Giving children a wonderful gift

By Pastor Ed Carlson,

Clyde Christian Church

A young mother recently asked a good friend, "What do you think is the greatest gift we can give our children?"

The friend immediately responded, "Help them develop a relationship with Jesus." That mother was right on target and here are some reasons why.

Children need to be in relationship with others, in fact we are built for relationships, even wired for relationships. Jesus loves children and desires to have close relationships with them.

Luke 18:1 says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs."

Jesus was saying that we should do everything we can to encourage children and enable them to come to him, because kids matter, and Jesus loves them.

Children are open, trusting, and ready to receive the love of God - so now is the perfect time for them to develop strong relationships, particularly a relationship with Jesus.

In fact, statistics prove this to be true. According to George Barna, one of the leading church researchers and commentators on the future of the church: Only 42 percent of Americans will make a commitment to Jesus in their lifetime; and over 75 percent of those who make that commitment will do so before they leave sixth grade.

(Another 10 percent will make that commitment before they leave high school, and the remaining, 15 percent will make the commitment some time after high school.)

Her message: Children need to develop strong relationships; and who better than Jesus, the son of God. The earlier you help your child develop a relationship with Jesus, the better for the child (as well as for the viability of the Christian church).

It is clear that kids matter and that we need to do everything we can to get children into an environment where they can receive love, where they can feel they are important and special, where they can be nurtured and learn about Jesus and his faith community.

A large number of studies have shown that children moving into their teen years desire and seek open, honest and non-judgmental relationships.

They desire to have relationships with "real people", people who love other people unconditionally, and will be there for them. They need people who have been through what these young people are experiencing, and who can feel their hurt of being ignored, misunderstood or rejected.

They need people who are easy to talk with. Whenever they are lonely, bitter, shy or scared, will be there for them; people who think they matter; and, people who care.

These real people are like Jesus, and they often have a strong relationship with Jesus - a relationship that helps them be "real people."

So how can we enable mothers (and fathers), like the one above, to help their children develop a relationship with Jesus, as well as with "real people" who can help them know Jesus better?

One organization which has been working in this arena for over 45 years is The LOGOS Ministry. They understand the importance of relationships to young people.

Their program is relationship-based and involves people of all ages, "real people." The Clyde-Green Springs-Vickery Ministerial Association is sponsoring an event, "From Urgency to Action: effective ministry with children."

The LOGOS Ministry executive director will lead a dialogue on the moral and spiritual development of young people on May 28, at 7 p.m., at the Clyde Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 206 S. Main St.

This is a great opportunity for this community to dialogue on this issue, and to discover ways to give our children the best gift ever, a relationship with Jesus, and relationships with "real people", who believe that kids matter.

Come join the discussion. Call Clyde Christian Church at 419-547-9628 to reserve your seat. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our children.

The Clyde Christian Church, at 206 S. Main St., holds worship at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays.