Help Wanted

As we drove up to the church on Monday following our goodbye celebration for Bro. Mark, Austin asked if he could make a Help Wanted sign.  I asked what he would like to do with such a sign; he replied, “Put it in the dirt by the church sign.”  I asked why and he answered, “Cause we are going to need a new pastor.”

All this from the child who was too sad to write notes on Sunday morning (that excuse will only work once!) and who sniffled his way through the “farewell to Bro. Mark” evening worship service.

Austin is a clear reminder to me that so many of our kids have only had one pastor – Bro. Mark.  For many, he is the one who led them to the Lord, knelt down to hug them as they stood in his presence with their parents, or even baptized them. 

As the kids say good bye to a man they have sat under, learned from, and adored for the past eight years, they are also saying hello to uncertainty.  Will a new pastor learn their name?  Will he love them as much?  Will he walk the journey with them in the same kind and patient way?

At this time it is so important that we do not make light of the questions and concerns of our children.  Treat each question and concern seriously.  After answering, always complete your conversation with a prayer for Bro. Mark, his family, and our new pastor.

This is also a great learning time for our children – a time to learn about how God calls men to follow Him obediently, a time to teach them to pray expectantly for what is next, a time to thank God for what has been and for what is yet to come, and a time to help our kids to focus on Jesus as the One they are following as opposed to a man.

Austin, like so many kids, was the recipient of much love and encouragement from Bro. Mark who always seemed genuinely interested in anything Austin had to say.  And now, like so many other kids, Austin is trying to figure out how he’s going to get along without his pastor-friend.

I say let’s all remember to pray for our kids.  May the Lord seal in their hearts their sweet memories of Bro. Mark and hold their hands and hearts until they meet their next pastor-friend.