This summer, Elementary Crossing Kids spent each Sunday morning reading a piece of children’s literature and participating in a discussion and activity around it.  Initially, this may have seemed strange to an outside observer.  What place does secular literature have at church, particularly with the youngest among us?

From the very beginning, The Crossing has held tightly to several core values.  They are core values that not only shape what happens in the auditorium and in the lives of adults, but also what we do each week in Crossing Kids.  Several of these core values seem rather common.  For example, one important value is The Transforming Power of Scripture.  This value states, “God’s authoritative Word, the Bible, is the Holy Spirit’s primary means to transform lives. Our passion is to help people understand and apply the Scriptures in a manner that shapes the way they live life in today’s world.”  Other core values and the way they work themselves out practically, on the other hand, may seem unique.  For example, the two listed below.

Cultural Engagement
“The way we do ministry must reflect our commitment to bridge the gap that often seems to separate the church from the culture of our day in unnecessary and damaging ways…As a result of this approach, we hope to be a redemptive presence in our culture, encouraging the transformation of every area of life—both of the individual and the larger community—toward greater conformity with God’s will.”

Winsome Outreach
“…We also value the scripturally mandated process of sowing the relevancy of the gospel into the culture through acts of love and words of wisdom, touching people’s lives in significant ways. We seek to reach out in a manner that is relational in approach, intellectually informed, and willing to engage in genuine discussion. We’re passionate about treating all people with respect, tearing down stereotypes, and building bridges.”

From partnering with True False and Roots and Blues to working closely with different agencies in Columbia, The Crossing has often looked for ways to love our city well and to help us see how the Gospel helps us to make sense of all of life, including the arts.  We didn’t want this to only be true of adults, but our children as well, and so we took a closer look at quality literature.  We looked for Gospel themes, common ground with others, and attempted to discuss these truths in winsome ways.  We wanted our kids to enjoy literature, engage in culture, and understand what it means to be created in the image of a creative God.  We wanted to help our children “hunt and gather truth” in a variety of contexts.  We wanted them to understand that The Gospel is not just for saving souls, but reaching and redeeming all of creation.  We called our summer curriculum “Echoes of Eden,” because we believe the words of Jerram Barrs,“All great art will contain this element of being an echo of Eden: Eden in its original glory, Eden that is lost to us, and Eden restored.”  This summer we found that children were able to do this at a much deeper level than we originally anticipated.  We also realized that there is a need for this conversation to continue beyond what we’re able to offer on Sunday mornings and into homes because readers are made in the laps of parents.

On Sunday, November 11 at 11:00 a.m., Nathan Tiemeyer, Rachel Johnson, and I will unpack these ideas at a Legacy Event in Room 304.  We’ll take a closer look at the theological implications of why reading is important.  We will also model what the process of reading to kids with Gospel intentionality looks like and offer several book recommendations.  You can sign up here.