Hello, my name is Shonette Carew and my husband Terrance, and I are proud parents of two lively, ever-hungry, thoughtful, and God-fearing young men, Philip (9) and Cristian (5.) We have been members of St. Thomas’s for the last 6 years and truly value the continuity of the community and especially the Children’s Ministry and its impact on our family.
Also, see the YouTube version of this Annual Giving Ministry Moment.
We have always wanted to raise our children with an appreciation of God through study and understanding of His Word in a child-appropriate manner. We also wanted to raise our children to value fellowship with a community of believers. The past few years have been tough on many a family, ours included, with the lack of socialization and uncertainty introduced into daily life. Through it all, we were more than able to count on the certainty of the Children’s Ministry at St. Thomas’s. Whether by virtual Zoom learning, in a tent outside in the garden or back in the church building in the children’s rooms, we have maintained their learning and fellowship in this difficult time. The opportunities for fellowship also got creative with outdoor play events, movie nights in the grove and many a chance to trunk or treat and play in the parking lot. Memories I know our kids will cherish.
The competing priorities of a life with children amidst their own schedules (which are rather demanding for persons not yet able to drive or sign contracts) makes coming every week sometimes challenging with our own busy work schedules. We make being with the adults and their peers in the Sunday school program a family priority. Our boys really enjoy learning about God through playing, creating art and many experiential activities. They value the contribution and the attention of the adults who demonstrate love-in-action weekly as they pour into our children. From the care taken in the art projects about Bible stories with Ms. Belinda, or the narratives that Ms. Madeline gets them to recite and act out or the support provided by Ms. Brandy and many others who help, all of our children can see and feel the impact of Christ through these adult influences.
The way I know the learning through play sinks in is when out of the blue, one of them either quotes something they heard in Children’s Ministry, references something an adult said to them in church or simply correcting each other with a “God wouldn’t like that, would He.” It’s been said that children learn more informally through watching adults than we can ever teach them. I am grateful for the support of the parish and the church community of our Children’s Ministry program, for its leaders and most notably for its impact on our children. Thank you for your contribution to this ministry.
Shonette & Terrance Carew