Loving and Teaching Our Young Ones
Chua Seok Eng, who has been serving faithfully in our Children’s Ministry for the last 46 years, shares how the church has been shepherding our children. The church plays an important role in teaching our children the ways of God and loving them as God has loved us. This is the last of our series on how God has been working in our midst across generations displaying His faithfulness and abounding grace.
I am Chua Seok Eng. I came to Grace Baptist Church in 1976, then looking for a “good” church near my home. To me, it made sense if church was within walking distance, as I could save on time and transport and be involved in church activities many times a week or even two to three times on a Sunday. I tried my hand in everything—sang in the choir, attended Bible study in the evening, went on several mission exposure trips, joined evangelism teams and care groups, and tagged along with the visitation team. I even trained to lead a care group and participated in running a neighbourhood children’s club.
Through all these I found my gift—I found great joy and contentment in working with preschoolers.
In the first few weeks at Grace, I noticed Mrs Poulson and her team with preschoolers under the shade of the big tree outside the church. I observed how Bible truths were taught through child play. Miss Chan Mun Har, who was looking out for helpers, approached me to be involved in the children’s church. She mentored me and I learnt on the job to reach out to young children and I never looked back since.
Through my 46 years at Grace, I had only taken off from Preschool Sunday School for three months when I was away with Operation Mobilization serving on the MV Doulos and another three months for a work stint overseas. Sometime back during our rebuilding in 2015-2017, I requested for a year’s leave but returned within a few months to the ministry because I missed interaction with the kids.
My “pet group” is two to three years old. Younger children learn and trust their teachers and do not ask difficult spiritual questions that I cannot manage. We teach Bible truths through play, handicraft, Bible songs and short activities. These suit me fine because like the little ones, I also have a short attention span and I like the children’s spontaneity.
Seok Eng then and now.
I believe that the lessons learned at an early age stay with the children through life. They may not remember the teacher who taught them, but God’s word and Bible truths will be etched in their memories. We encourage the children to share what they do and learn with their grandparents, extended family, playmates and neighbours. In doing so, our children can also share the gospel, and their loved ones get to hear Bible truths as well.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Over the years, seeing the children grow in faith and serve the Lord faithfully in their adulthood brings assurance that God has been at work in Grace. Some have become parents themselves and in turn guide their and other children in the way they should go.
In recent years because of the current structure in Sunday School I have moved to the nursery ministry. I could not adjust to the change in the Sunday School curriculum and could not catch up with its use of technology for teaching, but God provided another area of service for me in the Nursery and as an ad hoc babysitter for church events. I am thankful God is blessing us with an abundance of children to minister and reach out to. I pray that I can continue serving God in Children’s Ministry.
