Teens+Children
"Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." Luke 18:16-17
Children and youth of all ages at First Baptist are welcomed and loved as disciples and teachers among us. There is an abiding sense of mutuality in our ministry to and with children and youth; for even as our adults teach and nurture our children and youth in their Christian faith, they do so with an openness to the insights and understandings of our youngsters. We truly believe that the faith of a child is the seed of the kingdom of God.
And so, our children and youth join the whole church in being taught and nurtured in Christian faith through worship, Bible study, service and fellowship. Our children and youth regularly lead us in worship, lighting candles as acolytes, reading scripture and offering prayers as lay-leaders, singing as our Cherub Choir, and giving/receiving the Children's Message as only children can. Together in Sunday school we use a diverse curriculum to study the Bible and engage its stories, nurturing hearts and minds for faith in God. We join the rest of the church in putting our faith into practice in local and out-of-state service/mission projects. In the past few years our children and youth have helped renew houses with Rebuild Together Dayton, traveled to New Orleans to restore houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina, joined in food drives for local pantries, and regularly given time and money (money they've saved!) to our lunch program for the hungry and homeless.
An essential part of all that we do is time spent together, which is especially true for our Jr. and Sr. High youth. Therefore, we have Baptist Youth Fellowship groups that gather on a regular basis for food, silliness, games, movies, Bible study, and service/missions. At the heart of our ministry to and with children and youth is relationship to God and one another that is genuine, compassionate, and alive.
Rev. Jason Alspaugh is our Associate Pastor for Children and Youth. For more information on our ministries with children and youth please contact him at jalspaugh@fbcdayton.org or (937) 222-4691 ext. 406.