WOW!  That’s the only way I can say it ... WOW!  We just had over 30 sixth grade students and their families at our 6th grade Crossover this past Sunday.  It’s an event that celebrates the 6th graders’ time in Children’s Ministry and connects them to Student Ministry ... Tammy and Mandy and their whole team have done such a great job of pouring into these students and laying a spiritual foundation in them.  Now as they enter student ministry, they enter a crucial juncture in their journey.  In the next six years, they will face the challenge of developing an independent faith – one that knows how to feed itself and can stand on it’s own, apart from the faith of their parents.  A faith that is ready to withstand the storm of college academia and humanistic philosophies of our world.

The following excerpt from a Prison Fellowship Breakpoint article I recently read sheds some light on the challenges they face ...

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the Easter Pageant at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville.  I had been twice in past years and was amazed, touched, and inspired by the portrayal of the story of Jesus.  Having drawn as many as 75,000 visitors a year for the annual performance, they took a year off to totally redesign and rewrite the pageant, so I was particularly anxious to see what it would be like after 2 years of preparation.  It was complete with a cast of hundreds, a live orchestra and choir of over 300 voices, special effects, a film sequence displayed on a pair 50’ x 28’ screens, a revolving stage and live animals.  The musical score was specially commissioned and developed by two composers... It was all there … and yet somehow, I found myself uninspired… I sat trying to focus, but found myself comparing it to the previous pageant and its impact on me.  In my mind, I was critical of the music, the difficulty in viewing one of the screens ... Read More »