An interview with Kimberley Payne
Kimberley Payne lives in the village of Buckhorn, northeast of Toronto, Ontario. She received Jesus as her Lord and Saviour at age 33.
Do you go to church? If yes, what denomination?
“Yes. I grew up in the Catholic church. But I was saved in 2001 when I was attending a Christian Reformed Church. When I moved, I attended a Pentecostal Church where I remain to this day.”
How many grandchildren do you have?
“Two. Tragically, my granddaughter, Talia, died from SUIDS at the age of 7 months. Her older sister, Sophia, is now an only child.”
What ages are your grandchildren?
“Sophia is seven this year.”
Did you raise their parents Christian? If so, what sorts of things did you do with them?
“Yes, when they first started school they attended a Separate School but we did not attend church. When we moved, we started attending a church that had Sunday school and a Wednesday night Boys & Girls Club. In the summer, they attended Vacation Bible Camp. We prayed at meals and bedtime. We also watched Veggie Tales videos.”
What Christian traditions did you participate in with your children? Do you do the same with your grands (grandchildren)?
“Both my children were baptized in the Catholic church and then chose to be baptized as teenagers within the Protestant religion. My daughter and ex-son-in-law dedicated my granddaughter to God in a Christian ceremony that welcomes the baby into the church. During this ceremony, the parents also dedicated themselves to raising my granddaughter as a Christian.”
If you raised your children Christian, are they still practicing?
“Sadly, neither of my children are practicing.”
How do your children feel about you sharing your faith with their children?
“Sophia is my daughter’s child. She is okay that I bring her to church, read the Bible with her, and pray with her.
“My daughter likes that I take my granddaughter for a weekend every summer to stay in a cabin at a Christian Retreat Centre. Sophia plays and learns about God with other children her age. It’s a fantastic getaway for the both of us.”
How do you share the Bible with your grandchildren?
“I read My first read-aloud Bible* with Sophia before bed. I’ve worked with her to memorize Bible verses using my book, ABCs of Scripture for Kids.*”
Do you have a favorite Bible verse specific to raising godly children?
“I love the verse in Mark 5:19 (NIV) that says, Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you. Sharing how God has been good in my life with my granddaughter is very important to me.”
What sort of activities/games do you do with your grandchildren to reinforce their faith?
“We have acted out specific Bible verses and I’ve even videotaped her dancing to scripture. I’ve also written scripture on colored paper, cut out each word, and hidden the pieces of paper around the room. Sophia then searches for the words and when she finds them she organizes them on the table in the right order. We have a lot of fun with this game.”
How do you share prayer with your grandchildren?
“We pray before we eat and either say the Lord’s Prayer or a simpler ‘Dear Lord, please bless this food to our bodies and bless the one who made it. In Jesus’ name, we pray.’”
How do you pray for your grands?
“I like to use Stormie Omartian’s The Power of a Praying Grandparent* And every morning, I get down on my knees and pray for her salvation along with the salvation of her parents. I also pray daily for her character.”
Do you have a special bedtime or mealtime prayer that you say with your grands? If so, please share it here.
“We pray the P.A.T.H. to prayer at bedtime. P stands for Praise and we thank God for who He is. A stands for Admit and we ask God for forgiveness for things that we did, said, or thought were wrong. T stands for Thank and we thank God for all He has done for us. H stands for Help and we ask God to help ourselves, others, and the world.”
What suggestions/words of advice can you offer other grandparents?
“Let your grand see you praying. Let them see you reading your Bible. Actions speak louder than words.”
What mistakes/words of caution can you offer other grandparents?
“Don’t argue with your grandchildren about faith. My granddaughter often says, ‘I don’t want to go to church today’ when I pick her up from her mom’s. I don’t argue with her but just drive to church. After the service, I ask her about her time (she always has a great time at kid’s church) and remind her that although she said she didn’t want to go she did enjoy it.”
Are there any resources that you would recommend to other grandparents?
“Besides the ones I’ve mentioned above, I like listening to Adventures in Odyssey on my local Christian radio station and recommend it. I’ve subscribed to Focus on the Family magazine along with the Clubhouse Jr. magazine so my granddaughter can read it and do the activities when she visits. I also wrote 31 prayers (one for every day of the month) that I use to pray for my kids and granddaughter daily and made it a free downloadable for others to use as well here: 31 Prayers for the Next Generation.”
Are you comfortable sharing a prayer here?
Father God, You love our children and grandchildren even more than we do. I pray You will help them to mature in faith and come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I pray a hedge of protection around them and their parents. Bless them and keep them. Turn Your face toward them, be gracious to them, and give them peace. In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Bio
Kimberley Payne is an award-winning author. She combines her teaching experience and love of writing to create educational materials for children about family, fitness, science, and faith.
Through her work, Kimberley hopes to inspire parents to raise the next generation in the Christian faith. Visit her website.
*Affiliate link: if you buy something through one of these links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I will get a small commission.