Serving the Next Generation: A conversation with Yi Na
Yi Na, 3rd Congre
Yi Na
Joseph: Hi, my name is Joseph. I'm an elder with the Third Congregation. And let me just invite Yi Na up on stage. This mic is for her. So friends, you may have noticed us talking. Okay, let's give her a round of applause. I think you have noticed us talking and sharing more about children's ministry lately. So if you look around you, before we dismiss the kids, especially in that section at the back, one of our thanksgivings as a church is that we have seen more and more children in recent years. And our response to that is that we plan to open new kids' ministry classes in the coming year maybe from January onwards, so that we don't lump age groups together. To give you an idea, right now, the Primary 1 kids and the Primary 6 kids are in the same kids' main class. So you can imagine how difficult it is for the teachers to teach content across that big big of an age group, right, P1 all the way to P6. So as new classes open up, we are getting elders and elder pluses and other leaders to serve more regularly, and we are also looking for new volunteers, teachers, and people to help. So that's why it's my joy today to have Yi Na with us to share her experience as a volunteer with us all. So Yi Na, you, Lena, Kaylee are very well known to us, so thank you for doing this, and why don't you tell us how you got started with kids ministry?
Yi Na: Thanks. Yeah, so usually people know my kids more than they know me. They just know me as the mom of the kids. So actually, I only started serving about two years ago. And I started serving because I think I reached a point where I realised that my kids were older now, a bit more independent, and I actually had time. So I decided that I could serve when there was a time. But I think the more important reason for why I was really nudged, I think, by God to serve is because I found that my kids were asking a lot more questions. And I was starting to think a little bit more about their spiritual growth. because they were asking me questions about God that I found a bit difficult to answer. And I realised it was starting to make sense of what God meant to them in their lives, right? And because I couldn't quite answer them and I knew that they were still not yet, they still didn't have that personal relationship with Jesus yet. So I thought, you know, why not look at what Kids min is doing and kind of partner the church in this so that I can kind of, you know, Some tips maybe, so that I can bring it back home and then kind of build on that. So that was really why.
Joseph: Were there any nerves that you had going in or any surprises when you started volunteering?
Yi Na: Yeah, so the nerves, I think, like you mentioned just now, was really because the kids are 7 to 12. For those of you who know, I also am in a secondary school, so my experience is not with this age group. So I was honestly very nervous about young children. To me, they're quite young, 7 to 12. Um, even though I have kids, right? So it just felt like very, I was very worried about engaging them because there's a couple of kids who are extra active and there's a couple of kids who are a little more quiet, right? So it's sometimes a challenge, right, to do that. So that was one thing I was worried about. The other thing I was worried about is that I don't consider myself very good at the Bible, at learning the Bible, so I'm often worried about whether I could answer some of these difficult questions. I mean, I couldn't answer my kids' questions, right? So what made me feel like I could answer them on Sunday at Kids' Min. So those were kind of some of the things that I was really worried about. But even though I was worried about these things, I think what I was really thankful for is that over the course of these years, I've really found myself able to really build this relationship with the kids, right? Able to connect with them in a way that was really surprising to me. Because, you know, actually through all the things that the very... the very dedicated team behind the scenes that prepares the lesson plans, the materials and all, they put a lot of thought into how we can engage the kids. And they're constantly, in the two years that I've served, I feel like they're constantly trying to improve the way we connect with the kids in different ways, taking in the feedback of the teachers. And so through all these role plays and games, I actually have a lot of fun. But yeah, I have a lot of fun just playing with the kids. So even though I was nervous at the beginning, I got a lot more relaxed towards the end. I think I built a lot more relationships with the kids. Also, I think I realised that even though sometimes they did ask very difficult questions, I remember some of the questions they asked were like, why did God... why did God make man the way he did? Why did he not just make man without sin? And that's a very deep question coming from a child less than 12 years old. But I guess I realized that actually it's not about having the answers. And sometimes we encourage them to just ask these questions because we create a space for them to add their questions. And it's just kind of about walking with them.
Joseph: It's good to know that teachers have helped I guess for those who are thinking about kids' ministry or who want to pray for it, what will you say finally about why kids' ministry is so important to us as a church on mission?
Yi Na: So I really think that kids are really the first mission field, right? Really for many of us as parents, I often feel very ill-equipped. But as a church, when we think about walking alongside parents in discipling the children, I really think that It is the first mission field. The second thing I would say is that kids' hearts are actually very naturally open and curious, and I find that to be true in a lot of the kids that I interact with. And I think it's a very special kind of window where there's a great need and a great opportunity to really share with them, not just like Bible truths, but really like what it means to live it out, to And I think that's the joy of Kids Min is that you build that relationship and they kind of see you every day and they kind of know you as a person. And sometimes we even share some of the struggles that we face daily. So I think for those of you who are considering Kids Min, I think it's really a wonderful opportunity to plant seeds in the lives of kids. You may not feel so equipped, but I really want to encourage you to give it a try. There are many roles, I believe, right? But definitely consider building the relationship and just partnering God in this great work.
Joseph: Thanks so much for sharing that with us. Let's give her a hand, friends. So when you came in for service, you may have noticed this leaflet placed on every adjacent seat. Yi Na is a teacher with the kids ministry, but there are many other roles. If you look at the non-Sunday roles where it says all welcome, right? There are other ways that you can contribute if you don't feel comfortable standing in front of a class of kids. Or you could also come and speak with us. I think there's a lot of training and equipping that we are very happy to provide. So if you do see that vision for loving the little ones among us, or if you have any questions, we'll be up here after service, happy to speak with you about kids' ministry. And I want to say, maybe God gives you the desire to serve today, or maybe you desire but you're not able to right now, that's okay, but we ask that you would pray with us Take time in the next week's calendar time to pray with us that more volunteers would come alongside the existing pool so that our kids' ministry would bear fruit. Our heart is that the young ones would know the Jesus who asked the little children to come to Him.