Summer has arrived and with it VBS, swimming, family vacations, cook outs, graduation parties, and so much more. The summer brings transition; school is out for the children, and some workplaces allow for summer dress code, some even shorten the work day.
This July the children’s ministry will be adjusting things as well. We will be taking a mid-week hiatus. A hiatus is defined as: a pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process. There will be no Wednesday evening children’s ministry offered from July 1st until August 8th. Sunday mornings will continue as normal. I recall hearing about pastors who took summers off or sabbaticals, and quite honestly I thought it was lukewarm. Experience can be a great teacher and often a humbling one. There are times when a break or hiatus is warranted and needed.
AWANA has brought revival to the mid-week children’s activities, but it has also brought a much weightier commitment on behalf of the servants and families. The children and families of Koinonia need a hiatus. Church activity can become much like a treadmill. Every Sunday, every Wednesday we come to “church” but the heart devotion is missing. We are simply going through the motions on the church-treadmill. This happened at Laodicea in Revelation 3 and it still happens today. A hiatus can be used to revive and refresh people in the ministry. It can be used to draw us closer to God even though we aren’t physically in a church building. I pray that during this mid-week hiatus servants, families, and all others involved draw close to Jesus.
400 years passed between the Old and New Testament. God used this period for his Holy Scriptures. The 4th commandment is to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Exodus 20). God is an advocate of rest and July is a perfect time for a hiatus.
Listed below is the entire summer schedule for mid-week children’s activities. AWANA will resume in September and will be following the East Rochester BOCES school schedule. If the gym is not accessible we will not be having AWANA. Keep in mind, we also have an AWANA Facebook page which we utilize to communicate with families.
July 1st to August 7th – No Wednesday children’s activities
Wednesday August 8th – E.R. Resource Center trip ages 5-11/nursery available
Wednesday August 15th – Pick up the park and gospel tracts
Wednesday August 22nd – The AWANA blitz (details to come)
Wednesday August 29th – Free time in the park
