Jesus called the children to him and said let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of god belongs to such as these.” ~ (Luke18:16)
Infant ministry aims to teach children to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and teach children the values centered around religion, empathy and discipline. Kids are our future and investing in them is key to curating a bright world for generations to come. Setting a strong foundation of worship in kids from a young age not only sets them on the right path but also encourages them to be more productive members of society and share their gifts with the world. Habits formed in childhood have a profound and lasting impact on people’s lives. Research has shown that young children are most open to the Gospel, so starting them from a young age gives them the best chance at knowing God. Due to the moldable nature of young children’s minds, it is much more effective to encourage positive patterns of prayer at a young age as the habits formed in childhood and the bond created with God will last a lifetime.
Infant ministry was inaugurated at Christ the King Knanaya Catholic Church New Jersey in October 2020. Fr Bins Chethalil inaugurated the ministry by lighting a candle. All children from Pre-K to 3rd grade are the members of the Infant Ministry. Infant Ministry meetings are conducted often and during the meetings participants are taught how to pray with the use of action songs, bible stories and videos.
Binsachen initiated the ministry by giving a small piggy bank to the children to introduce them to charity and encouraged them to save coins be it pennies for helping the poor.
Since then, we have had so many activities for our children.
A Rosary challenge was introduced in the month of October to encourage all kids to come to church for ten consecutive days and participate in the rosary. Kids also made rosaries and dedicated it to Mother Mary.
As part of St. Joseph year, children were encouraged to creatively write the name of St. Joseph on snow.
During the Lenten season, infant ministry performed a heart touching show called 'The Pieta'` on Good Friday thereby introducing them to the Passion, death & resurrection of our Christ.
Feast of St. Alphonsa was celebrated by encouraging kids to come dressed as the saint thus helping them learn more about the saint.
A year long coloring activity was introduced to children through the church bulletin thereby introducing them to various saints and their feast days and learning more about them.
Christmas Crib Competition was introduced to emphasize Christ is the reason for the season and encourage kids to learn more about the birth of the Infant Jesus.
Holyween as a replacement to Halloween where children are encouraged to read about their favorite saint and come dressed as them.
Celebrated Holy Childhood Day by explaining to them the significance of the day.
A Bible Verse Challenge where children were encouraged to learn the maximum number of Bible verses and record a video of it. We had kids memorize up to ten verses.
A Rosary Videoshoot where all infant ministry participants were encouraged to say what Rosary meant to them thereby teaching the importance of rosary in their life.
Infant ministry helps the church’s biological growth because it teaches children about their Savior. It gives them facts and experiences that help them learn about and respond to Jesus Christ. It also teaches fundamental life lessons and guidance on how to navigate the rough days of life with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
In the future, infant ministry is planning to give more opportunities to the kids to explore the church as well the community through more activities. Raising kids and students as leaders through the church will establish the future generations of believers.
