Community Bible Study

I was first introduced to Community Bible Study when we moved to Hughes Springs in February 2010. Several of the women in our church attended CBS each week, but I wasn't able to begin immediately because there wasn't an open spot for Riley. That's right, CBS is not just for adults. They have one of the most incredible Children's Ministry programs I've seen. From 6 weeks old to teenagers, there's a class for every age group.

Riley and I began in September of 2010 when he was 14 months old. Yes, there were separation issues for him at first, but he quickly adjusted to his class. He was in the 1-year-old class, so I wasn't too sure how much he'd learn that first year. I was blown away when he came home a couple of months later and could distinguish between a Bible and an ordinary book. In their class they would each get a turn every week patting the Bible. Their teachers taught them the importance of respecting God's Word. At the age of 1! LOVE IT!

This past year, Riley was going through some MAJOR separation anxiety when we began CBS in September 2011. I would leave him literally kicking and screaming. After several weeks of this, I can remember one Thursday dropping him off and crying as I was leaving the children's area. I was so torn up over how he was responding to my leaving, and I had gotten to the point where I didn't know what to do. The director of the children's ministry stopped me and right there in the middle of the hall began praying for me. I'll never forget that moment! Not only did she pray for me, but she and her assistant went into Riley's classroom and prayed over him. That was definitely a turning point for my little man. It then became easier and easier to drop him off. And finally it got to the point where he would wake up excited on Thursday mornings and say, "Are we going to Bible study today?!"

Not only was he incredibly LOVED by his teachers, but they taught him so much this past year! He now knows John 3:16, Mark 16:6, Psalm 37:3, John 13:34 (the shortened versions, of course), and a re-make of "row, row, row your boat" that tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. He walks around the house all the time singing these different verses. I love it! At such a young age, he is learning what it means to hide God's Word in his heart.

When my parents were here visiting, my mom was able to go with us to CBS. She enjoyed it so much that she's looking to see if she can find a class to attend in her area! It just so happened that the children were going to perform their songs for us that day. I wasn't too sure how Riley would do because the last time they performed (in December), he immediately saw me from stage and walked himself down the steps and came and sat with me - before the songs even began! This time he did SO well! I was able to capture most of it on video, so I'll wrap up this post with the video of my little man's first performance on stage.