25 Years of Children's Ministry

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25 Years of Children's Ministry

Walking down the hallway of five classrooms of 70 children and 14 teachers, it is bizarre to imagine it all started with five children in a once-a-week mother's day out program. Port Aransas was a different place back then, yet Nana Ward had a vision; she saw the need for a children's ministry not just on Sunday mornings, but a daytime offering of care and teaching for children. It is, of course, also a ministry to parents who work in our community.  

Our imagination is one of humanity's greatest gifts. It is the realm of faith, of hope, of seeing beyond problems into potential. It was not easy at first to get others to see the vision of a Port Aransas day school. Yes, imagination is the realm where God reveals new possibilities, but some of us cling to the illusion of our own certainty, of what might go wrong; some of us focus on the our limitations. We are tempted to hide our little light under a bushel. 

Throughout scripture, when humanity bumps into the impossible, when we spiral into darkness and division, God provides a way. Sometimes it is in the imagination of a only handful of people, that God reveals what might become: a new possibility, new life where there was death and mourning. It can seem impossible, but we have come to know that for God all things are possible. We are created to let our little light shine! 

A life of faith is a wild ride. The Greek word in the New Testament we translate into the English word faith can also be translated trust. To place our trust in God means to deprioritize our fears, to place hope beyond our perceived limitations; It is to say, "I'll take this step God, even though I can't see where this is all leading." I love that line from the Grateful Dead song "Ripple" which states, "You who choose to lead must follow." When we accept the call to leadership, when we take that step to follow a vision, we accept the call to follow. Our school is a testimony to that faithful, trusting leadership. 

We will be celebrating Trinity Day School's 25 years of children's ministry all year long, and especially on October 29 at our church service and a lunch, and we will celebrate more in November at the Turkey Trot; come join us for both! You can also write our Founding School Director a note congratulating her on her leadership milestone. Again, it has been a walk of faith, with challenges and new possibilities all along the way. 

The school is still a ministry of the church, though it has grown to have it's own school board which among the other things, helps raise funds to run the school. Tuition fees don't even cover the school's  payroll expenses. It takes a whole staff, and assistant director to manage the school now.  When I see the church pews filled with our students and teachers at chapel, I give thanks to God for the support from the church and our community, and Nana Ward's courageous vision and leadership. It's been an amazing 25 years, and we have much to celebrate! 

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