Beautiful Hearts
Children’s Department
“Train up a child in the way he should go.” — Proverbs 22:6
About This Department
Beautiful Hearts is the children’s ministry department of Shekinah Avenue Church, Ogbojo. It is dedicated to the spiritual nurturing, biblical education, and holistic development of children from 18 months to 14 years of age. The department operates every Sunday during church services, providing a safe, structured, and spiritually enriching environment where children can encounter God’s Word at a level appropriate to their age and stage of development.
Operating under the name “Beautiful Hearts,” the department reflects the church’s conviction that every child bears the image of God and deserves intentional investment in their faith formation. Through age-appropriate teaching, worship, creative activities, and discipleship, Beautiful Hearts partners with parents and guardians to raise a generation that knows, loves, and lives for God.
Our Purpose
Beautiful Hearts exists to provide every child in Shekinah Avenue Church with a joyful, safe, and biblically grounded experience of church that grows with them from infancy through early adolescence. Specifically, the department exists to:
- Introduce children to Jesus Christ and the foundational truths of the Christian faith in an age-appropriate manner.
- Create a consistent, nurturing environment where children feel safe, valued, and spiritually engaged.
- Partner with parents and guardians in the spiritual formation of their children.
- Equip children with biblical values, godly character, and a personal relationship with God that will sustain them through life.
- Celebrate and affirm the unique identity, gifting, and worth of every child in the congregation.
- Support the children in growing in the mandate of Shekinah Avenue Church.
Core Mandate
The Beautiful Hearts Children’s Department exists to:
- Deliver age-appropriate, Bible-based teaching every Sunday across five structured class levels.
- Provide a safe, supervised, and welcoming physical environment for children of all ages during church services.
- Lead children in age-appropriate worship, prayer, and spiritual exercises that cultivate a genuine love for God.
- Engage children through creative and interactive learning methods including storytelling, art, music, drama, and memory activities.
- Maintain structured discipleship across age groups to ensure continuity of spiritual development as children grow.
- Coordinate periodic special events, celebrations, and children’s programmes that reinforce the church calendar and ministry themes.
- Communicate consistently with parents and guardians about teaching content, upcoming events, and their child’s engagement.
- Recruit, train, and retain a committed team of teachers and volunteers who are qualified, vetted, and passionate about children’s ministry.
- Maintain safety protocols, child protection policies, and disciplinary standards that prioritise the wellbeing of every child.
Class Structure
Beautiful Hearts operates five age-group classes, each tailored to the developmental stage and learning capacity of the children within that group. Each class has a dedicated team of teachers who plan and deliver weekly lessons, lead activities, and provide pastoral care for the children in their group.
Peace Class
The Peace Class is the foundational class for toddlers and early pre-schoolers. Through sensory play, simple Bible stories, songs, and prayer, children are introduced to the love of God in a warm and gentle environment. The emphasis is on security, belonging, and joyful discovery of faith.
Joy Class
The Joy Class serves early primary-school children who are growing in their ability to read, reason, and engage with Scripture. Lessons are interactive and story-driven, helping children understand key Bible narratives, memorise foundational scriptures, and begin to develop their own personal faith.
Patience Class 1
Patience Class 1 engages children who are developing greater independence and critical thinking. Teaching focuses on character formation, understanding the life of Christ, and applying biblical principles to everyday situations. Children are encouraged to ask questions and grow in their personal relationship with God.
Patience Class 2
Patience Class 2 bridges the gap between the younger children and pre-teens. At this stage, children engage with more in-depth biblical content, discipleship themes, and discussions around identity, purpose, and values. The class prepares children for the transition into the Love Class.
Love Class
The Love Class is the senior children’s class, designed for pre-teens who are approaching the transition into the main church or youth ministry. Teaching is relational and discussion-based, addressing real-life challenges, peer relationships, identity in Christ, and a deepening understanding of Scripture. This class equips young people to own their faith with conviction and confidence.
The Teaching Team
Beautiful Hearts is led and served by a dedicated team of seventeen (17) teachers and support volunteers who bring passion, commitment, and godly character to children’s ministry every Sunday. Each teacher is assigned to a specific class and works collaboratively with co-teachers to plan lessons, engage children, and provide a consistent and safe learning environment. Teaching content stems from the main church’s monthly themes.
The teaching team undergoes regular planning meetings, participates in training and development, and operates within the department’s child safeguarding and conduct standards. Teachers serve as role models, mentors, and spiritual guides for the children in their care. Teachers work with a monthly schedule indicating which class they are responsible for, and the team is encouraged to listen to recorded sermons in the course of the week to build themselves up when they are not able to join the main Royal service.
How the Classes Work Together
The five classes of Beautiful Hearts are not isolated units but form a connected and progressive discipleship pathway for every child in the department. Each class builds intentionally on the foundation laid in the previous one, ensuring that as a child grows in age, they also grow in biblical knowledge, spiritual maturity, and personal faith.
The Peace and Joy classes focus on establishing a love for God, church, and Scripture through sensory and story-based learning. The Patience classes deepen understanding through character-building and applied biblical teaching. The Love Class consolidates this journey by equipping pre-teens with a confident, articulate, and personal faith that prepares them for the next stage of their walk with God, whether in the youth ministry or the main congregation.
Teachers across classes maintain regular communication through departmental meetings, shared lesson themes, and coordinated participation in church-wide events. This ensures that Beautiful Hearts speaks with one voice and moves with one vision, regardless of age group.
Operational Values
Beautiful Hearts operates with the following core values, which guide every activity, interaction, and decision within the department.
Every child is welcomed with genuine warmth, treated with dignity, and made to feel known and valued in the house of God.
The physical, emotional, and spiritual safety of every child is non-negotiable. Child protection standards are upheld at all times.
Every lesson, activity, and service moment is prepared and executed with intentionality and the highest standard of ministry quality.
Teachers and volunteers serve consistently and reliably, honouring their commitment to the children and to God.
Learning is made engaging and memorable through music, art, storytelling, drama, and interactive experiences.
Beautiful Hearts actively works with parents and guardians as primary spiritual influencers in the lives of the children.
All teachers operate within clear guidelines, reporting structures, and child safeguarding protocols.
The department is committed to continuous improvement in teaching quality, team development, and departmental strategy.
Partner With Beautiful Hearts
Beautiful Hearts is more than a children’s class — it is a ministry. We believe the faith built in a child today becomes the foundation of the church tomorrow. Whether you’d like to enrol your child, serve as a teacher, or simply learn more, we would love to hear from you.