I love to dedicate children. It is an exhausting mental challenge to remember all those names. But the immensity of the importance of what is happening makes it very satisfying. How I pray that the investment of my life at Bethlehem will result in hundreds (maybe thousands) of children growing up in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

But that won’t happen without you. I am only a spark plug in the engine of this church. There are hundreds of other parts that make the engine work. And more of those parts go into children’s ministries than any other. For example:

• More than 170 people are working with children in some capacity each month.
• More than 70 people work with the children every week, primarily in Wednesday clubs and Sunday School.
• We have more than 365 children on our rosters, about 250 of them not yet in school.
• There are more than 65 children in the 4’s and 5’s Sunday School room; so we’re splitting the group into two departments.
• We are averaging about 55 babies born each year, and with the expansion of nurseries in the new worship center we may attract even more young families.
• We average 130 children in clubs on Wednesday nights; 240 children in Sunday School or extended hour each week; and approximately 100 children pass through one of the nurseries on Sunday mornings.

With all my heart I thank all of you—hundreds of you—who give yourselves in love to the children of Bethlehem. I have often said to Noël and my sons that one of the tremendous benefits of being a pastor at Bethlehem is that my kids get to go to church here, and be taught and discipled by so many worthy Christian examples.

Besides the “steady state” ministries on Sundays and Wednesdays, Joan and her partners are now gearing up for summer ministries like Kid’s Clubs in the Parks and Fun and Ministry Days.

So let me invite dozens more of you to join in this great work. Pray about the following needs and whether your “Amen” at the dedication last Sunday may have been your answer to God’s call to pitch in. Here’s some of the need:

• 2 secretaries for pre-school Sunday School departments
• 5 greeters for nursery and pre-school rooms
• 18 nursery workers
• 1 superintendent for the new 4-year-old department
• 8 teachers’ assistants
• 20 summer workers for Kid’s Clubs in the Parks and Fun and Ministry Days.

And while you’re praying, ask the Lord what your special role might be next fall. Here are some specifics to pray about:

• 25 club leaders
• 10 baby-sitters for Tuesday mornings MOMS
• 6 children’s worship leaders
• 12 children’s worship assistants

If you have questions or want to say, “Where can I be used?” just call Joan or her assistant Emily Zwicky at the church office. Remember the example of Jesus: “He took the children in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them” (Mark 10:16).

Remembering the children with you,

Pastor John