The Power of Children's Ministries

As noted in my last post I received recognition at camp for retiring after 21 years. Something has stayed on my mind that I just have to post about. The work I have done at camp the last few years has pretty much kept me as an unknown among the children. As Pastor M announced my retirement she had a few good words to say about me and I had a few tears. What happened afterwards with the 3rd and 4th graders has left me thinking!!!!! Probably a good 50 to 75 kids ran up to hug me. It was very interesting to note the desperateness some had to comfort me. One boy even gave me his last two tickets to the snack shack! Of course he had no idea that I am the one who buys the roll of tickets and I can go into the snack shack without tickets and get whatever I want!!!!!
It was interesting to note the desperateness some had to be touched by the new hero. What I mean by that is this. The few words Pastor M had to say....my tears....my few words changed the whole dynamics of who I was at camp!!!!!! Even the following day the kids had a need to comfort me or receive a touch from me.
What has stayed on my mind is how easily their little minds can be molded at that age. Oh, how careful we must be!!!!! We must choose our words wisely as we build up people in their lives. We must be careful to not have negative things to say about people who deserve their respect.
I have worked in children's ministries for years but have stepped out of direct work and had forgotten that we can easily mold their heroes for them. So many of them have fake heroes. Let's find the godly men and women in our lives and help shape our children by giving them as their heroes!!!!!!