The number of children who attend the Young People Fellowship is about 10, aged between 11-15 years old. The majority are children of church members. By and large, these children also attend the church Children Sunday School. Hence, they have some knowledge of God’s Word. Most of them also regard themselves as Christians. The Children Sunday School is certainly very important. We must bring the children to Sunday School to learn God’s Word. Depending on just the Children Sunday School for Christian education is, however, not holistic. The reason is that the time allocated, generally, is limited. If we wish for the children to receive a more holistic spiritual training, they require more time to learn and put into practice the truth. The Young People Fellowship provides such a platform. The teaching of truth still forms the core of Young People Fellowship. At the same time, through fellowship, children learn to respect, love, encourage, and serve one another. These constitute the practice of God’s truth. Of course, through these activities, we hope to help children build strong friendship. In this way they could have good spiritual companions in life to watch over each other: “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov 18:24). Everyone regards friends as very important. Some friends are on even closer terms than relatives. Moreover, you become what friends you are. Hence, children having good Christian friends is very important. Our children live in ever-changing world. They are affected by different kinds of world view and culture. As parents, we hope to protect them against harmful world views. We should do our best to help them. However, as children grow older by the year, their time spent with us also decreases by the year. Conversely, their time spent with their classmates or friends increases. If the church and parents do not provide them an environment in which they can build friendship with Christians of the same age, they would, naturally, live amongst non-Christian friends. This does not mean that our children cannot have non-Christian friends. They should have non-Christians in their circle of friends. But it is even more imperative that they have Christian friends. Otherwise, they would be absorbing unreservedly from their non-Christian friends the values of the world.

We have a limited amount of time. If we do not seize the opportunity whilst we could still assert an influence on our children to help them, doing it in the future would require more effort that reaps mediocre results. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:16-17).

Whilst their faith is still purely simple, we must provide them good training. Hence, I urge all parents in church: make arrangements for your child to attend the Young People Fellowship. Of course, if you have a grandson or a granddaughter, you are welcome to bring them to the Young People Fellowship. Alternatively, if amongst your friends or siblings, there are children of this age group, bring them here. If they are non-Christians, the Young People Fellowship is also a good place for them to know God.

We need to pray and be vigilant for the souls of children!