A Home Run |
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Our church family has been working with Franklin Elementary public school for a number of years. The school is near the building, is situated in an older neighborhood, and has needs just like any public school. We have, over the years, done a lot of things with them, including hosting a fun night for parents and kids, a math night where we concentrate on fun math games the kids can enjoy, and a reading program to help the kids motivate to read. We also volunteer as mentors; we work with the afternoon latchkey program; we provide meals for teachers during conferences. That isn’t a complete list, but you get the idea.
We do these things not so we can get new members, although we certainly welcome anyone who would like to join us in our walk with God. Nor do we do this so we can somehow benefit financially. We don’t charge for anything we do there, and we certainly don’t expect any payment for anything. We do these things because we believe that all people matter to God, and therefore, all people matter to us. We do these things because we believe that we are here to serve and to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And we do these things because we believe it is our privilege to “offer a cup of cold water,” so to speak, in the name of Jesus.
One of the teachers at Franklin came to our services this past Sunday. She’s not a member here and to my knowledge had never been here before. She asked to speak before the congregation about the work at Franklin.
The short, five minute presentation was a home run in my mind. She articulated well the exact reasons why we do what we do, and expressed gratitude that there are people who care and are willing to give of time, money, and energy for other than a selfish or self-centered purpose. She clearly had prepared what she was going to say and said it well.
We too are grateful for the spirit of cooperation and the great reception we receive when we work with the school. The kids seem to enjoy the activities we do and we are blessed in developing relationships with the kids, parents, and staff.
Thank you, church, for your support of not only the Franklin ministry, but also the other ministries that we do. We truly are blessed, and we pray that God always is glorified.
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