Today was a great day at the CORE Church of Troy. Once again the kids outnumbered the adults at least 2-1. Today we saw a few kids return who hadn't been with us for several weeks due to joint custody and other issues. We have gotten used to the reality of having many children in our worship gatherings, most of whom come to church without their parents. We have gotten to know some of these parents and have begun establishing relationships with them. A few moms have a come with their children from time to time.
I learned today why our 13 year old Scripture reader (who had been asking questions about baptism) hasn't been with us for several weeks. His little sister told me that he thinks we will be upset with him because he got into some trouble at school a couple of weeks back and was suspended for the remainder of the school year. I will try to connect with him and his family this coming week to let him know that we miss him and that he is always welcome at our gatherings, regardless of any trouble he may have gotten into, and that they can call us any time.
I often take for granted the fact that I had two loving, supportive parents who raised me. Many of the kids who are a part of our fellowship are being raised by single mothers. There are many children in our neighborhood running the streets unsupervised. We are seeing a wide open door for ministry that we have embraced. I am envisioning starting a Children's worship/ministry time to be called CORE/Kids Alive. We will design a special time of praise and worship, crafts and games and snacks; kind of like a weekly VBS, all for the purpose of reaching these kids for Christ and for the opportunity to minister to their parents and families. As we continue renovating our church building and getting it "Kid Friendly" we would also like to begin planning a daily after school club that would greatly benefit this inner-city community.
Please pray with us and for us as we seek to make Christ known in the heart of the city, and especially in the hearts of these children
