A new ministry has begun at Cristo Rey Lutheran Church in Oklahoma City. “Club de Ninos” is a once-a-month Saturday program attended by eleven children who are already part of the congregation. Rev. Abiut Fajardo and his wife, Dora, introduced the ministry in the summer of 2021 based on a model they had followed in a former ministry in Mexico City. The Saturday program includes a time of Bible reflection, Lunch, and an Activity. In a recent October meeting, for example, the Bible subject was “The Golden Rule” and it became the springboard for teaching the children about respect AND responsibility. Following teaching and lunch, the group visited Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City.
The eleven children who attend on a regular basis come from three Cristo Rey families. Pastor Fajardo shared that besides teaching God’s Word and giving the children a safe and meaningful activity to keep them busy, Children’s Club is also designed to correct two common misconceptions. One is that “Church: is a place, specifically a building. The other is that Church is only on Sunday morning. One of Pastor Fajardo’s goals is that Children’s Club will come to see that they are the Church, and that being part of God’s Church is not tied strictly to showing up in a particular building once a week. He believes that by facilitating the children in coming together as a family in other places (eg., a park) and at times other than just Sunday morning teaches them that they are a Christian family, and that being part of the Christian family is what “Church” is really about.
