EDEN, N.C. (BP)–Why are kids waking up early on Sunday mornings to nag their parents, “We have to get to church!” And why does a church in a declining small town continue to grow?
One reason: Reaching children is one of the top priorities at Osborne Baptist Church in Eden, N.C.
Osborne’s passion for young families was evidenced in last October’s “Generation to Generation” emphasis when the church gave a one-time cash offering of $456,000 and another $1 million in pledges to fund a building project that would house, among other things, “Kingdom Clubhouse,” an indoor 22-foot-high treehouse playground that opened in March.
Osborne’s pastor, Steve Griffith, noted that when he has asked parents their reason for choosing a particular church, they often answer, “Because of what they have for my kids.” Griffith reasons that reaching children opens a door to reaching their parents. And he’s thrilled that the indoor playground seems to be doing just that. “It has surpassed our wildest expectations in terms of how many in the community are showing up,” Griffith said.
In addition to the Kingdom Clubhouse, the 10,000-square-foot addition includes an expanded lobby, 10 new preschool classrooms, seven new adult classrooms, a state-of-the-art children’s worship center and One Way Café.
The playground and café are open to the community every day of the week. Parents can watch their children through a window while enjoying the amenities offered in the café, such as gourmet coffees, Internet access, sandwiches, soups, deserts and videos that play continuously on flat-screen TVs. “Moms are bringing their children and staying for two to three hours at a time,” Griffith said.
Shane and Abby Hensley, who have been attending Osborne since the beginning of the year, said their 10-year-old son Logan has become excited about going to church. “What your kid can do at church now is amazing,” Shane said. “It’s great for them to be learning about Jesus in a fun environment. Osborne has just made it fun, exciting and dynamic.”
Kevin Garrison, Osborne’s children’s ministry director, said the Sunday morning children’s program now includes both a Bible study hour and a children’s worship hour -– with elements of the same lesson the entire time, whereas Sunday School and children’s church in the past had different lessons.
When Osborne added the children’s worship hour they included new “stations”: a Snack Shack, Creation Station for art projects, a game room with board games and the Bible Bus where they learn Bible skills. Children rotate from station to station and spend about 15 minutes per area, including the Kingdom Clubhouse.
No one can enter the children’s area without a sticker containing an alpha-numeric code that must be matched up by a teacher when parents come for their children. Parents register at one of four terminals in the lobby to obtain the stickers, a procedure that also serves as an outreach tool to facilitate gathering contact information on the families who use the playground.
Since the new facility opened, Osborne’s weekly worship attendance has increased from about 850 to nearly 1,100. “A lot of families who used to just come for the 11 a.m. worship are now bringing their kids at 9:30 [for the expanded children’s program], so parents are getting involved in our adult connection groups [Osborne’s Sunday School],” Garrison said.
Recent large events, like a Superman conference that drew 170 men and a women’s retreat with author and speaker Angela Thomas, have contributed to the surge as well. “People come in the building, and they see what we have, and they come back,” Garrison said.
Cathy Vincent was impressed by the large number of women -– 450 — who turned out for the retreat. “It just felt good!” said Vincent, a working mother with four children. Vincent, noting the challenge she faces developing friendships with Christian women like herself, recently signed up for a “mom’s group” through the church.
Vincent’s family began attending Osborne earlier this year, though they’ve been involved in Upward Basketball and Cub Scouts at the church for several years. “We were seeking a more family oriented church,” she said, “and we needed relationships with adults who could relate to young family life.”
The four Vincent children, ages 2, 4, 7 and 9, have enjoyed Osborne’s new facility and the two-hour Sunday children’s morning program. Her previously “clingy” 2-year-old now goes happily to her classes at the church, freeing the Vincents to worship together without worrying about their children. “And they are learning,” Vincent noted.
Though the Vincents still are adjusting to moving from a church they had attended for years, Cathy is delighted with the changes they have seen in their family. She and her husband find themselves talking about the sermon all through the week “and about what we should do.” Osborne “has had a wonderful impact on our family,” she said, “and I’m looking forward to the future there.”
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Kay Adkins is a writer based in Mountain View, Ark.
