. Would you be one of them? We’ll roll out the teal gray carpet for you.