As a pastor for children, nothing moves me more than seeing the children I shepherd grow up healthily in their spiritual life. Baptism marks a young person’s confession of faith: to acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of his whole life. On the evening of August 20, eleven young people were baptized. I know most of their names. They all grew up through Children’s Worship Service and Sunday School, and gradually matured in Classroom 1. Their baptism today testifies to the careful nurture of their parents and to our Heavenly Father’s abundant grace.

  Give thanks for the young people of the NPAC family: As second- or third-generation believers, going to church is a regular, habitual activity. Your memories of faith from your childhood years are probably quite blurry. You might have either disliked going to Sunday School and daydreamt when you were at church, or you had come to know many Bible stories without understanding the meaning of faith. That is normal. According to J. W. Fowler’s theory, faith before age eleven is “mythic/literal faith.” Children in the process of growing need time to experience God and to integrate their faith with their life in order to grasp the abstract spiritual meanings. I give thanks for the young people of the NPAC family: you are gradually breaking through literal faith. When facing difficulties, you experience God’s presence through prayer; you recall the Scriptures you learned in childhood to overcome fear. You do not treat faith perfunctorily just because you are unsure whether you have truly believed. Instead, you have earnestly sought God’s response. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7) – how true this is.

  Give thanks for the parents of the NPAC family: From your children’s primary school years, you have constantly faced questions such as this: “Sunday School is so boring. Can I skip church?” Thank you for your steadfastness in faith. Your children see the central place of faith in your lives. You are not swayed by their moods. You teach your children that going to church is not for “play” but to worship God. You lead by example, showing them that faith can be lived out instead of “saying one thing and doing another.” Even if it might mean “losing at the starting line,” you still choose to stand on God’s side, not sacrificing Sunday School for academics or activities, so that your children would rather switch to another class session to attend Sunday School than be absent. Your steadfastness in the faith will surely become a blessing to the next generation.

  Give thanks for the community of the NPAC family: Children attend Children’s Worship Service and Sunday School from a young age. They see one another only once a week and may not know their classmates well. Yet, as a small community of faith, this becomes your motivation to come to church. As you grow and enter the youth community, there are faithful staff and devoted counselors who walk closely with you to care for you and guide you. Do not neglect the importance of community. Adolescents in the midst of growth need to be cared for, yet often do not know how to open yourselves up to be cared for. In your vulnerability, you may be hurt. However, as long as you do not give up, our Heavenly Father will surely heal you. The community will become the strength for your growth.