At Pulpit Rock we know that healthy rhythms and seasons of rest are vital! This is one reason why in Kids Ministry we encourage our Grove (Sunday elementary program) volunteers to take two months of “Sabbath” in the summer.
Understanding that we reproduce who we are, we want to be sure we are pursuing healthy ways of following Christ and serving Him and His people. So summer around here looks a little different in The Grove—appropriately called Summer Fun Club, we put a lot of emphasis on fun, fostering friendships and connection, and making this a place where our kids see glimpses of our generous God.
As we approached this summer, our Kids Min team was stoked to be having conversations with Mark Windle about his desire to have PRiSM (Pulpit Rock Student Ministry) heavily involved in serving within Summer Fun Club. PRiSM has been on a journey the last few years of really experiencing God by joining Him at work in our world. A few years of ThursdayServeday, Cortez Mission Trips, and serving at our own Kids Min Sports Camp… our students really are seeing the fruition of Matthew 10:39… we find our lives as we give them away to others.
And so the partnership of PRiSM and Summer Fun Club began…
Every week grades from High School would trade off to come and partner with us in making Summer Fun Club happen. I think going into these two months our teams had high expectations. Many of our PRiSM students are connected well to these little ones, having served alongside them in the past. And we knew our kids love every chance they can get to hang out with our cool high schoolers! But week after week we were continually amazed at how God was using these teenagers, but more importantly how He was at work in these teenagers!
By the end of the summer these teens had done more than just played a few games and passed out snacks. They really embraced the role of small group leaders in our kids’ lives. Willing to act silly, worship fully, and listen well. They looked for opportunities to intentionally connect with the unsure kiddo or to model how to worship God in moments of quiet.
I have no doubt that our elementary kids are better for spending eight weeks with our teens! A quote from Reggie Joiner (renowned author and expert on maximizing the spiritual growth of the next generation) perfectly describes what our kids experienced this summer… “Before a kid can connect with God, they may need to connect with people who are connected with God.” Our kids connected with God in a brand new way by forming relationships with these teenagers.
And I’m confident that our teens connected with God in a brand new way by the giving away of an hour on their Sunday mornings this summer to talk with, play with, sit with… and really lead our kids.
In giving away those hours, our teens found themselves right in the midst of God at work.
Written by Molly Windle