Raising Future Kingdom Workers, One Lesson Plan at a Time
Attending the First Acts2 Kids Work Retreat at the Acts2 Training Center.
James Chao
Last weekend was the Acts2 Kids work retreat at the Training Center. Since we’ve already had several network-level retreats here, I hadn’t realized that this was the first ministry domain
It was encouraging to see so many people offering up their time to come. One sister came days early to help with prep work, and I was touched that a new dad made it out too (big thanks to his wife!) It was heartwarming to be with some from the early Joyland crew and to see old pictures from when I was half the man I am now. It was poignant for the rally to be led by P. Daniel and Sarah, my undergrad mentors who led me when I first participated in Joyland.
Reconnecting with people from different church plants was refreshing, like the Austin folks who always cheer very energetically at the mention of Texas. I felt so strengthened to see many people loving the children this way, whether they’ve been at it for two years or twenty. The level of work and productivity among this group was notable, and it speaks to the expertise that people have developed through their faithfulness over the years. There was a passionate group working on curriculum and teaching guides. P. Daniel and the Bible Leadership Institute (BLI) team trained some of us in AI-assisted video production, and I was blown away by people’s creativity and prompting skills. By the end of the weekend, we had produced 25 videos and 50 guides, which was just mind-blowing. It was a beautiful sight seeing people pouring themselves out to serve the Lord and love the children. So thankful for all the good work that God invites us to participate in!
James Chao serves in the Barnabas ministry in Elgin, IL.