Hi Church Family,

Summer time is officially here. Schools out and we’ve hit triple digits on the thermometer! As most of you know kids are my passion and I know serving with children isn’t for everyone, nevertheless someone needs to do it! It takes 23 volunteers total, every Sunday to open all of our class rooms for both services. The truth is as awesome as the children are, as nice as our rooms are , and as hard as I try to make serving fun and rewarding, I’m short volunteers every week, I have to ask someone to stay for 2 services or serve an extra time this month. Thankfully God is good and He helps to see that all the children have a place but the handful of people that are serving could use your help. Even if you‘d help once a month you could give someone else a Sunday off. Maybe you could volunteer at VBS June 18-22 6-8pm to see if you might be able to impact the future of Hope and the world!

Here are five reasons God created this passion in me; maybe they could spark passion in you for His Kids:

1) Because children matter to God! Mark 10: 13-16 Jesus makes it very clear that kids matter to God. In fact, they matter so much that He encourages us as grown-ups and self-important adults to become like them if we expect to participate in the Kingdom of God.

2) Because children need to learn about God. This happens through real people, willing to live out the love of Jesus right before their eyes? Kids need to know and see that the adults at church are willing to give of their time consistently; they need to see that these grownups want to build relationships with them. Kids need relationships with Christian adults who know their names, who truly enjoy being with them and who think they are so special that being with them is the best thing at church!

3) Because it’s biblical! This is the foundation of all of our ministries. Psalm 78:4 should make us pause and think: “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done.” When we accomplish verse 4, we will see the words of verse 7 come to pass: “Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” When we truly pass on the wonder and joy of following Jesus, seeing God at work in daily miracles, we fulfill God’s highest calling.

4) Because it is our future. Take a minute to think about what’s the average age of adults at our church? Now imagine our church in 10 to 15 years. Without children, who will be here? Investing ourselves in the next generation provides our churches with a future and a hope!

5) Because it is the best investment we can make! Between the ages of five and 12, the probability that a child will accept Jesus as Savior is about 32%, according to the research of the Barna Group. This is the time of life when people are most likely to embrace Jesus. If a child does not solidify a relationship with Jesus, the chances of doing so drop dramatically as the child ages!

We are all called to pass on our faith. It is through relationships that children learn to build a relationship with Jesus. Loving, Christ-centered relationships with adults help kids to grasp what it means to have a relationship with Jesus.

The children of Hope are my friends! My prayer is that my relationships with them, will model the kind of caring, loving relationship they can have with Jesus. Let me challenge you! Set aside time in your week to make a friend! Start a friendship with some of the children at Hope. You can get to know babies in the Nursery, tell toys to preschoolers, teach Bible verse to Kindergartners, play games in Kidzone, or be amazed at how smart 4th and 5th graders are in Godzone. You can join us on Sundays, serve at VBS June18-22, or go with us to Navajo Kids VBS in July.

I encourage you to share your faith, so the next generation will know what a relationship with Jesus can look like. It's not about you, it's about them.

Blessings,

Pastor Barb