Jonathan McGovern and scores of kids made history Sept. 28 at Triad Baptist, becoming the first to experience Sunday worship in the Kids Street Worship Center with its new set—featuring a car with headlights, road, bridge, house, church, and more.

What really got Jonathan’s attention was when Big Red, the ministry’s trademark puppet, made his appearance in the car’s windshield: a hidden puppet stage.

“I like the decorations and that Big Red gets to drive in a car and not crash,” Jonathan said. “I think that the new Kids Street Worship Center is fun and it is cool. The kids enjoyed it and the adults got to feel like a kid again.”

Carolina Keller liked the decorations, too, plus the larger video screens, extra room, and more convenient location. “We have a much bigger space now,” she said. “The chairs are more comfortable and the screens are easier to see.

“The Kids Street Worship Center also is much easier to get to and we don't have to walk as far to our classrooms or up and down the stairs. The stage is bigger and is much more interesting to look at.”

Triad members got their first peek at the new set Sept. 24 when Kids Street led the Wednesday night service but the 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. worship services Sept. 28 marked the ministry’s first Sunday use of the set.

It’s the third location children have worshipped in since Triad held its first children’s church worship service on Aug. 25, 1994.

Room to grow

The new worship space features seating for 200 set off from the surrounding seats with a pipe and drape system. Growth can easily be accommodated by making that area larger, which was not an option in the old space in the Preschool Building. That room maxed out the day Triad opened its Worship Center/Gym—why the church spent $81,000 renovating its former sanctuary and building the set for Kids Street.

Along with more room, the iPad, wireless microphones, digital video screens and software mean more interactive games and other features to engage children in worship through technology, including digital puppetry capabilities.

“What a blessing to have a place to worship that is inviting to children, conducive to our puppet ministry, and has the opportunity for expansion,” said Tim Gerber, executive pastor for children and ministries. “That first Sunday was like a dream come true, and it was so neat seeing the expressions of both the children and our leaders as they entered.”

In addition to Big Red’s new car, the set features a house and church with a bridge between them, the Kids Street logo on a cloud flying high above, and a host of other details and features.

“The visual reminder that there needs to be a bridge between the church and the home will always be powerful for me,” Gerber said. “It’s a visual representation of our vision for Kids Street: ‘to partner with parents in guiding their children into a personal relationship with Christ, actively discipling them to carry out God’s mission for their lives, ultimately resulting in others coming to Christ.’

“I thank God for His provision in providing us a place to worship each week, and trust many children come to Christ and are discipled here.rdquo;

Jeff Jordan, one of the adult volunteers in the 10:30 a.m. session, said the new set elevates the Kids Street worship experience and gives children a space they feel is their own.

“This really opens up our ministry so we can reach even more children,” he said. “We’re able to keep the 3- and 4-year-olds in there for a longer part of the service because of the additional room and let them feel a bit more what being part of ‘big church’ is like.

“There’s a lot more excitement because it doesn’t look like a Sunday School room. Their eyes light up more, and that means they will be more engaged and attentive to what Mr. Tim says when he brings the message.”

As children led worship Sept. 24, Jordan said Lead Pastor Rob Decker said something about the Kids Street ministry that a recent family experience further amplified.

“Pastor Rob said, ‘without the kids, we wouldn’t have a church,’ ” Jordan said. “I recently went to my grandmother’s funeral and at her church they only have 19 people left and will be donating the building because they didn’t put an emphasis on children’s ministry and children.

“Mr. Tim is making sure our legacy at Triad of ‘helping friends find faith’ through children’s ministry thrives and continues for generations to come.”

See also:

• TBC Children's Ministry Celebrates 20 Years! (Video and photos by KNOWName Media ministry, Oct. 4, 2014)