I hope you have found some time to plug into God’s Word this week. As we learned last Sunday, the Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, and I’m certain that God wants to light up your life through His Word today. Last Sunday was a great day of worship, and we once again were honored to welcome many brand-new visitors and several new members. This coming weekend, we’re looking forward to adding a few more light bulbs to our new “Let There Be Light” sign, as several folks are scheduled to raise their flags for Jesus Christ through believer’s baptism. I do want to thank Derek Tackett, Ken Porter, and Daulton Halliburton for diligently constructing that beautiful new sign in our worship center. I believe it will continue to encourage us as we watch God light up more lives and more bulbs are added to the room. However, I also pray that the empty slots will constantly remind us that we have much more work to do on this hill.
This coming Sunday we are shifting our focus from lighting up our lives, to lighting up our homes. God wants to light up your home and make an eternal impact in the lives of all who are under your roof. For parents with kids in the home, we especially have an amazing opportunity and responsibility to pass the light down to the next generation. ABC is committed as a church to partnering with parents and equipping them to raise champions for Jesus Christ. We are blessed to have amazing kids flood through our doors every Sunday, and because of that, we’re going to have a special “ABC Kids Sunday” to celebrate them this weekend. You won’t want to miss this Sunday as we will have kids greeting, serving, praying, and singing in the children’s choir. We will also encourage and pray for nine young families as they dedicate their children to the Lord in our worship services. It will be a weekend that you will not want to miss, and I encourage you to invite a family to come and see all that God is doing through our family ministries.
I’m proud to serve at a church that loves kids. It’s essential that we continue to give our kids our best efforts and resources, as they are the future of our church and our country. I remember a couple months ago when we were hosting our annual Vacation Bible School, I had the chance to visit with a father in our lobby. He was brand-new to our church and just finished dropping off his kids when we approached me. He asked me several questions, but the main thing he wanted to know was how we were able to pay for everything while not charging the participating families? I was thrilled to explain that our church loves kids and it was our honor to minister to them, and their parents, through the faithful tithes and offerings of our people. He was blown away by our church’s generosity, and in fact, he was then inspired to make a donation that day himself.
Always remember that your light stands out to those who are watching. So I want to thank you for shining your light into the next generation. Your faithful stewardship and volunteer service makes our kids’ ministry possible. I love that our BFG classes pray through our children’s class rosters by name. I love that our volunteers send birthday cards and notes of encouragement to our children and their parents. I’m amazed to see our teachers faithfully prepare and teach God’s Word to our kids each week in a thoughtful and engaging way. I’m encouraged to watch our volunteers show up in full force for our outreach children’s events, including our upcoming Trunk or Treat event. And I’m grateful for your continued generosity to our general budget to fund all of this ministry. As your Pastor, but also as a father of 3 young children, I want to thank you for loving ABC’s kids. Through your service and generosity, you are modeling the heart of Jesus as we must not forget he said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).
I look forward to celebrating all that God is doing through our children and their families this weekend. Don’t miss what I’m sure will be a powerful Sunday of multi-generational worship as we learn what it means to “light up our homes.” God bless you and your home, and I’ll see you at church this weekend.
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