Kick off weekend of our New Children's Auditorium

Our new Children's Auditorium is in the making!

 

We are so excited to offer this new space for your K-5th graders to discover God in a safe and fun place through Large Group Worship and Teaching and also through engaging and intentional Small Groups!

 

Be sure to invite a family to join us as we launch this weekend!

Parent Cue App

We are excited to announce a brand new way to help your kids discover God WITH YOU throughout the week! The daily devotionals, prayers and activities are all based on what your kiddos learned that previous weekend and to help prepare them for what they will be discovering in the upcoming weekend. For just a one time $1.99 download fee, you will be set up for success to easily reach your kids! So parents, be encouraged and empowered because now you are better equipped to help your kids love God between weekends!

The Effects of Pornography on Children

 

Online pornography has reached epidemic levels in our culture.

• 40% of adults regularly visit porn sites. 
• 69% of men ages 18 to 26 regularly visit porn sites.
• 30% of porn consumers are women. 
• Hollywood produces around 400 films a year.  The adult film industry produces more than 11,000.
• 47% of believers struggle with pornography.
• 40% of pastors struggle with pornography.

Children are also being harmed by the deceit.

• The average age children are exposed to pornography is 11 years old. 
• It normally happens online while they are doing homework.
• 90% of 8 to 16-year-olds have been to a porn site.
• According to a global survey of 19,000 parents, children as young as 6 are accessing porn.
• The largest group of porn users is 12 to 17-year-olds.

Pornography has serious effects on children.

One expert says, "There is evidence that the prevalence of pornography in the lives of children is far more significant than most adults realize.  Pornography is deforming the healthy development of children and is being used to exploit adolescents."

A study of teenagers found that boys who viewed pornography were significantly more likely  to sexually harass a peer or force someone to have sex.

In one study, 29 of 30 juvenile sex offenders had been exposed to X-rated magazines or videos.

In a study of arrested child pornography possessors, 40% were found to have sexually victimized children.  Children pornography has now become a $3 billion annual industry.

Approximately 30 million children have been sexually exploited in the last 30 years.  The average age of a trafficked victim is 12-14 years old.

As Children's Ministry Leaders, we must be proactive in helping parents protect their children from the onslaught.

This is a serious issue that goes beyond the stats and damages real families that are part of our ministries.  I've had several parents come to me heartbroken because they found their child viewing pornography.

What can we do?

Adults must lead the way in living a life that is pleasing to God.  Fathers especially must be the example and be committed to purity and holiness.

We must equip parents with tools they can use to protect their children.  We want to provide a list of internet safety filters and teach them to set parameters such as no computer in the child's room, keeping the computer in a public place in the house, setting safety apps and measures on smart phones, etc.

Encourage parents to create a home environment where their children feel comfortable coming to them with questions and discussions about sex.  This will help children get their answers from them instead of media, friends at school, etc. 

We must provide parents with tools to teach their children God's plan for sex.  When the child reaches an appropriate age, parents must have the confidence to instruct their children by using tools like Passport to Purity. 

Sex is part of God's plan for the marriage relationship and is a good thing inside His parameters.  The evil one, as usual, has tried to take something good and pervert it.  When parents teach their kids God's plan, they will be able to recognize the counterfeits of the enemy.

Is a child ready to begin a relationship with Jesus? What about being baptized?

 

One of the most exciting times for a parent is when their child starts asking questions about beginning a relationship with Jesus.

It can also be a challenging time as parents try to decide if their child is really ready to make this decision or not.  And many times they will come to you for help.

They will ask questions like...
"How old should my child be to make this decision?"
"How do I know if my child is ready or not?"
"Should I let them pray the prayer of salvation or have them wait?"

So how do you tell if a child is ready to begin a relationship with Jesus?  Here are 3 indicators I tell parents to watch for.

#1 - The child knows what sin is. 
Before a child (or anyone) can enter a relationship with Jesus, they must understand why they need a relationship with Jesus.  They must understand what sin is and that they have sinned.  If a child doesn't understand this, then they are not ready to step across the line of faith.

#2 - The child initiates the conversation on a regular basis. 
If a child continues to initiate conversations about accepting Jesus, then that is a good sign that God is working in the child's life.  The Holy Spirit convicts and draws people...including kids.  There is no "Jr. Holy Spirit."

#3 - The child knows they "need" to do this vs. the child "wanting" to do this. 
There is a difference.  There is a difference between "I want to do this because my friends are" or "I want to do this because it's fun" and "I need to make this decision" or " I need to do this because I want Jesus in my life."

 

 

How do you know if your child is ready to be baptized?

 

#1 - Understand WHY we get baptized.

People of all ages need to understand that at Freedom, we do not believe that it's the act of being baptized in water that "makes" you saved. What makes you saved is the prayer of asking Jesus in your heart and confessing it with your mouth. Baptism is following Jesus' example and publically showing everyone of the commitment that has been made to live a life for Him. It's accountability and a chance to shine your light and tell your story of how God has changed you and how you want to live a life for Him.

 

 

 

Our next baptisms at Freedom are coming up the weekend after Easter, April 26/27 during all services. If your child has accepted Jesus in their heart and understands what baptism is and you feel like now is a good time, than come see Pastor Tiffany for more information or email her at tiffany@freedom-church.org or call into the office 765-482-7220.

 

This year, we are recording videos of those being baptized so everyone can hear and see them telling their story of why they are being baptized. We are recording these videos immediately following each service through Easter weekend. You will need to choose which service you or your child is going to be baptized (offered during all 4 services). We will be giving you a shirt to be baptized in on that day and ask that you bring a towel and extra change of clothes. Also, don't forget to INVITE family and friends to join you for this special day!

 

We love seeing how God is changing your kid's lives.. THANK YOU for allowing us to partner with you to make Jesus irresistible to kids!

 

-Pastor Tiffany

COMING SOON: Children's Auditorium

We are so very excited to make another amazing change to the Greenhouse to prepare for growth and to better help our kids discover God in a safe and fun place!

Take a look at our journey!

When we launched the Greenhouse, we were at the Theater... that was a really fun time! WE HAD CHURCH IN A THEATER! WOW! It was great being able to have a large stage and seating with cup holders but the environment wasn't the greatest to try to hold a lot of our kiddos and try to do small groups and such but we made it work and reached many kids!

 

 

Then it was time for us to move from the Theater into the YMCA for a season. A.... Very.... Long.... Dry.... Season.... HAHA! Really it was only about 10 months but we had to move down from 2 services where families could choose which service worked best for them to come to 1 service where there wasn't any time for people to connect before or after services because it was all GO-GO-GO! Our kids were able to enjoy a space that was open and we had storage we could use and not be 100% portable but it wasn't ideal. And it was a very tiring time for our amazing children's team because they were able to Attend One/Serve One at the Theater and never had to miss a service! But at the YMCA, many of them went a long time without being able to attend a service. But our team rocks and we persevered!

 

 

 

But then... God opened the door for us to move into our incredible new building and I love how he has always sent us into places that were non-traditional and I believe that's how we have reached many of our people because they're comfortable walking into a building that's different. And here we are in a car dealership! WOW! What a plan God had for this place when it was first built... who knew that it would be a place where we could be able to reach hundreds for Christ!

 

It's so nice now being able to offer 4 services, have a permanent space where we aren't mobile, have a kitchen and an inviting space for people to hear about God's love! Now, we just need some bathrooms! (Can I get an AMEN!)

 

Our kids have space (not completely ideal) and we have some storage! With our baby population growing by 32,000 it seems, we are excited for our expansion of the nurseries as soon as we're able to. But we are growing and expecting God to continue blessing us and it's time again to change our area for the kiddos!

 

No, we're not moving out of the building but we are gearing up for our new children's auditorium! We will be converting the lobby into a great worship and large group environment for our K-4th graders! There's lots to do to prep for this exciting change and we would love for you to be a part of it!

 

 

 

For us to prepare for the growth that's coming, we have many opportunities open for you to come in and give serving in the most fun ministry at Freedom a try! Here are the numbers we are believing in that God will bring our way to help us reach these kiddos and help us change lives!

 

 

Worship Team: 6

Production Team: 8

K-2                         Saturday 1: 3                                      Sunday 1: 1

                                Saturday 2: 3                                      Sunday 2: 1

Pre-K                     Saturday 1: 1                                       Sunday 1: 2

                                Saturday 2: 2                                      Sunday 2: 2

Nursery                Saturday 1: 3                                      Sunday 1: 1

                                 Saturday 2: 3                                     Sunday 2: 1

3-4                          Saturday 1: 0                                      Sunday 1: 2

                                Saturday 2: 3                                      Sunday 2: 2





 

 

 

God is doing amazing and exciting things in the Greenhouse and we would love for you to check it out! Its fun and a great way to serve and give back here at Freedom just by building relationships with the kids, gaining their trust, being an example to them as we all grow on our walk with God together, and to help us create a safe and positive environment for them!

 

Pray and ask God how He can use you to reach this next generation and give them the opportunity to discover God in creative ways that maybe you didn't get growing up!

 

Contact Pastor Tiffany Koehler via facebook, by the calling the office 765-482-7220, or by shooting her an email tiffany@freedom-church.org.

 

We're in this together. Let's make a difference!

 

-Pastor Tiffany