"Another Successful Spring for Kidz!"

As I write this, I’m still filled with joy over the wonderful success of our Fourth Annual Spring for Kidz Carnival last Saturday. Over 400 people came and enjoyed the bounce houses, the obstacle course, the games, making slime, dunking Chris Caruso and Mayor Kevin Hawk in the Dunk Tank, the vendors, and the face-painting. They bought a lot of hot dogs, baked goods, and cotton candy. As I said on Sunday, we had more people who volunteered this year than there were in the entire congregation when I arrived twenty-nine years ago! Special thanks to Oressa Campbell Miller for her exceptional leadership once again.

Several of you mentioned to me how important events like the Spring for Kidz are for our church’s outreach to the community at large. I couldn’t agree more. We probably cleared a profit of $2,000 for our ministry to children and youth. As wonderful as that is, the good will our church generated in the larger community was priceless. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to go into the world telling the good news of God’s love, hope, joy, and grace. In a world that seems so divided right now, the church should be a place where everyone is welcomed and loved for who they are as they experience radical inclusive love and acceptance. As I looked around at the crowd on Saturday, what a variety of God’s Children we had in our midst; and everyone was having such a great time. It truly was a wonderful demonstration of God’s Holy Realm!

I know when that alarm clock went off on Sunday morning, the day after the Carnival, I felt like turning it off and going back to sleep, as I’m sure many of you felt as well: we were exhausted! And yet, many of us still managed to get up and came to worship. What a joy and privilege we have in worshiping and serving such an awesome and loving God!

Grace, Peace, and Love,

Pastor Bill