The Final Good News Club for the School Year
I think most of you know that we sponsor a Good News Club at the local elementary school, which is just behind our church building. Each Tuesday from 2:30 PM until 4 PM we have a Bible Club that is a part of Child Evangelism Fellowship. We try to have a good time teaching the children the Bible and sharing the Gospel with them. I think we have been doing this for the past 6 years. It is a very rewarding ministry. We have seen many children come to the Lord, and we have had some folks come to be a part of our church, too.
Terry Penn is our director. He and Jerry Loving have done a lot of the lessons this year, as I cut back to about once a month. Bonnie Gaddy has done a great job preparing the materials for the teachers, so the lessons are easy to present. She has been doing the memory verse each week, too. Joe Pigford does the records, and he teaches the mission story each week. Joe takes time to encourage the children to do their daily devotional books, too. Steve Smith, our Associate Pastor, comes to lead some music with his guitar most of the time, and we sing some of the CEF songs as well. Jim Mithcell has been our snack man this year with help from Bonnie when he is away. As you can see, it is a team effort. Jessie Ozburn was there almost every week before her accident, and Ellen Kraatz comes to help, as does my wife, Chris.
We get kind of attached to the children, and it is hard when we come to the last day. We will not see a lot of the children next year. Some are moving to new schools, and some are moving away from Stockbridge. Unfortunately, some of them start to think they are too cool for the Good News Club, so they quit coming. However, there are a good number we see each year until they go off to middle school. I pray that we have made a good impression on them for the Lord. Most of them do not go to church regularly, so we are their "church." We are the best chance for them to know how to become Christians and to know Jesus as Lord. Therefore, we have a vital job to do. I hope we will have even more adults to help and to teach next year. I know Jesus wants us to tell the children about Him, and He will bless our efforts.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 17-18 and John 3:19-38.
Terry Penn is our director. He and Jerry Loving have done a lot of the lessons this year, as I cut back to about once a month. Bonnie Gaddy has done a great job preparing the materials for the teachers, so the lessons are easy to present. She has been doing the memory verse each week, too. Joe Pigford does the records, and he teaches the mission story each week. Joe takes time to encourage the children to do their daily devotional books, too. Steve Smith, our Associate Pastor, comes to lead some music with his guitar most of the time, and we sing some of the CEF songs as well. Jim Mithcell has been our snack man this year with help from Bonnie when he is away. As you can see, it is a team effort. Jessie Ozburn was there almost every week before her accident, and Ellen Kraatz comes to help, as does my wife, Chris.
We get kind of attached to the children, and it is hard when we come to the last day. We will not see a lot of the children next year. Some are moving to new schools, and some are moving away from Stockbridge. Unfortunately, some of them start to think they are too cool for the Good News Club, so they quit coming. However, there are a good number we see each year until they go off to middle school. I pray that we have made a good impression on them for the Lord. Most of them do not go to church regularly, so we are their "church." We are the best chance for them to know how to become Christians and to know Jesus as Lord. Therefore, we have a vital job to do. I hope we will have even more adults to help and to teach next year. I know Jesus wants us to tell the children about Him, and He will bless our efforts.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 17-18 and John 3:19-38.