PCC and Children....

I was talking to a man four days ago that attends another church. He was lamenting the fact that his church has no young people, no children, and no young families. Now they are without a pastor, the pulpit committee is facing an enormous challenge in finding a pastor who would be willing come to a very small church made up of only senior adults who are not comfortable with change.

In contrast, I thought of PCC. Our church has a wide representation of all age groups; nursery, pre-school, elementary, middle school, teens, college age, newly married 20-something year olds, thirties , forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, and even people in their eighties! After twelve years I’m still amazed that senior adults attend our church with our musical style and loud volume. Just goes to show that they are “young at heart.”

I am also very thankful that we have so many children and teenagers. This is because we place a high value on them and do whatever it takes to reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not trying to be a “cool church” but we are serious about children and teenagers and it reflects in our numbers, demographics, and dedication of our ministry workers.

For instance. Just two days ago, two volunteer workers from our nursery department came to the church to prepare the nursery for Easter Sunday. These two ladies, who serve as our nursery directors, were busy cleaning the room, changing sheets, vacuuming the carpet, sanitizing all the toys, and ensuring that plenty of supplies were on hand in anticipation of large crowds this weekend. They did all this after working their regular day job. Thanks ladies for a job well done!

In addition, our pre-school director is graciously relocating her class to another location so that the nursery can expand to her room. Thanks for your flexibility! Our elementary aged ministry director is also making preparation for a great day. In addition to having a first-class presentation this Sunday, some of the kids will be singing in the adult services. Then there are the teenagers of middle school and high school; Wednesday nights speaks for itself.

All of this testifies to one indisputable fact: We love children at PCC and view them as a harvest field as important as any other. Children need God as much as any adult. I am thrilled with the emphasis our church family and ministry workers has placed upon children.

At PCC, children are as much a part of our DNA as anything else we do. One of the things I want our church to always do is to make our children’s environments a learning center about Jesus and fun at the same time. We want to teach children that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. This can only be accomplished by placing a high value on them. PCC has always existed for the purpose of reaching those who are far from God… and this includes children and teenagers.

Let me close by making special mention of our age-level ministry directors:

• Dottie Wheelus & Barbara Slate, Nursery Directors
• Richelle White, Pre-school Director
• Christy Klien, Elementary age Director
• Brian & Denise Yates – Middle School Leaders
• Renae Christian – High School Director

Each of these persons leads a team of highly competent and well-trained staff of volunteer workers. For this I am very thankful.

Allow the little children to come to Me, for of such is the kingdom of God (Mark 10:14)