Adventure in Kids Ministry – Chapter 2

Chapters: 1 | 2 |   Chapter 2: First Sunday Behind the Curtain The morning began in stillness. Nadia pulled into the church parking lot while the sky still blushed with the first light of dawn. She parked close to the building, partly for convenience and partly because the empty lot, framed by tall oaks, felt both serene and eerie. Nadia was surprised to notice she had arrived first, even before her pastor. She stepped out of her car, holding the jangling keys the pastor had handed her earlier that week. They felt heavy—not just in weight, but in the trust they symbolized. She was now the gatekeeper of a space she’d grown to love as a member, but this was different. She unlocked the door, feeling a rush of cool air hit her face. Spring might have arrived, but the church building had yet to catch up. Inside, the church was dark and cold, but it wasn’t lifeless. Nadia moved through the hallways with purpose, flipping on lights and setting rooms to rights. Chairs were shuffled back into place, stray papers tucked into recycling bins. Evidence of shared use was everywhere. Nadia chuckled as she retrieved a stray dodgeball…

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Adventure in Kids Ministry – Chapter 1

Adventures in Children’s Ministry By Pastor Karl Bastian Chapters: 1 | 2 |   Chapter 1: An Empty Office, But a Full Heart Nadia sat in her new office, staring at the small desk in front of her. The desk, like the room itself, was bare—just an open Bible and a few scattered pens laid upon it. The shelves were empty, save for a layer of dust that clung stubbornly to their corners. The whiteboard mounted to the wall was as spotless as the bulletin board next to it, which, for now, only held two simple drawings her children had made during Sunday school a few weeks ago. The pictures were hastily colored with crayon—one of a smiling sunshine with a lopsided smile, the other of a rainbow and some misshapen animals—but they were more than just doodles to her. They were reminders. Reminders of why she was here. She leaned back in her chair, her gaze shifting to the tiny window behind her. Through the glass, she could see the tops of a few trees swaying gently in the fall breeze, and beyond them, the rooftops of the neighborhood where many of the church families lived. The sun was…

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