Finding Purpose This Summer Season
By Candy Burden, Kids Pastor
Summertime! What visions are brought to your mind when you hear that word? Lazy, relaxing days at the pool or lake? A crammed packed activity calendar for your kids? Time vacationing with family? Unbearable temperatures in this high humidity portion of the world? I love summer!
Well, maybe not the unbearable temperature/high humidity part, but I truly do love most things about summer.
From a ministry perspective, I love summer camps and getting to spend extra time with our church kids doing special activities that our busy school year calendar just doesn’t allow.
But, there is a bittersweet aspect to the summer season that hits me every year. In Kid’s Ministry, our yearly calendar coincides with the yearly calendar of a school year. So, for us, summer is, well…the end of a season.
I particularly notice this with our 6th grader leadership team, Core Team 6. They come to us as barely finished 5th graders - some are shy and unsure, others wild and crazy. They go through an application and interview process followed by many hours of training and serving commitments throughout the school year.
They face challenges and success and during all of this time of learning a growth, something amazing happens…they become leaders. And, in just a little over 2 months, those leaders will leave Faith Kids and move on to Faith Students. The end of their season with our ministry, the start of their season in another. I’m thrilled to watch them grow and sad to see them leave…like I said, bittersweet.
I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.
This verse speaks so much about life…life seasons and life cycles. It also reminds me that time is not unlimited, and we are all called to live out His purpose for us in every season of our life. So, if you’re 12 years old or 80 years old, let this summer be a time of purpose for this season of your life.
Well, maybe not the unbearable temperature/high humidity part, but I truly do love most things about summer.
From a ministry perspective, I love summer camps and getting to spend extra time with our church kids doing special activities that our busy school year calendar just doesn’t allow.
But, there is a bittersweet aspect to the summer season that hits me every year. In Kid’s Ministry, our yearly calendar coincides with the yearly calendar of a school year. So, for us, summer is, well…the end of a season.
I particularly notice this with our 6th grader leadership team, Core Team 6. They come to us as barely finished 5th graders - some are shy and unsure, others wild and crazy. They go through an application and interview process followed by many hours of training and serving commitments throughout the school year.
They face challenges and success and during all of this time of learning a growth, something amazing happens…they become leaders. And, in just a little over 2 months, those leaders will leave Faith Kids and move on to Faith Students. The end of their season with our ministry, the start of their season in another. I’m thrilled to watch them grow and sad to see them leave…like I said, bittersweet.
I’m reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.
This verse speaks so much about life…life seasons and life cycles. It also reminds me that time is not unlimited, and we are all called to live out His purpose for us in every season of our life. So, if you’re 12 years old or 80 years old, let this summer be a time of purpose for this season of your life.