People were bringing children to Jesus
so that he would bless them. But the disciples scolded them.
This is one of my favorite times of
the years, but it is also one of the most stress filled times of the years as
our church and our partner churches get ready for the back2school
outreach. Once again we will serve
hundreds if not a couple thousand students in and around Martinsville and Henry
County, Virginia.
It was eight years ago that we began
this work and served about 75 students.
The years since then have allowed us to serve more than 12,000 students
and have expanded from one church serving to many others taking part.
A missionary friend from Appalachian
Regional Ministries was sharing in a mission service I was part of more than
eleven years ago as he talked about how excited kids were when they got a shoe
box filled with school supplies. From
that conversation and dream we are now able to give students a backpack with
some school supplies, some gently used clothes, a haircut and new shoes and
socks. We also have the honor of washing
each of the children’s feet as they go through the process.
We have been doing this long enough
that we have working it in to a good process, but we are always wanting to
learn how to do it better! It really is
not about serving more students. It
really is about finding students in need and meeting their needs as much as we
can. The book is still open on how we
can do this even better.
Why?
The verse I began with speaks volumes for me. It was in the middle of Jesus’ ministry when
parents were bringing their children to Jesus so that He could bless them. We have much of the same opportunity as we
interact with people. We can and must
bring out the best in those that we spend time with.
The disciples weren’t happy. They thought they were too busy to be
bothered by the children. There were
adults who needed to meet Jesus and hear what He had to say. But Jesus knew there was much more at stake.
As we serve these children through
the back2school outreach my prayer is that we will bless each of them and do
something or say something that will inspire hope and call out the potential in
their lives. It might be a gift or a
conversation or an act of kindness.
Whatever it is, by serving these students and their families we win the
right to tell them about Jesus.
It might be on the day of the event
or a day in the future, but our desire is to influence others for the cause of
Christ. Please pray that as the students
come our way that we are able to do what Jesus did and bless them. Their futures are at stake. Not just their eternal futures but their
lives and impact through their lives.
This is going to be a great year of
impacting students for the cause of Christ.
I pray you will take part in the event by volunteering or donating. Maybe the way you can be part is registering
your children at tonight’s final registration at one of the churches we are
partnering with. Thanks ahead of time
for your prayers and help. Students will
be changed by the grace of God!
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