By Rechilda Estores
"Jesus called the children to him and said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'."- Luke 18:16
"[In] physical mass, the children can participate and cooperate more. There are many factors [which] can affect the participation of the children during virtual mass/service such as internet connection, distractions, etc. that can affect their spiritual growth and faith"
Nurturing the faith of children and allowing them to freely communicate and worship the Lord is a great way to please and honor God. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, it is significant to reach and teach the children about the Lord and how Jesus gave us life, blessings, and love.
Introducing the Bible stories online to children in midst of the pandemic became a new journey for Ismael Oblepias or known as Teacher Ismael, a 24-year-old, Life Group Leader in Jesus is Lord Church.
He has been serving the church for 10 years and continuously leads an online kids’ Bible sharing every Saturday of the week during lockdowns to let the children build a strong relationship with God.
However, the online set-up is one of the many challenges of preaching he had to deal with during this pandemic. For him, teaching and interacting with children is important but is limited because of the new virtual set-up.
"[In] physical mass, the children can participate and cooperate more. There are many factors [which] can affect the participation of the children during virtual mass/service such as internet connection, distractions, etc. that can affect their spiritual growth and faith," Oblepias said.
The recent Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) protocol placed the National Capital Region (NCR) and other provinces under Alert Level 2 that allows children to attend the local church gatherings.
According to Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), easing of the restrictions is a big opportunity for the faithful to finally go out and hear Mass in churches.
Teacher Ismael also thinks it is a good step to help kids build stronger bonds with the Lord because physical interaction can enhance understanding and impose interest in learning the Gospel through active reading and sharing with their spiritual peers.
"It is good for the mental health of the children and as long as the children and the management are observing the IATF new normal protocol, there's nothing to worry about it"
"It is good for the mental health of the children and as long as the children and the management are observing the IATF new normal protocol, there's nothing to worry about it," Oblepias said.
Also, the Department of Health (DOH) mandates that in-person religious gathering activities shall be allowed for those below eighteen years old.
For the Jesus is Lord Church, children still have restrictions for physically attending religious services to protect their wellbeing.
"Our church management didn't allow minors to attend onsite church services, but if the child is fully vaccinated and with their parents/guardians, the management will allow it," Oblepias said.
Teacher Ismael continuously advocates active engagements and encourages a safe physical and virtual spiritual space for children to let them learn and live the teachings of the Bible.
Bible sharing is progressively pursued to strengthen the kid’s faith, wisdom, love for the Lord, and commitment to know more about God’s goodness.
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