Recently I was talking with a friend of mine about children's ministry. She was telling me a story about something that one of our preschool teachers experienced. It made my heart happy!
She told me that one of our preschool teachers was recently at a restaurant with some friends. This teacher had recently left her job to stay home with her children. As a former stay-at-home mom I know what this does to the pocketbook. When the preschool teacher went to the register to pay, the cashier told her that her bill had already been paid by that family over there - and she pointed to another table. The teacher looked and saw the parents of a little girl in her 4/5s class. They smiled at her. She went to them to thank them and they told her that they wanted to bless her for all the times she had blessed them by teaching their child every week in church.
What a blessing! This particular teacher is one who serves every single week. We value consistency at Daystar and encourage as many teachers as possible to serve on a weekly basis (understanding that they will be gone on occasion!) We want our teachers to know that what they do every week is NOT child care - it is MINISTRY. What goes on in our classrooms is just as important as what goes on in the auditorium.
I am blessed to work in an environment where I feel appreciated and honored. I want my children's ministry volunteers to feel the same way. I wish I could buy them all a meal out at their favorite restaurant to show my gratitude! It means so much to me, though, that parents value those who work with their children and are willing to show it. I don't expect every family to be able to pay for someone's meal at a restaurant, but I would love to see more parents take the time to just say thank you. Thank you for being a positive role model in my child's life. Thank you for allowing me to hear the message from God's Word every Sunday. Thank you for sharing God's Word with my little ones. A simple thank you goes a long way.
To any of my volunteers who read this - THANK YOU!!!! I appreciate you more than you will ever know. I value the work that you do with our littlest ones. Matthew 25 says - as you do to the least of mine, you do it to Me. Every time you comfort a crying baby, play ball with a toddler, smile at a preschooler or patiently listen to an elementary student, you are serving Jesus himself. What an honor to work alongside you all. I love you all.
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