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“Were not our hearts
burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures
to us?” (Luke 24:32)
To create intentional
opportunities for children and their families to explore these key areas, we
have placed milestones throughout the years of each child’s journey at Emmaus.
Each milestone is designed for children and their parents to begin a
conversation together at church, and for children to continue their exploration
under the guidance of their parents within the context of their home. Students
begin each year with a four-week overview of spiritual disciplines (prayer,
devotional Bible study, worship and service) foundational to the milestones, and
students and parents come together to learn during the Sunday School hour on
three “Milestone Sundays” spread throughout the school year. Upon completion of
the milestone study, students will receive a commemorative stone to remind them
of their journey with Jesus at Emmaus.
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| Milestone Descriptions |
Child and Family
Dedication. Parenting is the most challenging and rewarding
responsibility that many of us have undertaken, and the support of the community
of faith is invaluable. Dedication is an opportunity for parents to pledge
publicly their commitment to raising their children within the framework of
Christian faith, and for the church to pledge its support to the family in this
commitment.
Faith Commitment (All
grades). Personal commitment to Christ as our savior is the gateway to
salvation, and parents are central to leading their children to faith. We
consistently invite students to ask Jesus into their hearts, and we offer
resources and classes to help parents bring their children to faith in Christ.
Discipleship (All
grades). Jesus affirmed that the path of salvation involves loving God
with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving our neighbors as
ourselves (Luke 10:25-28). We teach the discipleship milestone through the
spiritual disciplines of prayer, devotional Bible meditation, worship, and
service.
Biblical Grounding (Second grade). In Colossians 3:16 we are exhorted to “Let the Word of Christ
dwell in [us] richly,” and this milestone is focused on equipping students to
encounter the living Word in the written words of the Bible.
Communion (Third
grade). The sacrament of communion is one of the richest, most profound
practices of the Christian faith, and this milestone introduces students to what
is hopefully a lifetime of contemplation. Children and their parents explore
the biblical roots of this sacrament and the rich symbolism of the bread and cup
individually and the feast as a whole.
Baptism (Fourth
grade). Baptism marks out members of the covenant community, signifying
personal acceptance of Christ’s cleansing forgiveness and public identification
with Christ’s death and resurrection. This milestone introduces children and
families to the biblical perspectives on baptism and Emmaus’ practice of
believer’s baptism.
Service (Fifth
grade). Christian faith and love express themselves in service. This
milestone introduces the biblical foundation of service and mission and
culminates in a service project planned and completed by students and their
families.
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