It is a privilege to be a part of what God is doing in Kindergarten-Grade 6 Ministries at CrossRoads. God has been so good to us and it is such a joy to serve the kids and families that walk through our doors week after week. Here are a few important moments I’d like to highlight from this past year.
In July 2023, for "Pets Unleashed" Day Camps we welcomed a total of 160 children; 31 of those kids were from unchurched families! We were also blessed with many loving and giving volunteers who served our campers so well throughout the weekend.
Our CrossRoads kids continue to blow us away with their incredible generosity through their giving to Haiti Arise. So far this year, we’ve raised over $1050 to support our sponsored families in the Children’s Village in Haiti. In December, we had the privilege of engaging directly with Hope Mission Red Deer through our ‘KidsGiving’ Campaign and by donating Christmas gifts for families in our city. 20 families were able to freely “shop” for 44 kids, allowing each child to receive three gifts! We are so glad it was such a blessing for our local and global communities.
This year we also undertook a significant change in our program. We adopted ‘WonderInk’ as our new curriculum for our Kindergarten-Grade 4 program. The 4 foundational truths of ‘WonderInk’ are: God knows me, Jesus loves me, the Spirit leads me and I am a child of God. We are so encouraged by how our kids have grown in their faith, deepened their relationship with Christ, and got to know Him better this year. Seeing our kids confidently recite God’s Word continues to be one of my favourite moments in Kids Ministry. A few months ago, one of our kindergarteners was so eager to let us know that she had memorized the Bible verse of the month, that she stood in front of all her K-4 friends and proclaimed with confidence; “He will keep His covenant forever. He will keep His promise for all time to come." 1 Chronicles 16:15”. Amen! We have experienced God at work in our children’s lives as we see them come to know God, grow in their love for Him, and live to serve Him.
Last year, we created the Holy Week Family Experience to help families understand and reflect on the Easter Story, celebrate victory over death, and to serve our community. This year we decided to do it again! A highlight was our Easter Garden, which was designed to be intentional time to slow down, reflect, sit in the darkness, and anticipate Jesus’ glorious resurrection. Over 250 people came to participate in this unique experience to prepare their hearts for Easter!
In the last few months, we baptized 21 of our CrossRoads kids! I am so grateful that we get to witness the next generation grow into their own authentic and passionate relationship with the God that created them.
The Lord has been so good to us with the people He has risen up to serve in K-6. Words cannot express our gratitude to the 93 godly people who serve so faithfully in K-6! They serve to guide, disciple and love children. As we continue to see our ministry grow each week, our need for help also grows. It is clear that the Lord is doing something powerful in our next generation in Central Alberta and we believe that He’s bringing revival to our city through our children. We welcome anyone willing to rise up and witness God’s plans unveil for the K-6’s. We look to the future with excitement for what the Lord will continue to do as we help raise a generation of world changers who will impact Central Alberta and the world with compassion and hope.
Respectfully submitted,
Pastor Priscila
