A Church For Children

Yesterday, at the North Jefferson Ministry Association luncheon, our Harvest Hoedown was one of the topics of discussion. I was reminded again of the outreach opportunity it is. We had over 1400 persons register. When you add in those who were serving and those who did not go by the registration table, there had to be over 1500 at this year’s Harvest Hoedown. This is a joint ministry between Gardendale-Mt. Vernon and The Church Revived. Of those registered, 130 were from The Church Revived and 250 from Gardendale-Mt. Vernon. That means about 2/3 of those who came were not a part of either of our churches. The majority did say they were members of a church, but 265 have no church home. That is the major reason we invest the time and resources in the Harvest Hoedown. As Kelly Wiegert said at our Administrative Board meeting on Monday, this is our largest Outreach Event. Our Evangelism Team will work with our Children’s Team to follow up on those who do not have a church.

I shared Sunday morning about a family who said they wanted to be a part of church that had such a heart for children. The person to whom that comment was made is not part of our church. When the father said, “I wonder what time worship is?” he was directed to our sign. I don’t know if they were in attendance Sunday. We did have first time guests, as we do most Sundays.

I keep thinking about that statement, I want to be part of a church that has a heart from children. Jesus certainly wants His Church to have a heart for children. He is the one who said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14; RSV) I thank God that Gardendale-Mt. Vernon is seen as a church that welcomes children.

At the Harvest Hoedown, a young lady introduced herself and her daughter to me and said, we are the ones who have an appointment with you. They are not in a church, but her daughter attends our Children Enrichment Center. Her daughter has been learning scripture in her class and in chapel. She had been asking her mother questions about faith. So this mother is bringing her daughter to talk with me. This is another opportunity to touch a child and through a child, touch a parent. These opportunities happen when we make kids a priority.

Here are some upcoming opportunities to touch children:
· Gardendale Soccer Servant Evangelism, November 7th, 4:00 PM. We will be serving pizza and drinks as the Soccer league has their Closing Ceremonies. Volunteers are needed to cook and serve. Contact Paul Wiegert, pwiegert@gmvumc.org.
· Operation Christmas Child - Our Missions Team has boxes with instructions on how to fill them. This ministry serves kids in 130 countries. Our goal is to fill 300 boxes. In order to get them to kids by Christmas, they are due back November 22nd.
· Breakfast with Santa, Saturday, December 12th. This is a great opportunity for persons who do not have young children to bless children and their parents. We want parents of preschool and elementary age children to be able to participate with their kids. Contact Kelly Wiegert kwiegert@gmvumc.org to volunteer.

Our Community Service Day, November 21st, provides the opportunity to touch God’s older children. The Mission Team has 15 projects lined up. They range from yard work, gutter cleaning to painting a shed and painting some bathrooms. There will also be some teams taking Thanksgiving goodies to some homebound persons. If you are not in a Living the Good Life small group, contact Paul Wiegert to volunteer pwiegert@gmvumc.org. You can also provide some financial resources to help purchase paint and other supplies needed that day. Simply identify your gifts for “Community Service Day.”

Talking about ministry with children, Frank Malone made a motion at Monday’s Administrative Board meeting that the Children’s Building Committee be reactivated. The motion passed. One of the first things I anticipate the Children’s Building Committee to do will be to get some new projections on the proposed building. Some other churches have found this to be a good time to build. We presently have $1,235,661.88 in our children’s building fund. Be in prayer as they begin their work.