School Daze
The final days of school have arrived and the kids are bouncing off of the walls. The teachers are holding on with every fiber of their being for that last day. They are in a daze as they wrap up, clean up and wipe up another school year. We have lots of teachers and school personnel who attend this community of faith. They so often are the best of us with volunteering and helping. Oklahoma has dropped to 50th in the ranking of our schools and there are lots of reasons and no easy answers for that terrible statistic. But we know that the people that we see every week work hard and care deeply for the ones that they are nurturing on their path to adulthood. CoVid taught us how hard it is to teach our kids. It reminded us that teaching is so much more than simply presenting a set of material. It is managing emotions and expectations. It is encouraging broken hearts and standing up for the easily targeted. Teaching is also setting boundaries and explaining consequences. It’s very essence is hoping to get the very best out of each of the young people that they encounter. So I encourage you this week to tell a teacher or school employee “THANK YOU” for another year with your kids or grandkids. Teachers are like us. They are simply human beings doing the very best that they can in a messy and complicated world while holding onto faith and hope. Let us appreciate all they do.
As we prepare for Vacation Bible School and summer Youth activities, we need adults to say yes to helping out for a short time to step into the lives of our children and help. Compared to teaching all year, this is easy! For just a few hours, for a few days, you can make a difference in the life of a child too. We will actually have several opportunities for you to help with kids or youth over the summer so watch for announcements inviting you to serve. We still need at least 12 adults to be guides who travel with the kids from room to room around the building for VBS. Did you know most of the kids who attend VBS, don’t even attend church here? This is a wonderful opportunity to meet a new family and connect with them. Check with Linda if you have any questions.
Today I meet with the 50th anniversary team that we are building. We have some great ideas to celebrate our birthday in 2028. If you would like to help out with this project, please let me know. We are planning special things all year including some travel opportunities. We have our charter members involved but would love some newer members to join us in planning this celebration. I’m off to my nephews graduation also today. Many of you prayed for these twin boys when they were born and in ICU for several weeks. It is hard to believe that they are both taller than me and finishing high school this week.
I love you and God loves you,
