Develop a Discipleship System
Building Beloved Community: Introducing Children’s Sabbath
By Kevin Johnson
“If you make the world better for kids, you make it better for everybody.” - Robby Novak (Kid President)
Children’s Sabbath (observed in the United Methodist Church October 17-19, 2025, with Children's Sunday on October 19) is a special time to reflect on how our faith communities can become places where every generation grows together in love and purpose. It’s the perfect opportunity to embrace an intergenerational approach to ministry, not just bringing all ages together but intentionally creating shared experiences that shape Christ-centered relationships and nurture lifelong faith.
Many congregations today are multigenerational—different age groups worshiping under one roof. But when a church becomes truly intergenerational, something deeper happens; relationships form across generations, faith grows through shared stories and service, and a powerful sense of belonging emerges. Every person—young or old—is recognized as a vital part of the body of Christ.
That same intentionality should guide how we nurture faith within families. Intergenerational ministry is not just about providing programs for children; it’s about equipping parents and caregivers to share faith at home and walking alongside families as they learn and grow together. These are moments of giving and receiving—mutual, life-giving, and rooted in discipleship.
The Vision of Children’s Sabbath
At its heart, Children’s Sabbath embodies this vision of shared faith and action. Coordinated by the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), the National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® invites faith communities to worship, reflect, and act together on behalf of children, especially those facing the greatest challenges.
The 2025 theme, “Building Beloved Community,” calls us to create a world where every child is cherished, protected, and free to flourish. It is an invitation to live out love, justice, and solidarity in our congregations, neighborhoods, and public life.
The Children’s Sabbath resources offer prayers, scripture, stories, and tools for worship and advocacy. You’ll find faith expressions from multiple traditions, intergenerational worship aids, and ways to move from prayer to public witness, lifting the voices of children and nurturing their well-being.
At the center of this observance are the voices of children themselves, their prayers, reflections, and wisdom. Listening to children is both an act of discipleship and justice. Their honesty, joy, and imagination remind us to see the world as God intends it to be. Children’s Sabbath celebrates not only the children in our midst but also the childlike faith within each of us—the curious, hopeful, trusting spirit that still longs to be heard.
Creating Safe and Nurturing Faith Spaces
To build beloved community, we must also ensure our spaces are trauma-informed places where children feel safe, respected, and empowered. Many children today carry hidden wounds from systemic racism, poverty, family stress, or community violence. Such experiences can shape how they think, feel, and relate to others. Without care, even well-meaning ministries can unintentionally deepen these wounds.
A trauma-informed approach invites us to see and respond to every child as whole and beloved. In faith settings, this means:
- Safety: Creating environments that feel physically and emotionally secure.
- Trustworthiness: Being consistent and transparent in all interactions.
- Choice and Consent: Respecting children’s agency and honoring “no” as a sacred boundary.
- Collaboration: Inviting children to help shape their experiences.
- Empowerment: Affirming their strengths, resilience, and leadership.
As highlighted in the CDF Children’s Sabbaths Manual, trauma-informed care requires patience and intentionality. It is not a quick fix but a faithful practice of love, helping each child experience belonging, healing, and hope within the body of Christ.
A Hymn for the Children
This year, Discipleship Ministries introduces a new hymn that beautifully captures the spirit of Children’s Sabbath:
Jesus, You Once Blessed the Children
(Tune: NETTLETON 8.7.8.7 D – “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”)
Text: © 2025 Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
Jesus, you once blessed the children who were often pushed aside.
“God has given them the kingdom,” you proclaimed, arms open wide...
(Full text available through carolynshymns.com)
This hymn reminds us that children are precious in Jesus’ sight, and so we, as his followers, are called to bless them, too. It’s a prayer that our love will be shown in action: protecting children from violence, caring for creation, and creating a safer, more just, and sustainable world for them to grow up in.
DOWNLOAD 'Jesus, You Once Blessed the Children' (PDF)
A Call to Action
As we approach this year’s Children’s Sabbath, may we ask ourselves:
- What are the ways we are willing to change, to bless and protect the children in our care and community?
- How can we work together to build a world where all children know they are loved, valued, and safe?
To learn more and access resources for Children’s Sabbath 2025: Building Beloved Community, visit:
Children’s Defense Fund – Children’s Sabbaths Resources.
Rev. Kevin Johnson is the Director, Children’s Ministries for Congregational Vitality & Intentional Discipleship at Discipleship Ministries. Kevin’s hero Fred Rogers suggests that we, “listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them. Think of the children first.” This quote defines Rev. Kev’s approach to ministry. Kevin, an ordained elder of the Kentucky Annual Conference, has over fifteen years of ministry experience in which he has thought of the children first. Prior to ministry, Kevin worked with children in the hospital setting and in group homes for emotionally and physically abused children.
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