One of the many “bring a smile to my eyes” memories I have from our Florida church (FPCBrandon) is of the three retired couples who would drive 25 miles from Sun City Center every Sunday. They sat at the front of the church so they could be sure not to miss the children’s moment. There was a perfectly good Presbyterian church close at hand in Sun City, but for them “no children” was a deal-breaker.

Here at WFPC (and at every church) there are many good reasons to invest resources and creativity into children’s ministry. The most important is not “Children are the church of the future,” but “Children are the church of today, right now.” These beautiful children are leaders in worship and brothers and sisters in Christ NOW. And we – the adults – are not just teaching but learning from them too.

So we’re not so much shoring up our tomorrows as we are celebrating ministry that is vibrant and relevant and – most of all – authentic today.

SHinE for Jesus:

I have shared stories about our high-school youth (Witness to Life and Promise!), a new bunch of 8th-graders will be confirmed in just a few weeks, Vacation Bible School will be here before we know it, and we celebrate Children’s Ministry Sunday in the summer… but this weekend was a cantata presented by the SHineE Singers, some of our younger elementary-aged kids.

They sang their hearts out, and they demonstrated such a spirit of enthusiasm and a genuine love for Jesus.

We are so thankful to be in a community where so many children are excited to be here, exploring their faith and learning how to love God and serve others in the name of Jesus, and where the elders and the church members value such a strong investment.

What an amazing cadre of people we have serving on the Children’s Ministry Team!

Enjoy these photos from Sunday morning. Both worship services were in the sanctuary this week, so it’s not easy to sort between the time slots. All children are beautiful, we understand that; but there’s something special about this bunch, don’t you think…?

Like I said, there is so much to fill our hearts with gratitude – DEREK

Rebekah welcomes

Family, Children, and Youth Director Katherine