Making church real for kids is the challenge of any church wishing to keep its young flock in the fold. This month, a couple of pastors and their congregations get a shout out for doing just that.
When Mapletown United Methodist Church was destroyed by fire July 4, 2020, its kid-friendly congregation had to scramble amid COVID-19 to find a new place to gather. Pastor Lanfer Simpson and his flock were invited to use the old Catholic Church building in Greensboro, now owned by the Greensboro Fire Department until the new church was built, God willing.
There would be obstacles to overcome. Pandemic delays affected construction costs as building plans were slowly worked out.
Finally, on June 24 the congregation hosted a groundbreaking ceremony that any kid could dig. Clutching shovels and wearing fluorescent safety vests and plastic hard hats, the crew of Vacation Bible School workers from toddlers to pre-teens from the church and around the neighborhood took turns chopping their way through the grassy lawn where the new church will rise up – a testimony to the faith that has been with these farm families since the 1700s when Methodism came here with the first settlers and those first settlers built their first churches.
Just like the bible teaches, Moses and his people built the Tabernacle, King Solomon and his people built the temple and faithful people rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. Now these kids were learning by hands on experience that it’s up to real people like themselves, no matter how young, to listen to God, then do the work.
This year, “we made up our own theme for VBS and called it Building the Faith,” VBS volunteer Amanda Adkins said. Along with talking about King Solomon, Moses and Jerusalem’s wall, they made stepping-stones to be part of the new church and ate snacks that reinforced the theme and their growing bodies.
Now they were holding their shovels, surrounded by parents, grandparents, neighbors and friends, laughing, jostling and striking poses for photographs on a bright sunny day that seemed to last forever.
Pastor Lanmer Simpson, smiling and joking, lined them up and cheered them on, along with the crowd, as their shovels made short work of the lawn.
These happy moments are what unforgettable childhood memories are made of.
You can hold a family – or a flock – together with memories like these.
Pastor Monica Calvert has her own way of reminding her young parishioners that church is a family they can return to as they fledge into the world of going to work, to college or whatever path they might choose to follow.
On July 10, churchgoers in her charge – Valley Chapel in Brock and Kent’s Chapel in Brave, gathered at Spraggs United Methodist Church for an outdoor celebration of their combined high school graduates. Pastor Calvert’s “we’re always here for you” gift was a customized bible with the name of its new owner embossed on it. Along with the bible was the coming-of-age ceremony of being praised from the pulpit, applauded and hugged by fellow churchgoers and proud family members with plenty of hymns, warm wishes and prayers for their new lives going forward. Their future plans were read aloud:
Wyatt Goforth is training in Computer IT and looking for a job, Brendan Miller and Cody Ackley are working for ShalePro, Paige Redman will study nursing at Waynesburg University, Jasmine Rowan will go to WU for biology and pre-med, Ruthie Simms will study pre-med at WVU and Dakota Walls is now a working mechanic.
Then a group photo with Pastor Calvert under the old oak tree beside the stream that borders the churchyard, with each smiling grad holding a very special bible that reminds them: “There’s no place like home.”
