Kids’ worship sequel connects worldwide

Manifest alumna launches music book using Facebook Live

A Manifest alumna’s use of social media connected her local church-based launch of a worship resource sequel with children’s ministries leaders in southern California.

Author and composer Kylie Stacey used Facebook Live to share videos from the launch and dedication of Playful Worship Book 2 with friends in Loma Linda (California, USA). The friends are children’s ministries leaders at Loma Linda University Church, one of the Seventh-day Adventist churches on the campus of the health sciences university. The leaders use Playful Worship Book 1 in their Sabbath schools.

In two of the videos, Stacey and families who attend the Beginners Sabbath school at her home church, Lakeside in Bonnells Bay, New South Wales, demonstrate songs from the second book. The choice of the venue is significant: those attending the church helped develop and test the resources in the book and appear in many of the book’s photographs.

In another video, Pr Daron Pratt, Director of Children’s Ministries for the Adventist Church in northern New South Wales, endorses the book. “In their earliest years, children’s brains are developing at a rapid rate and they are looking for models,” he said. “[Playful Worship] encourages parents to be involved with their children in modelling Jesus, in modelling the stories, in modelling the songs and getting active in worship with their children.”

The final video is of the dedication during the worship service. More than 300 people viewed the videos on the day of the launch (December 3).

“Since the first book came out, the highlight has been receiving feedback from people who I might not have met before, saying what it’s done for their church or Sabbath school or even their family worships at home,” says Stacey. “Seeing other churches use the book and hearing the songs being played makes all the work worthwhile.”

Playful Worship Book 1 began at Lakeside about seven years ago when Stacey and her husband became Beginners Sabbath school leaders. “We wanted to introduce new music,” says Stacey. “Because I had a background in early childhood music, I wanted the music to also encourage parents to join, so we started writing and recording our own songs.”

Coming three years after the launch of Playful Worship Book 1, the new worship music resource book for 0-7 year olds features new songs and activities as well as suggested program outlines corresponding with the Bible stories in Year B of the Gracelink children’s curriculum. “It also has information about how to adapt Playful Worship to different group setting and the benefits of the different types of activities described in the book,” explains Stacey.

Playful Worship Book 2—and book one—includes two CDs of music resources and is available now from Adventist Book Centres.