Uncle Bob.
I got a spanking because of that man.
He wasn’t my uncle. He was the whole church’s uncle. My family sat in front of him the first Sunday we visited that church. I was five. Uncle Bob was over ninety. He loved to sing and he was loud, and just enough sharp in his tenor voice to get the attention of a five-year-old. So, I did what any kid would do. I turned around, looked at him, and put my hands over my ears. Hence, the spanking when I got home. It seemed like that year that church was the place where I went to earn my weekly spanking.
But, I won’t forget Uncle Bob because of his enthusiasm to worship God. He really liked me and would give me a quarter each Sunday. He did become my uncle.
This Sunday, the Gathering Church has its Fall Kick-Off with a special emphasis on welcoming kids ant their families. And you don’t even have to have a kid to shape a kid’s love for God. You just have to show up and love God in front of them. And then, love them, too.
Our Kid’s ministry is more than a program. It’s an environment where kids are included and celebrated. They worship with us until the message part, and they have lunch with us. One kid said to her mother, “I like that church, people talk to me there.”
So, this Sunday we celebrate our love of kids and their families.
And good things happen.