What a Joy It's Been!

Posted on: April 29, 2020
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

It has been a true joy and honor to serve as your Children’s Ministry Director for nearly a decade. The children at First Presbyterian are absolutely amazing. I am blessed by the opportunity to see children come to Jesus, to hunger for him, ask questions about him and get excited at the sound of his name. I have enjoyed walking alongside parents and

grandparents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers. Serving as your leader in Children’s Ministry has been a privilege. Now it is time to take the next step of our journey. Life is journey after all isn’t it?

Kinch has been blessed with a wonderful opportunity to advance his career in Ft. Worth, TX. Our children, Robert and Helen, will begin 4th and 6th grade come fall at Ft. Worth Christian School. We are all very excited about this new adventure and will be moving in the next couple of months. First Presbyterian has been home for 12 years and is truly what has made Baton Rouge special to us. I have always said it is the people that makes living in Baton Rouge great. You are those people!

Thank you for letting me teach your children about Jesus. Thank you for helping me to grow. Thank you for loving my family and me so well. Thank you for being you.

I hope the waters of isolation will be parted soon so we can bid you a formal farewell. Or at least give you an air-hug. If not, trust that we will return to you when time allows.

Posted in: Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders

A Word on Technology

Posted on: August 22, 2019
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

My husband Kinch and I are so blessed to do life with like-minded parents. It certainly takes a village to raise a child and we are grateful to be part of this village here at FPC.

We have a battle on our hands as we struggle with our kids' love for screens, games and the information on the internet. In our home, this is a constant struggle for Kinch and me. The battle is real but it is a battle worth fighting, unto Christ. Now that school has started we have embraced a new rhythm and part of this rhythm is limiting screen time as much as possible. What Kinch and I have learned, is that it starts with us, as the parents. We have to model what we are asking of our children. We have to turn off our computers, TVs and phones so we can make eye contact and have meaningful conversations. It isn’t always easy but the reward is worth the effort and consistency. The Catos do not allow iPads and gaming during the week and on the weekend their time on screens is limited. We also have decided not to grant our 10-year-old son’s request for an iPhone. Yes, I have been told I’m the meanest mom ever but eventually they get over it and love me again. I am just trying to be the parent God has called me to be. Sadly, screens can be used, by us, to remedy our children's suffering or boredom. I am guilty of this. However, I have learned over the years what a dangerous distraction for our children this can become. I have also learned that it is OK for our children to be “bored.” In fact, God is at work when our children are bored and their boredom can lead to much creativity and innovative thought.

Over the summer I attended a children's ministry training and sat in on a session about technology and children. I want to share with you some things I learned.

Beloved parents, my heart is burdened by the propaganda that our children have easy access to via the internet. Our kids are exposed to too much, too soon and do not understand how to handle it. Young children are not mentally capable of handling the effects of social media. Social media at an early age is accepted in our culture yet sadly leads to loneliness and anxiety which has become a childhood epidemic. Social media destroys our sense of self and the goodness of life God wants for us. We have to band together and go against the current culture so we can teach our children how to live a godly life in an un-godly world.

My intention in writing this article is not to scare you. Rather, I share this with you to encourage you to keep up the good fight. Tim Keller exhorts Christians to be a “counterculture for the common good.” This phrase encourages us as Christians to live in the “already/not yet" tension of today’s world. Let’s band together to monitor access to the cyber world and social media. Let’s teach our children the truth in a world full of lies.

We face real dangers both in the world itself and the cyber world. However, there is good news. As Christian parents, our security and true hope is in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ will return and make all things right. His Word is living and active and written to guide us and help us.

So, what shall we do? Let's let the body of Christ minister grace to us in the name of Jesus. Pray for yourselves as parents and don’t be scared to share your needs with others in the body. Confess sin that is causing you to feel defeated or alone. Let's keep our focus on the glory of God and his redemptive purposes in our lives and in our families. Pray against the dangers of the cyber world. Pray against the devil. Through Jesus, God has given us the power to resist Satan and pray against darkness. Pray for the spiritual defense of our children and may we pray together as one.

I am available to speak further about any of these topics to parents and guardians. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

With you in Christ,

Audra

Join us Media and Mochas October 20, 2019; a parenting workshop on technology in the home.

Register for Media and Mochas

Posted in: Children's Ministry

Children Love to Give, Too

Posted on: October 30, 2018
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

Children love to give. Children love to give because they love to participate. We want your children to have the opportunity to participate in the work God is doing in and through our church. This year, your child can pick up a estimate of giving card in one of our children’s areas. I hope you will take some time to talk with your children about giving to God. I hope such giving will be a regular part of their lives as young Christians. It’s crucial to develop good giving habits at an early age. Please prayerfully consider how you will help your children grow as Christians who participate in what God is doing.

Children's Ministry Estimate of Giving Card

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Christmas Begins with Christ

Posted on: November 28, 2017
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

The Christmas season can be an overwhelming time for many. However, it doesn’t have to be when you begin the season with Christ. The Christmas season is actually a time of waiting. Waiting for the birth of Christ.

With the new craze of hiding and finding elves, I have stumbled upon a fun, new Advent tradition you can start with your family. It is called The

Christmas Star from Afar. This new tradition teaches children the true meaning of Christmas. Similar to The Elf on the Shelf, you hide the star each night until the wise men make their way to their newborn king Christ Jesus. You can find the boxed set on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or by visiting starfromafar.com. I will read The Christmas Star from Afar to our younger Sunday school classes beginning November 26.

Posted in: Children's Ministry, Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders

The Most Important Tool for Christian Parenting

Posted on: June 29, 2017
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

Do you know what the most important tool is for Christian parenting? Your own relationship with Christ. Seek the Lord in his Word daily so that your own relationship with Christ will deepen. Your own walk with the Lord through prayer and the daily reading of his Word will equip you on how to have healthy conversations and discussions with your children. I know life is busy. In a world that offers us way too much we feel as though there is no time for what is important. However, God’s mercies are new every morning and he wants to care for you and grow you closer to him so you may be used to point your kids to the gospel. He loves your children far more perfectly than we ever will and he wants us to rely on him and grow deeper in his Word. Let us start with the Word of God. It is the Scriptures that give us wisdom to minister to our children.

“This is our tool, because it is his tool. This is our means of doing ministry, because it is his means of doing ministry– both in us and through us.” ~ Rev. Jason Helopoulos

Posted in: Children's Ministry, Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders

Momentous, Meaningful and Memorable

Posted on: May 30, 2017
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

It’s that time of year. Teachers get ready for a much-needed break

and parents readjust their lives for summer. We plan camps, vacations, play dates and extra family time. As teachers wind down children’s ministry winds up. One of the greatest ministries in our church is Vacation Bible School. Why is our VBS ministry so important?

During VBS we have our children with us for an entire week of the summer. This is so exciting for us in children’s ministry. We take this time seriously and provide a fun and dynamic way to teach children the Bible and point them to the gospel. We use a variety of teaching elements to reach kids for Christ . . . music, drama, art and physical education.

So, this is great for kids but why is it important for us? We are in this together! During each baptism at First Pres we take a vow to set a godly example and invest in the spiritual nurture of our children. My husband Kinch and I do not have family in Baton Rouge. We could not have made it through our journey as parents without our church family, the nursery staff, the children’s ministry team and the many Sunday School teachers that have poured into our children over the past eight years.

VBS is an excellent opportunity to minister to our children in our church and in our community. By word of mouth, we continue to increase our numbers each year. Friends invite friends. During the week of VBS, our church becomes a melting pot for kids from different schools and different backgrounds.

VBS serves as an opportunity to reach families for Christ. We offer home connections for parents so they can connect their kids to the gospel at home. Kids learn and guess what? They want to talk about it and have lots of questions about the Bible and Jesus. Some of them even give their hearts to Jesus. We equip parents to foster these conversations at home and often times parents themselves are being spiritually impacted by what their children are learning at VBS and talking about at home.

We want to foster spiritual formation for our children, volunteers and parents. VBS will not only foster spiritual formation but you will end up spiritually refreshed. Our VBS leaders, teachers and volunteers leave VBS week so spiritually full we start planning the next year the following week. We leave singing hymns with our children, talking about the Bible, discussing the gospel of Jesus and jamming out to fun and exciting songs from our VBS CDs. Last summer my family and I took a road trip to New York and we listened to our VBS CD over and over (and over) again.

As we like to say during VBS week, “Keep calm and VBS on!” Please join me in praying for our children the week of VBS at First Presbyterian.

Camper and Volunteer Registration

Posted in: Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders

That I May Know Him

Posted on: August 30, 2016
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1: 14

May this be the goal of our hearts, that we may know him. It is good to know about our Triune God, but what I am addressing here is that we may know him personally. Our prayer for my own children and yours is that they run to Jesus before all things. We pray that each and every child will have a personal relationship with their Lord Jesus Christ so that they may seek to know him and to trust him. We are made in the image of God and created for a deep relationship with him. God wants us to be in two-way communication with him and to seek him daily and we want that for our children. We must understand though that we cannot change the hearts of our children or others for that matter. Only God can change hearts. He alone can save.

We must also ask God to work in our own hearts and strive to put God first, before all things. Let your children see that you are making every effort to make your relationship with God your top priority and the center of your life. Show children you actually can stop in the midst of busyness to pray. Let them hear you say, “Please give me a few minutes. I need to spend time with God.” Model the behavior we are asking of our children and share the desire you have to seek God first, alongside of them.

So how do we actually do this and where do we start? Begin with prayer. Pray fervently and remember these four words…God is in control. He is sovereign and nothing frustrates his divine plan. Our Father in heaven loves you and forgives you when you end up feeling frustrated or defeated. Extend this grace to yourself given to you by the blood on the cross.

Second, in order for children to know God, children must also learn about the fear of the Lord. This can seem like a hard truth to teach children but there are encouraging ways to handle it. In order to teach children that they are both a friend of God and are to have a healthy fear of the Lord, we are to teach them a correct and balanced view of God. Let’s start by looking at the immanence and transcendence of God. God is both a personal God that dwells within us (Immanence of God) and a sovereign God who is distinct above all things (Transcendence of God). God lives within us through our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus and he is the Great I Am. Peter says in Ephesians 4: 6 “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ed Welch handles this topic beautifully as he writes, “The fact that God sees every aspect of our lives may, at first, leave us afraid and eager to hide from God rather than in awe, wanting to embrace Him. But the fear of the Lord makes us aware both of God’s holy purity and hatred of sin and His holy patience and forgiveness. When we remember both, we have no reason to run in fear, especially since there is no place to run beyond the gaze of God. Instead as we look at the Lord we see that He invites, cleanses and empowers us to grow in holiness.”

Third, read the Bible with your children. There are plenty of ways to read God’s word with our children. Expose your toddlers and preschoolers to the Bible by giving them a children’s storybook Bible so they can play with it and look at its beautiful pictures. Allow your elementary students, tweens and teens to read to you and with you. Read the Bible in carpool, before or after dinner, before bed, in the morning or at breakfast. There is no master formula. Just open the Bible and spend 10-15 minutes in God’s Word with your children. Though remember, we are not perfect. We will fail but this is not about being perfect and doing everything right. This is about knowing God and putting him first. Only Jesus is perfect. We are not and neither are our children. That is hard truth but truth indeed.

Lastly, obey him. Let us make ourselves known to God by being obedient and transparent. Teach your kids to not only obey you but to obey God. Tell your children that when we obey him we become more like him. This is a free gift that we receive through our Lord Jesus Christ. Confess not only to God but also to your children that you are a sinner, saved by grace and by no means perfect.

We have a very important mission on our hands. God has entrusted his children to us so that we may ‘train them in the way they should go’ (Proverbs 22: 6). We must equip our children with the truth of the Gospel and use every opportunity to point them to our Savior so that we may prepare them for their own personal walk with the Lord.

There are three ways we can deepen our relationship with the Lord:

1) Spend time in God’s word

2) Devote yourselves to prayer

3) Mediate on his truths daily

We all know the world is broken, but take heart God has overcome the world. We have many questions about how to raise our kids in today’s world but we can have hope and courage because Jesus is the answer. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we can allow ourselves to listen for him when he is knocking on the door of our hearts. May we incline our hearts to the truth and together, stand firm in God’s grace to us in Christ, even in a world of suffering. Remember the rainbow. The glory of the Lord will be revealed through his covenant promises.

Posted in: Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders

We Want Our Children to Live for Him!

Posted on: September 10, 2015
by: Audra Cato, Director, Childhood Family Ministry

The Scriptures testify to the supremacy of Christ Jesus, and this affects everything about Children’s Ministry. I recently read through the Old Testament and was delighted to discern the many ways that the Law and the Prophets anticipate the coming of Jesus. As I moved on to the New Testament, I also began reading a short book on redemption by Sandy Willson (yes, the father of our beloved Mary). This was no coincidence. I could not help but humbly ponder the redemptive work of our Savior at the center of all our blessed work we do here in Children’s Ministry at First Presbyterian Church.

The cry of our Children’s Ministry is, “that in everything Christ might be preeminent!” (Colossians 1: 18) Here at First Presbyterian we teach our children what it means to have a Christ-exalting life by equipping them with the tools they need to get there: prayer, gospel love and theologically sound lessons that point our kids to Jesus in every story. We want our kids of First Presbyterian Church not just to know about God but to know him in a deep way, such that they would rely upon him in all things. We want our kids to know that Jesus is our all and all so that they may turn to him, pray to him, believe him, trust him and live for him! This is our mission and our prayer.

We teach our children of First Presbyterian about our Triune God, so that they may learn how God the Father creates and watches over us, how God the Son saves and sustains us and how God the Holy Spirit plants faith in our hearts in order to grow it. Our children see the healing mercies of Jesus and how he provides for his people. We, as a church, model this to our little ones and model it well, by God’s grace. We show our kids what it means to engage in his mission and what it looks like to take up our cross in order to serve him wholeheartedly. Our church loves our children and they flourish in this place where they are "so loved" and nurtured! Just as our beloved Pastor Gerrit teaches our congregation to return the blessing to God by boldly reading Scripture aloud, the children are reciting and reading Scripture out loud. What music to the ears of our Father in heaven this must be!

So as you observe our Children’s Ministry program here at First Presbyterian Church, look for Christ. He is on the move! You can see him through our many volunteers pouring into the lives of our little ones. You can see him when you see prayer cards the children have written out on Sunday mornings. You can see him when our children are offering their only coins and dollars, or simply touching the offering plate giving himself or herself to God. You can see him in the attentiveness as they receive gospel-centered teaching in Sunday school. Their hearts are hungry and we want to all take part in equipping these little ones early so that they may know him and accept him as their personal Savior.

I am honored and truly blessed to take part in the life of each child—your child. My family and I reap the blessing of this God-given mission every day. I am grateful to walk alongside you as a sister, parent and friend. May Jesus Christ be praised!

Posted in: Thoughts from the Staff and Leaders