As Agape has begun to grow in programming, we have found a need for a girls’ pre-teen small group. Although our older Backyard Bible Club participants still greatly enjoy our bi-weekly Backyard Bible Club meetings, some of these children have simply outgrown the age group that our curriculum is meant to reach. Additionally, some of our pre-teens are facing difficult life situations at an extremely young age, and benefit from being surrounded by a group of peers and mentors who can provide a safe place for discussion.
Once a week, three to five young women gather with Melissa Hill and I to do a craft, eat a snack, and discuss a Bible story. It has been very interesting as I try to feel out how to best explain Godly choices versus sinful choices, which separate us from God, to children whose family members are often partaking in the use of drugs, alcohol, and premarital sex. Someone needs to make sure that these girls understand that they are beautiful children of God. If they aren’t getting it at home, they are guaranteed to get that at Agape.
~Andy Beall
