Kid’s ministry goes ‘Retro’ for the Summer

USA (MNN) — If you’re a fan of the radio program “Red Rock Mysteries,” a children’s show produced by Keys For Kids Ministries, you might be wondering instead, “What are they airing this week?!”

Rather than the familiar characters pacing through harrowing adventures, you might be hearing a woman named Aunt Bea storytelling, or maybe a children’s choir. It’s all part of Keys For Kids’ Retro Summer break.

Executive director Terre Ritchie explains, “It’s giving us time to get the next series of Red Rock Mysteries produced. We need to have the summer to get this series together. That’s not counting writing, prep, and post-production. They needed something to offer listeners during the hiatus other than re-runs, Keys for Kids thought, “Let’s just unlock this vault and let the kids know what it used to be like for their parents to listen to Keys For Kids Ministries/CBH Ministries.’

Why not? They’ve got 73 years of programming to draw upon that has had a singular mission, adds Ritchie. “We focused on telling boys and girls about Jesus. This has been accomplished through many different types of media: like in the 50s and 60s, when Aunt Bea (Aunt Bertha Shooks) was here–and she even hosted a TV variety show, of sorts.”

Other than a nostalgia factor, who would listen to old radio shows? More people than you might think, observes Ritchie. The shows hail back to simpler times, which is its own attraction. “You can listen to songs by choirs, duets, trios, there were instrumentals in there, plus stories that went with verses from God’s Word. These are so interesting to listen to and even watch.”

Plus, who doesn’t love to watch a little kid sharing something as powerful as Scripture?   Think about the little kids you watch in church programs who are always the sidebar anecdotes for what else is going on center stage.

With the video component, children get the spotlight.

Ritchie adds, “It’s so fun to watch little kids who are three and four (years) saying verses. They’re singing, they’re playing instruments. They’re doing all sorts of things. They’re in little plays, and telling the stories.”

Let’s be honest, it’s fun to see the hair styles, clothing styles and more, in their then-modern settings of decades ago. Plus, if you were part of the choir, your kids can see you in action as a kid!  So, while the next season of “Red Rock” is gearing up, Ritchie encourages you to check out some of the Retro Summer offerings for yourself.

One last thing to remember, says Ritchie. Regardless of the medium, “God’s Word has never changed. We have never failed to use the Bible as our main resource. That’s what our ministry is built on, telling boys and girls about Jesus and presenting His Word. That has not changed in 73 years.”