With three children of our own Lisa and I know full well the challenges of parenting. We pray daily that we give them the right tools and wisdom to make good choices in life. The faith of our oldest, Alex, amazes me sometimes. He is very deep spiritually and has a wonderful relationship with Jesus.
I was reading a survey published by George Barna talking about the faith challenges that parents face. The overwhelming concern for parents is that faith of their children. Christian parents are concerned with the relationship their children have with Jesus. Parents who did not identify themselves as Christians are concerned with the moral choices their children are making. It all comes down to one fact, we are all concerned with the spiritual health of our children.
This is where TRCC comes in to the equation. One of my commitments to this ministry is that we will provide a safe, loving and high quality children's ministry. Given our current limitations we confine this ministry to Sunday mornings. My prayer is that we can enlarge the this ministry and offer more opportunities to minister to children.
Our "Promise Land" program on Sunday mornings is not a babysitting service or Sunday daycare. It is the one opportunity that we have to help to shape the spiritual development of our children. Jesus was so concerned about them that despite his physical and mental fatigue he demanded that his disciples let the children come to him. I know it is easy to get tired and fatigued in children's ministry. I know that sometimes it is hard to see the "win" and we begin to question whether we are making a difference.
Let me share a small "win" with you. This week I had a small child come to me and tell me that something was bothering them. We talked about it and then he said, "Pastor Sam I prayed to Jesus and I know he will make it alright." Folks that is why we do this! We do this for the little child that trusts Jesus in his heart. We do it for the little child that turns to Jesus in their time of crisis.
.JPG)