The Grace Kids Christmas Concert is one of our most favorite Sundays of the year! You can feel the energy and eagerness of the children (and their parents!) the moment you step onto the fourth floor to drop off your little one. The kids are rushing to their classrooms; parents are smiling from ear to ear; and everyone is officially ready to celebrate the start of the Christmas season!

This year, we had 245 kids and 121 teachers participate in the Christmas Concert, and almost every seat at 301 Garden was filled. While there were – no doubt – moments of chaos in the preparation leading up to all those kids being up on stage, for those of us watching, there was purity and joy in seeing those children sing their little hearts out. It is incredible to think about how much children can teach us about the promise, excitement, and reason for the season.

“What an amazing day! It was so fun to see so many kids participating in the concert again this year. I love that each year, as we grow, we learn how to engage the kids even more in the event,” said Rachel, our Grace Kids Director. “We love that it’s a time where we, as a family, can celebrate our little ones.”

Sarah and her husband Michael are two of the parents who drop their children off at Grace Kids week after week. “We are so grateful for Grace Kids and the opportunity to hand off our two year old son and four month old daughter to the unbelievably capable and loving teachers from week to week without a moment of hesitation”. Sarah said, “It is such a gift. Having that hour to worship and actually process the message each week, we do not take it for granted.”

The Grace Kids Christmas Concert allows us to celebrate big with the little ones in our family. It’s a culmination of another wonderful year at Hoboken Grace, and we love that so many family members are able to join in on the fun by watching online even if they are not able to be there in person to see the little ones. Sarah said, “We were so grateful to share the video of the concert to a grandma in South Dakota, uncles in California and Delaware, and local family members who could not make it on Sunday. It is simply one more way to engage our community and encourage others to take a step into a relationship with Jesus. Thank you, Grace Kids, for affording us this gift.”

What an incredible way to kick off the Christmas Celebration! We invite you to join us this holiday season for our new series, Simply Christmas, as we seek to capture the simple and powerful peace that Christmas can bring to every one of our lives. And to learn more about Grace Kids, please click here!