Dedication sustains outreach ministry

Churches stay flexible, get creative to serve their younger members



RELIGIOUS EDUCATION—Hope Lillvik, children’s director at Community Christian Church, prepares sheets of paper for a Sunday School project with help from her 11-year-old son, Matthew, Feb. 11 in Moorpark. Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION—Hope Lillvik, children’s director at Community Christian Church, prepares sheets of paper for a Sunday School project with help from her 11-year-old son, Matthew, Feb. 11 in Moorpark. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

When Hope Lillvik became children’s director of Community Christian Church of Moorpark in November 2019, she had no idea of the upheaval on the horizon.

When the pandemic hit four months later and she had to quickly adapt church programs to comply with the stay-at-home orders and ever-evolving rule changes, the Fillmore resident quickly learned the power of being flexible and creative during times of uncertainty.

To keep children engaged in church activities, she got the idea to drop off craft, snack and supply kits on families’ front porches to accompany virtual lessons and events.

“We started doing online Sunday School, a virtual VBS (Vacation Bible School) and have been blessed with more children reached than in prior years,” Lillvik said of the 75 children her ministry connected with. “While there was a bit more work involved, many at our church have stepped up to help make this happen.”

Local churches like Community Christian have been working hard to adapt to the pandemic by creating online lessons, weekly activity sheets and socially distanced services to keep families tied to their faith.

TEACHING METHODS—Alice Lillvik, 14, right, prepares kids’ packets as her 16-year-old sister, Abigail, films a short video for an upcoming Sunday School class Feb. 11 at Community Christian Church.

TEACHING METHODS—Alice Lillvik, 14, right, prepares kids’ packets as her 16-year-old sister, Abigail, films a short video for an upcoming Sunday School class Feb. 11 at Community Christian Church. MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers

Instead of hosting weekly Sunday School services and mid-week youth groups, LifeSpring Community Church is sending out weekly lesson plans and videos for parents to discuss and watch with their children. The offerings, church leaders said, have helped guide children through the Bible and connect with God in meaningful ways.

“God doesn’t take a break when we face difficult times. It is in those times that he is able to show us how present he really is. Our goal is to continue to remain present for our students,” said Stasi Washburn, Life Spring’s life development director.

For Washburn and her team, this meant starting a book club and distributing goodie bags for the church’s youngest members, and creating Zoom gatherings and text groups for middle and high school students. LifeSpring also hosted modified, drive-by celebrations for families such as a live Nativity scene at Christmas and a gift bag delivery during high school graduations.

“When Ventura County allowed in-person gatherings at the end of 2020, we had the opportunity to meet outside under a tent for several weeks. We adapted the lesson plan to engage a larger age range, and followed safety guidelines including social distancing, wearing face masks, regular hand sanitation and limiting the group size,” Washburn said.

Other congregations, such as Grace Bible Church and Fountain Foursquare Church, opted to put their children’s programs on hold until the community can safely gather together again.

“We have not had a nursery or children’s Sunday School since the first lockdown in March of 2020. This has not been all bad, however, because families have been worshiping together,” said the Rev. Errol Hale of Grace Bible Church.

The change has helped the church’s families explore different options available to them including Grace Bible’s family room, which has TVs for parents and children to watch the entire service.

“We learned that the children who were in the service or in the family room understood and learned more than most thought they would,” Hale said. “We gained an increased respect for their abilities both to sit still and to learn in adult ways.”

Community Christian Church is also trying to “bridge the gap” between adults and youth by providing engaging services and events for congregants of all ages.

The church also created challenges, such as a daily Advent & Kindness challenge in December, to spread joy in the community and reach families outside of the Moorpark area.

“While I have remained connected with the majority of our ‘regular’ children we had prior to the pandemic, it has been fun to find new ways of reaching even more children—and adults alike—in Moorpark and the surrounding communities,” Lillvik said.