Thanksgiving

November 26, 2008

The Bible says, Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:3-5 (NIV)

I love this time of year for lots of reasons, but the biggest one is because it is a good reminder to slow down and count my blessings. Have you stopped to do that recently? You might be surprised at how long the list becomes!

One of the things that I’m most thankful for is the opportunity that God has given me to work with our kids, their families and a wonderful group of volunteers. Every day, I get to play a part in someone’s spiritual journey. How grateful I am to serve that purpose in God’s kingdom.

I asked some of our volunteers to tell me what they liked most about serving in the children’s ministry. Their responses made me smile, and some of them made me laugh. Here are a few:

“It is food for my soul. Watching little kids worship is an amazing experience thatI wouldn’t miss for the world.” ~Ginger, preschool volunteer

“I get to experience God’s sweetest miracles, and snuggling on them is just an added bonus.” ~Jaime, nursery team leader

“I am thankful to get to volunteer in the children’s ministry because I love seeing how happy the kids are to come each Sunday. Their bright smiles make my day! And of course, I LOVE going into the Lambs room to watch the littlest kids in our ministry. They really make me smile.” ~Jennifer, preschool director

“I am thankful I get to help in the nursery because, as a parent, I know how relaxing and important it is to get uninterrupted time to worship and hear the message each week. It was also one of the few times my husband and I were without children together and it helped us to bond by worshipping and studying God’s word together.” ~Jen, nursery volunteer

“Teaching toddlers is so rewarding! It is delightful to watch their faces as they interact with the toys and respond to the songs during the lesson. And the best part is that they are young enough to enjoy the lesson but not old enough to talk back yet! ” ~Mary, Purple Puppy director

I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving!!!!

With a grateful heart,

Jessica Schildman

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Tags: giving, psalms, thanks, turkey, volunteer