volunteer

Children in Church

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

The children’s workers at our church got a break on Easter Sunday. All the children were in the adult service for the entire time. Usually, the children go to Children’s Church right before the message. But not this Sunday. And since it was Easter, there were many visitors. The sanctuary was packed. And with all the kids in attendance for the entire service, it was a bit chaotic. Usually the kids are really quiet and don’t get up and run in and out of the service. But this week was different. With the smaller kids mixed throughout the crowd, they just couldn’t sit still for that long. It’s understandable. Their attention span isn’t quite that developed yet. Everyone survived the service, but I’m sure the parents were happy to walk out the church doors that morning.

I see the elementary aged kids in the church service with their parents each week. They actually are well behaved. They’re not running in and out of the service. They’re not making noise. They stand and sing the songs. They participate in communion. They are learning the art of worship. And yet they run out the double doors of the sanctuary like it’s nobody’s business when it’s time for Children’s Church.

Oh. I have to say that for the Easter service, the children’s leaders made activity packets for each child. In those packets were activity sheets, crayons, candy and I think I saw cookies or crackers. There were items to keep the kids entertained, so they didn’t get too fidgety. And it worked. The activity packets were a hit for all ages.

When I was a kid, I had to sit in the adult service every Sunday. There was no children’s church. There were no activity packets. No one had cell phones or tablets. I remember the cheerios my mom would bring in her purse. But we had to sit still and listen. And we opened the hymnal and sang. We stood during the Scripture reading and bowed our heads during prayer. We participated in the service, but quietly. And we learned the art of worship.

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:13-15

I volunteer with the Awana program at our church. I hadn’t worked with church kids for many years, and I find I’m enjoying them. Sure. There’s always at least one who is rowdier than the others. And there’s one who always wants to go first. There’s one who never wants to play the games. There’s one who never wants to memorize Bible verses. There’s one who clings too tightly to his mom. And there’s one who has started to really talk to me. He asks questions. In a round about way, he almost invited me to his piano recital. I think I’ve fallen in love with these kids.

I’ve tried to build a relationship with the kids. I joke with them. I ask about their families. I correct them. They tell me when their birthday is. One boy told me that one of the girls in our group is his cousin. Some of them call me an old lady. One asked if I was married. We’re all looking for connection and acceptance. Even kids. And old people.

After the first week or two of the Awana season, I had convinced myself that I wouldn’t sign up to work with them the next year. I thought this would only be a one-year commitment. But now that I’ve survived a full year, I’m ready to sign up again. Sure. There are nights that I’m worn out when I get home. And just about every Wednesday morning, I’m questioning my decision to be involved. But I go anyway. And I find I’m glad that I did.

Oh. I ran into another volunteer who had started a countdown at the beginning of the year. How many weeks left? And now we’re down to the final week. I believe we’ve survived. I’ve somewhat convinced myself that I won’t be allowed to volunteer in the fall, but I know I’m just being silly. More volunteers are always needed. The more volunteers there are, the more children can be enrolled. And I’m not sure if any other church in our small town offers the program. We get many kids who attend other churches. And that’s ok.

Children are an important part of any church. Families are key to the growth of a church. And I’m proud to say that my church has plenty of children and expectant mothers. We just need more volunteers who are willing to spend a few hours working with the kids on their memory verses. We need volunteers willing to share the gospel with the little ones, so they can learn from an early age about the love of Jesus Christ. We need volunteers who will play silly games with the kids so they can learn godly sportsmanship.

Children in church are important, because yes, they are the church of tomorrow. If they don’t learn the value of Scripture, forgiveness and a biblical walk with Christ while they’re young, we’ve done them a huge disservice. Children’s programs aren’t just about having fun or eating pizza. It’s about teaching them Bible verses and Bible stories that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.

Children are tomorrow’s leaders not just in business or politics, but also in church and in the home. That means that while it is still today, those children need to be taught sound biblical truths when they are sitting in the church pews, in children’s church and in any other teaching opportunity at church. They need to be taught how to lead and how to follow. When to be silent and when to speak up. When to give and when to receive. When to serve and when to be served.

Will you volunteer to work with the children at your church?

Keeping Busy

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

It’s been a year now since we signed on the dotted line for this retirement home. And we couldn’t be happier. Life is good. Oh. There have been adjustments all right. The man of the house lived in our former state for ten months before joining me full time in retirement. Now he’s busy taking care of projects around the house. He’s still adjusting to not having a strict schedule, but he’ll get there. It just takes time.

Looking back to my working years, I can now see how I never had time to do much of anything but work. But then, that seems to be the way the system is made. Forty hours of work each week leaves precious little time for much of anything else. Oh. We all try to squeeze in as much life as we can into those evening and weekend hours, but they’re never enough. And a few weeks vacation plus holidays sure don’t go far enough to ease the stress of a heavy workload.

But this year of not working has taught me something. I really enjoy having that extra forty hours in my week. I sure seem to find enough to keep myself busy. Sure. There are times I’m doing nothing. But there are days when I have a full schedule. Now. My full schedule doesn’t look the same as it did in the past. My day doesn’t start as early and it isn’t as rushed. I don’t always have places to go and people to see. But that’s just fine. I like it that way.

Here’s what I do know. In retirement, we can’t just sit around in our recliner and do nothing. Oh sure. I imagine that as old age creeps in, we’ll slow down. At some point, physical ailments and health problems will slow down some activities. But until those things begin to happen on a regular basis, we need to be active. We need to move our bodies and our brains. We need to engage in meaningful conversations with others, young and old. We need to volunteer and give back time to others who don’t have the time. We can start hobbies we never had time for when we were working.

At this point, I’ve discovered that retirement is a very enjoyable period of life. I hadn’t really thought much about what my retirement would look like, but I’m liking it. Over the past few months, I’ve begun walking most mornings. And I’ve become a pickleball player. I’m involved in a small group Bible study at church, and I’m starting to volunteer with the midweek children’s program. Oh. I don’t know the two people I’ve been assigned to work with. I don’t know the kids. I only know two people who are involved with the entire program, so I’m a little unsettled. But I’ll find my way. Does it make me nervous to get out of my comfort zone? Absolutely. Does it stop me? Absolutely not.

Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10

And the man of the house? He’s getting involved with a couple of men’s groups at church. One group meets for coffee early one morning each week. Oh. It’s a social group, but they’re building relationships and that’s mighty important. He’s also joined the men’s Bible study group that meets once a week. And he’s volunteering with another group to build beds for kids who don’t have one.

This man of mine. He’s also helping the next door neighbor burn down their huge brush pile. He says he likes to burn things, but he also has a huge heart for helping others. And he’s putting that gift to good use. Oh. He comes in the house sweaty and exhausted, but he’s doing a good deed for others who are still working fulltime. Every little bit of help makes a difference.

Here’s the thing I’ve learned. It’s easy to get into a rut and never do anything that challenges me. I could sit in my easy chair all day and scroll on my phone or laptop. I could easily sit and read all day. I could complain that I don’t know very many people in this new place that I willingly moved to. I could just do nothing. But that’s not what God has called me to do. I’m still healthy. I’m still active enough that I can help others and I can also have fun. And there are days that I don’t do much of anything. My goal is to accomplish one thing each day, large or small. At least one thing.

I’ve met a couple of people who moved to the area in the past few years, and they’ve told me that they don’t know anyone. Their method of meeting others is working out at the fitness center. But I wonder just how many people they meet there? Most people go there to work out, not to be social. I take it that they don’t attend church or volunteer anywhere. That would be a depressing way to grow old. Never meeting anyone or doing anything. Just sitting all day. I can’t do that. At least, not at this point.

It takes courage to get out of your comfort zone. And I’ve found that even though the nervousness comes around, it won’t kill me. I’m not doing anything dangerous. I’m just getting involved so I can stay active, meet others and build lasting relationships. I plan to grow old in this place. I don’t want to spend my final years complaining because I don’t know anyone when I haven’t done anything to meet others. So I’m putting myself in uncomfortable situations and plowing through that discomfort. Someday I’m sure I’ll see the bright side of my efforts.

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. Colossians 3:23-24