“The number one rule of Kidzone is?”
“No body contact.”
“The number two rule of Kidzone is?”
“No sliding.”
“The number three rule of Kidzone is?”
“No bad language.”
“The number four rule of Kidzone is?”
“Have fun.”
Four simple rules. All four enthusiastically repeated at the beginning of every Monday night at Kidzone. They are the only rules. The understanding is complete. Keep your hands to yourself, stay on your feet, no making fun of anybody and most of all — have fun.
Held at The Salvation Army Kitchener Community Church, Kidzone runs Mondays, 7 to 8 p.m. for boys and girls ages 7 to 12. Currently Kidzone hosts 30 to 40 kids weekly and has a faithful team of six coaches who volunteer. The format of the program is 40 minutes of sports (usually indoor soccer or floor hockey), 10 minutes of devotions and 10 minutes of King’s Court (a version of dodge ball).
Each Monday night for eight years Kidzone has followed these four simple rules. The result? Kids show up each week to play, share and be a team. It’s their church time. Not your ordinary sit in a pew, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon kind of church, but their kind. One where there’s no hidden agenda. Relationships are sincere, open and caring. Kids are safe, encouraged, built up and allowed to be kids. They learn what it means to be part of a team with a mission to follow Jesus as the team captain and share His example outside of Kidzone.
It’s that simple. No complicated program or rocket science involved. Oh yes, there are a few ingredients that make it significant and successful. Two ingredients stand above all others: consistency and commitment. The volunteers are absolutely sold out to the notion of being a part of Kidzone. Week after week they are there, long before the kids arrive to greet them and long after to say good-bye. And of course, the ‘coaches’ commitment to love these kids unconditionally, to model the kind of Christ-like behaviour we want the kids to use and most of all, building agenda-free relationships that are open, transparent and real.
The kids get it. They show up. They laugh, run, play and of course, never, ever, forget the rules. It’s a bit of an unwritten code I guess. Come to this place, be part of the team. Leave the bullying and nastiness outside and be like Jesus. The sports are just a sideline to the main event. Sitting around on the gym floor sharing what it means to be part of God’s team is a big deal. Keeping it simple and significant means the kids come and go on purpose.
“Can I be like this outside of Kidzone?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Can I be the kind of teammate Jesus wants me to be tomorrow in the school yard?” “Absolutely.”
Four simple rules. Not so simple when you see lives touched, the impact of the program and the hope of kids engaging with Jesus on and off the playing field.
