"Let the children come to me"

Zeke goes to daycare/preschool at Wabash 1^st UMC, and once a week, the senior pastor comes to their room. They sing a few songs accompanied by Pastor Kurt’s guitar, and Pastor Kurt tells them a Bible story that the kids in his church on Sunday morning are learning. It seems like such a small thing, but it has really impacted Zeke’s little 5-year-old life. I remember when he heard the story about Abraham and Sarah, and he told me, “They moved because God told them to.” In that little comment, this little kid who can’t even read yet found the answer to why we had to move this summer. 

But even more than the stories, I am grateful that Pastor Kurt takes the time to do this ministry himself. I mean, the teachers could sing songs and teach stories just as well, right? They could, but there are some internal things that happen in little Zeke because Pastor Kurt, the Senior Pastor, takes time for him. For one, Zeke refers to Pastor Kurt as HIS pastor. And when we happen to run into Pastor Kurt around town, Zeke always points him out. Do you know the theological term for introducing someone who doesn’t go to church to your pastor is? Evangelism. Not only that, but Pastor Kurt says “hi” to Zeke by name. 

Someone asked me the other day, why I take the time to be part of k.i.C.k, our afterschool program. The lay leadership there could tell a story and lead singing just as well as I do. That is true. But it is probably true about everything I do as pastor. There are probably laity who are better at pastoral care, teaching, preaching, evangelism, you name it. I am part of k.i.C.k. because I am those kids’ pastor. And I want to equip them with every tool I can to be disciples. One of those tools is having a pastor they can call “MY pastor.” Just like Pastor Kurt, their little eyes light up when they see me out and about. They introduce me to the adults in their life. 

I hope we never forget that these kids are living out the church’s mission to “Make disciples for the transformation of the world.” They worship with passion and engage in intention faith development with more regularity than some of us adults. They engage in mission. They invite their peers and those much older than them to be part of the faith community- some kids do this more than once a week. They make new disciples- out of each other and as they share the story of scripture and how we are then to live at home. For those of us who engage in this ministry, we see God moving in a new generation. That is why we press on.