Pastor Fernando Sanchez was among the first cohort of the Certificate in Children’s Ministry, a training program designed to equip Spanish-speaking church leaders to nurture children’s faith. Serving a small church in California’s Central Valley, he ministers to a predominantly Spanish-speaking agricultural community and is passionate about helping children and young adults know Christ and build a lasting foundation of faith.
Poem written by Pastor Fernando
| Conclusión Este curso no fue solo estudio; fue un amanecer. Me recordó que el ministerio infantil no se camina con prisa, se pisa descalzo, en humildad… porque es tierra santa. Cada niño es una semilla con cielo adentro. A veces parecen pequeños, distraídos, inquietos; pero dentro de ellos Dios ha escondido bosques enteros, ríos de propósito y futuros que todavía no conocemos. Enseñarles no es llenar cuadernos; es encender faros. Es colocar una lámpara diminuta en medio de un mundo saturado de pantallas, ruido y sombras. Es sembrar una palabra que quizá hoy parece susurro, pero mañana será convicción firme. En nuestra comunidad trabajadora, donde los padres salen antes que el sol y regresan cuando la tarde ya está cansada, la iglesia se vuelve casa de abrigo. Aquí los niños no solo memorizan versículos; aprenden que su nombre está escrito en el corazón de Dios. Comprendí que discipular a un niño es sembrar bajo la tierra confiando en la lluvia del Espíritu. Es plantar sin ansiedad. Es regar sin controlar. Es creer que, aunque yo no vea el fruto completo, el cielo sí lo verá florecer. Mi compromiso hoy es enseñar como quien riega jardines invisibles. Hablar como quien construye cimientos eternos. Amar como quien entiende que cada pequeño corazón es un territorio sagrado. Porque formar niños en el camino del Señorno es solo un ministerio… es sembrar eternidad en manos pequeñas que un día sostendrán antorchas. Este Curso fue de mucha Bendicion. |
| English Translation of Conclusion This course was more than a time of study. It was a new dawn. It reminded me that children’s ministry is not something to be rushed. It is a path we walk barefoot, with humility, because it is holy ground. Every child is a seed with heaven inside. At times they seem small, distracted, or restless, yet within them God has hidden entire forests, rivers of purpose, and futures we have yet to see. Teaching children is not about filling notebooks. It is about lighting beacons. It is placing a small lamp in the middle of a world filled with screens, noise, and shadows. It is planting a word that may seem like a whisper today but will become an unshakable conviction tomorrow. In our hardworking community, where parents leave before the sun rises and return when the day is already weary, the church becomes a place of refuge. Here, children do more than memorize Bible verses. They learn that their names are written on the heart of God. I came to understand that discipling a child is like planting beneath the soil while trusting in the rain of the Holy Spirit. It is planting without anxiety. It is watering without trying to control the outcome. It is believing that even if I do not see the full harvest, heaven will see it bloom. Today, my commitment is to teach like one who waters unseen gardens. To speak like one who lays eternal foundations. To love like one who understands that every child’s heart is sacred ground. Because raising children in the way of the Lord is not just a ministry… It is planting eternity into little hands that one day will carry torches. This course has been a tremendous blessing. |
Pastor Fernando Sanchez’s poem reflects his experience with the Certificate in Children’s Ministry. This online program contains 4-modules and is taught in Spanish. It provides theological and practical training for church leaders serving children; it bridges those gaps by offering accessible, culturally relevant, and faith-centered training to strengthen children’s ministries across the Central Valley.
Interested in learning more about the Certificate in Children’s Ministry?
