Wednesday; October 1

The other day I was talking to one of our church leaders and he made an interesting statement.  We were visiting about some of the things we were doing in our young people’s ministry, and he said that one of his goals was to give them some positive memories of the church that would last them a lifetime.  In fact, he pointed to why he supported putting in a playground on our church property.  It may not have had an immediate spiritual impact, but he wanted the people who grew up in our congregation to back to look back and remember those times fondly.

As I thought about this I was reminded of Solomon’s admonition, “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6).  It is easy to see the spiritual nature of biblical education and moral development, but there is another side to it as well.  If our children know that we care about them … if our children feel safe and loved … if our children are building great memories of their church family, we might be serving them well.  No one wants to be where they don’t feel welcome, but if we can create a warm environment for them, we’ll have more of a chance to influence them down the road.  No, I am not saying that church should be all fun and games, nor should it be driven by the whims of our young people, but if we can do things that help them feel a part of our group, we may not have to overcome negative feelings to bring them back when they become adults. 

        Think About It!

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