https://blog.dc4k.org | ljacobs@dc4k.org

Question of the week: What did you learn at CPC last week that was encouraging?

 
 

CPC is one of the premier children’s pastor’s conferences. It is hosted on the East Coast and also on the West Coast.

Last week I was in Ontario, California for the West Coast conference. Even though I presented a workshop and did some coaching sessions I still learned a lot.

The main thing that caught my attention: most children’s pastors still don’t focus on how their church might impact the life of a child of divorce.

On Monday several of us were having lunch together. Two of us were talking about children from divorcing and co-habitating families and how we work hard to minister to their single parent. One lady said, “Seems like you guys have a lot of single parent families in your churches. We don’t have any single parent families or kids of divorce at our church?” WHAT? And her church is in a large metropolitan area in California.

I kept thinking how anyone could not realize there are millions of these kids in our communities living in single parent homes. Then I began to listen to other children’s pastors and leaders and they were saying the same thing. By Tuesday evening I was feeling a little discouraged and overwhelmed at the same time.

It was discouraging because I have been doing this ministry for years … and I mean years and personally I think every kidmin kind of person should know the kids of divorce in their church. In the least they should know the kids are in their community. I mean with 1 in 3 kids living in a single parent home nationwide, shouldn’t churches be realizing this?

I felt overwhelmed because I’m not getting any younger; the task seems daunting and why haven’t children’s pastors been listening and paying attention?

Then in Wednesday I had lunch with three lovely and beautiful laides. They all specialize in special needs ministries. Marie Kuck, Barb Newman and Vangie Rodenbeck lifted my spirits so much. They told me that five years ago special needs ministries wasn’t even on the radar of most churches and now I was sitting at the table of three of them that had just spoken at breakout sessions. Plus one of the keynote speakers spoke on special needs ministries. They said, “Don’t give up. Keep preaching, talking and ministering to the child of divorce and their single parent.”

Shortly after that lunch I saw Karl Basiten of Kidology. He said, “Linda, thank you so much for your ministry. And thank you for contributing to the Kidology Divorce Zone. Don’t give up. Your ministry is greatly needed.”

I had forgotten what I tell every volunteer worker and children’s pastors who tell me their senior pastor doesn’t understand accommodating the child of divorce and their single parent and that is “They don’t know what they don’t know.”

Even though this has been my ministry for years, I need to remember people just don’t know what they don’t know and that is why the Lord has commissioned me to keep writing, blogging and speaking. Now I’m encouraged again.

1st Corinthians 16:9  “….. a great door for effective work has been opened unto me.”

 

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