Why Do I Serve in Kidway During the Summer?

by Kevin and Jenny Snyder

Well, Kevin and I started volunteering during the summer months for selfish reasons. I wanted to introduce our 2 year olds (at the time) to Sunday School a little early to make the transition seamless in the fall with a stranger. They loved Sunday School, and Kevin and I really loved our time with all the little kids. 2&3 year olds have the best stories to share! From finding a dead raccoon, to their dad tasing a bad guy, to all the gross things their mom cooks for dinner. It brought us a lot of laughter. We slowly moved on to the 4&5 year old class. Then, when the church added on, we started helping with Kidway in the summer.

There are teachers that dedicate most of their year to teaching Sunday School. Kevin and I have always felt the least we can do is to help give them the summer off.

Kidway is a very neat experience. We get to see so many people sharing their passion and talents with the kids, whether it is Justin Stiles busting a move to This Little Light of Mine or Lisa Towell sharing Jesus with the little kids, it is always a fun experience. Also, they have made it so easy to volunteer. On Sunday, I just have to go to my little spot, find a cart with pencils, glue and Bibles, and all the craft and activity stuff is already sorted and ready. I just have to grab the amount I need and go. It’s so easy! You could practically not prepare at all and just show up…although I wouldn’t recommend that. If you mess up a Bible story, the kids will correct you. They are little fact checkers.

At the end of each summer, Kevin and I have so many fun memories. We are always amazed at how much the kids learn and grow. Of course, it helps a little when we bribe the children with candy to memorize their Bible Verses…and it works every time.

So, this will be the 8th summer we will volunteer, and I have to say, we have had the best time watching all of these kids grow in Christ, in maturity and in size. It’s like having front row seats to the best show in town…this is our future…and we have been lucky enough to help have a small positive influence on so many of them.