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Spare Change - May 2019

One of my most favorite parts of being a children’s minister is getting to see little children become followers of Christ.  This is such a special opportunity! It’s truly a wonderful, God-glorifying decision. I love getting to help parents counsel their children in this process; however, many parents struggle to know when their child is ready.  This can be difficult but don’t worry, below I have listed some important steps to help you know if your child is ready.

1. Start with Prayer - Never, never, never underestimate the power of prayer.  Pray that God would speak to your child and call them to be saved.  Pray for wisdom to know if they are ready. Just pray for your child in general.  We can never pray for them enough.

2. Be Patient - The last thing you want to do is rush this process.  If your child is not asking questions or doesn’t seem interested or even if they say they are not ready, don’t worry.  It is better for them to come to that decision on their own rather than pressure from you. However, if they are asking questions and seem to want to know more then don’t wait!

3. Salvation vs. Baptism - Often kids equate salvation with baptism.  Baptism can spark an interest in the child, but they need to understand that being baptized is not the same as being saved.  We make the decision to follow Christ promoted by the Holy Spirit apart from baptism. Baptism is that symbol of spiritual cleansing that unites us with the church.  It is the first step in living out our new faith publically. We want children to be baptized, but only after they have made a profession of faith.

4. Use a Good Resource - Find a good resource that will help you share the gospel.  I love “God’s Plan for Me” from LifeWay. It is designed for children to know and understand the timeless truth of the gospel.  It is also very easy to use and helpful for parents that may not be entirely comfortable with sharing.

5. Use Scripture - It is very important to take the time to look up the scriptures from “God’s Plan for Me” in the Bible and read them outloud.  Kids need to connect their faith back to the Word of God.

6. Avoid “Churchy” Words - Be careful saying things like “lost”, “confess”, or “ask Jesus into your heart”.  Kids are concrete thinkers and can be confused with these words. Try to brainstorm ways to say these things in plain language that they can understand.

7. Ask Open-ended Questions - Make sure to avoid yes-no questions.  We can false lead children to make a decision they are not ready for.  Ask them things like “Can you tell me why you want to do this?” or “Tell me what you understand about how to become a Christian?”

8. If They are Ready - Lead them to pray a prayer of commitment, then rejoice with them!  Share that decision with your pastors and schedule an appointment to talk about baptism.

Spare Change - April 2019

                                                                        Ministry Update

The past three months have been pretty crazy.  We wrapped up the Upward basketball and cheerleading program the first part of March.  I would have to say that this was one of the most successful years in terms of outreach and connecting with families.  We know for sure that one child was saved.  We have had several families visit our church.  There have been a few of the middle school students begin to engage with our student ministry.  In one sense I am happy the season is over, if for no other reason to get some rest, but I will miss it and the opportunity for ministry.  Thank you to all the volunteers and coaches that put in countless hours to organize this league.  We could not have done it without you!

From there we move on to planning for Easter and even VBS!  Easter will be on us before we know it.  Our Easter weekend is a great way to connect people to our church.  They will be able to hear the gospel proclaimed and learn about the power of the  resurrection.  One of the highlights of the weekend is our Community Easter Egg Hunt.  We fill over 6,000 eggs and invite the entire community to come out.  This event is what we call a bridge event.  We simply try to connect with our community in a positive way.  It is something that you can invite friends and family to partake in that is casual and fun.  We hope to have a great turn out for the egg hunt.

Also, a lot of my time right now is focused on VBS.  Yes, VBS!  We actually start prepping for VBS in February.  We really ramp up in March and April.  Mostly getting volunteers lined out, supplies ordered, and having our leader training.  This year the theme is “In the Wild”.  We are going to look at  snapshots of the different ecosystems around the globe while looking at snapshots of the life of Jesus.  I can’t wait to see what God will do through our VBS this year.  As I wrote last month, VBS is the largest evangelistic push that most churches do all year.  We are going to keep the focus on connecting with families and proclaiming the gospel.

I have enjoyed the last three months as the pastor of children and missions.  It has been an adjustment, but it has been a delight to get to know the kids and their families even more.  We have a great group of kids and kids’ ministry volunteers.  Please pray for them, they don’t just provide childcare, they are pouring into your children the Word of God each week.

We also have had another big change the past few weeks.  Our Hispanic church planter, Leonid Marsan, came onsite at the end of February.  He and his family are currently living in our Charis House while they get set-up and adjust to life in Evansville.  Leonid is not sitting idle, he is getting out into the community and God is already beginning to work.  Leonid has been connected to several Hispanic individuals by God’s providence.  Please pray for him and his family as they begin this new work.  Also pray for them as they learn the culture and English language.  Our church family has been so welcoming to them already, I know you will make Oakhill feel like home.

God has also been doing some things in my life; reminding me that people, not programs are most important when it comes to ministry.  We must keep our eyes on Jesus, proclaim the gospel, reach out to our community, and make disciples.  If we keep those ideals first, then the programs will fall into their proper place.  Thank you for trusting me to be the pastor of children and missions, it is quickly becoming one of the greatest joys of my life.