Our Children Are Important

“The promise is for you and your children – for all whom the LORD our God will call.” (Acts 2:39)

When I was younger (much younger) I had the good fortune to work as an intern with one of the best known and finest Presbyterian pastors in the United States: the Rev. Dr. Earl Palmer. Earl has served as a youth pastor in Seattle, a missionary to the Philippines, and a senior pastor in Berkeley and currently in Seattle. He has written many practical and theological books. He is a highly respected keynote speaker for conferences and workshops. I interned for two years at First Presbyterian of Berkeley, CA. While I was there, I learned a great deal from Earl Palmer.
During a staff meeting one day, Earl said, “We must remember, the second most important staff position in the church – after the pastor – is the children’s director. Nothing is more important than our children and youth. If any church hopes to survive, it must focus its time, its resources, its finances on ministry to children and youth.”

That quote has stuck with me throughout my vocational ministry. I agree with it. I believe it. And I stand behind it. That is why I’m excited to see our congregation focus on children and youth this month. Our children are important.

Vacation Bible School (VBS) will take place August 4th through August 8th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. VBS is for youngsters going into 1st through 5th grades. On Sunday, August 3rd, we will commission our VBS volunteers in the worship service. Sunday, August 10th, will be VBS Sunday. The theme for this year will be “Beach Party.” The goal will be to instill in our children the idea that devoting life to Christ is a celebration.

The Labyrinth Project for Middle Schoolers will take place between Sunday, August 10th, and Saturday, August 16th. Our youth will drive up to San Francisco with youth members from Grace First Presbyterian of Long Beach. They will take part in fun activities, Bible studies, praying through a Labyrinth, and volunteering in service projects. This opportunity is a great way for our young people to grow in their faith and build friendships with one another.
Alabaré (Music Camp) will take place August 18th through August 22nd from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, there will be a performance for parents. Sunday, August 24th, will be Alabaré Sunday. Alabaré, which translated means “I will praise,” is for young people going into 1st through 8th grades. This camp will run along the same lines as VBS with large group activities and small group stations. Children and Middle Schoolers will learn music skills, rhythm exercises and vocal production.

For VBS and Alabaré we continue to welcome volunteers; so consider how you might assist. There are opportunities to do simple paperwork, registration, teaching, assisting with workshops, cooking and/or serving food, assisting with crafts or recreational activities, overseeing or the assisting with a small group. You can serve one evening or the whole week. And you will be blessed even as you bless others!

Please pray for our children, youth, volunteers and staff during these exciting weeks. Let us pray that young lives will be positively affected by these ministries and that families will be attracted to our congregation. These are the sorts of ministries that attract young families. If children are excited about the church, then moms and dads are excited about the church. And so the church grows. That is why Earl Palmer emphasized that ministry to children and youth is vitally important to the health of any congregation. To put it another way, the Church is always one generation away from being extinct.

Let us continue to do all we can to invest in the future of the Church of Jesus Christ. Let us devote our time, our resources and our finances to the lives of these precious treasures. Let us pray for them, teach them and prepare them to serve our LORD.

I remain devoted to you, to this Church, and to our LORD Jesus Christ.

In His Love & Service,
Lance

A Little Graduation Advice from a Grumpy Old Uncle

Life is not always fair
the fastest runner does not always win the race
the smartest person does not always succeed
the thing about life is to live it
you can spend the rest of your life living,
or you can spend the rest of your life dying
it’s up to you
Live it

The path is not always easy
sometimes the path is rocky
sometimes it is steep
sometimes the path seems endless
but the rocky paths will make you sure-footed
the steep paths lead you to majestic vistas
and the endless paths will give you patient endurance
do not avoid the path set before you
Walk it

Teachers are not always kind
teachers can be downright grumpy
they can be overbearing, self-important, patronizing
at times they seem to relish in the idea of tearing students down
but if you look close enough you will find nuggets of wisdom
sometimes buried deeply beneath the surface
you do not go to school to criticize the teachers
you go to school to learn from them
look for the nuggets of wisdom
Find them

Friends are not always nice
friends can be a source of laughter
a source of tears, companionship, rage
I have experienced two kinds of friends in my life
those that bring life and those that take life away
those that fill your sails and those that take the wind out of your sails
those that inspire, those that deflate
those that encourage, those that discourage
this can be particularly true with those of the opposite sex
guard yourself from relationships with those who suck the marrow from your life
surround yourself with those who fill you with life
more importantly be a friend who gives life
Love them

Families are not always perfect
everyone comes from a dysfunctional family
I have yet to find a functional one
every family has one or two black sheep
skeletons in the closet
I like to think of myself as the black sheep in ours
the thing about families is that they’re family
not much you can do about it except love them
friends come and go, lovers too
but families are forever
and when you’re with family
You’re home

God is not always easy to understand
His ways are not our ways
sometimes He feels distant and silent
sometimes He feels angry and awful
Lewis said Aslan was not a tame Lion
but He is good
you can’t tame God
you can’t put God into a box
don’t try to
let God be God
Tozer said if we understood God
then God would not be worthy of our worship
we cannot hope to fully understand God
but we can know Him
and He is good
and we can know that He knows us
better than we know ourselves
He knows all the good stuff
and all the bad stuff too
in spite of that He loves us
more than we can ever possibly know
Rest in that love

Live life to the fullest
Walk the path set before you
Search for the nuggets of wisdom in all people
Surround yourself with good friends
Remember your family is always there for you
Rest in God’s love

by Lance Allen ©2008 xenos