A reminder that kids are important to Jesus & to us! Children need church. When we posted photos of our Special Treasures sensory room at our Trenton Campus, I received a couple of interesting messages:
(1) From our former Children’s Director, Kay Rivers (formerly Kathy Earnst) years ago who now works in Arizona:
“I am so thrilled to see that sensory classroom!! I am hoping to build one in the Community College Learning Center I manage… The main portion of my job is Disability Resources and our team is really trying to provide resources for our DR students. We have had a huge influx of students with autism and this is a space that will be a huge benefit if we are allowed to offer it.”
(2) I’ll keep anonymous this one from a mother in a Christian Facebook group for moms of special needs kids. She relates a posting from a mom of a young child with autism whose previous church “did not have a children’s program, let alone a place for special needs kids [because] it was a disruption to the service.” The mother’s actual post said: “I have been looking for a Christian community who will accept him for who he is. I have been told more than once that kids like him do not belong in church.”
That breaks my heart, & I have to believe that kind of attitude is rare. Kids need a place to sense God’s love, worship, learn Scripture & moral values. They need positive friendships, a Christian family & caring leaders to come alongside them. While we offer great Kids Ministry, we also welcome children into the main auditorium. And if they become too disruptive, you can take them into the lobby where you can still watch the service on screen, or at our Trenton location you can enter the Comfort Room at the back of the auditorium & still watch.
Let me add that special needs kids can be so undervalued that they can be targeted from the womb by the reasoning that it’s somehow more humane to end their pre-born lives than to bring them into the world. The thinking is that it’s somehow more humane to end their pre-born lives than to bring them into the world. Every innocent human life is created in God’s image & carries intrinsic dignity worthy of protection.
In Michigan this moral issue is going to be decided politically on Nov. 8 with a vote on a constitutional amendment to make our state the most pro-abortion state in the nation. I’m in general agreement that ministers like myself shouldn’t get too involved in political matters. Our focus needs to be on the Gospel. But when the Gospel is about God loving the world (individuals) so much that He sent His Son, we cannot & should not avoid political matters like this (or slavery or marriage or any other biblical, moral issue that’s foundational to society & the “common good”). We’re not forcing anything-we’re speaking up & hoping to influence & guide. Too much is at stake now & for future generations to just sit silently on the sidelines.
So I’m encouraging you to vote NO on Proposal 3, the so-called “Reproductive Freedom for All” which would make abortion on demand a legal right throughout all nine months of pregnancy for any reason. It allows minor children to obtain abortions, sterilization, puberty blockers & sex change surgery without parental knowledge or consent.
Remember too, Southpoint offers an Adoption Fund for local Christian couples to be able to pursue adopting. Let us know if you’d be interested in applying for it.