Although we use Torah Clubhouse at my synagogue in Atlanta, I rarely interact with the weekly Clubhouse lessons.
Regularly on Shabbat, I see the kids running to their parents after their class to show them the activities they did. I also hear them passing on the jokes that are included in the weekly lesson!
Observing these things gives me a good indication that both the kids and the parents enjoy the Clubhouse material. However, Clubhouse is not being utilized only in Messianic synagogues like mine. Churches are also using Clubhouse to introduce their kids to Messianic teaching.
Recently, I was invited to make a virtual visit to a church in Baltimore that is using Torah Clubhouse every week with their kids. I was deeply blessed by what I observed.
The pastor of the Methodist church in Baltimore (Pastor Joe) is an old friend. Pastor Joe is part of a growing movement of Christian leaders who deeply value a Messianic understanding of the Bible. He has been a fan of First Fruits of Zion for a long time. When we launched Torah Clubhouse, he was more than happy to implement it in his church. In fact, Pastor Joe led the Torah Clubhouse discussion during my virtual visit.
While online with this group of fifteen people, I was encouraged to observe how deeply this group of 8-12-year-old kids were engaged with the material. They took turns reading each section. Then they would take turns answering the questions provided in the lesson.
The title of the lesson during the week of my visit was “Fishers of Men.” One of the most enjoyable parts of the hour was when the kids asked me to help them to understand what this phrase means and why Jesus used this terminology. These kids were hungry to learn, and it was clear that Torah Clubhouse was making them think.
It was also fantastic to see the kids interacting with the section in the lesson that provided teaching from the weekly Torah portion. In an hour, we laughed, we learned, we got into the Torah and the Gospels. At the end of the class time, I was encouraged to consider the impact this material and the time spent on it is having on the lives of these kids.
We say Torah Clubhouse is “where young disciples learn.” My experience and focus have been with the adult Torah Club material over the last several years. However, the time spent with this church in Baltimore was a wonderful reminder of the excellent opportunity Torah Clubhouse offers to encourage young people along the path of discipleship.
To learn more about Torah Clubhouse and subscriptions go to torahclubhouse.ffoz.org
