I got this note a couple weeks ago from one of our Summit members, just after Kids Week ended. I love hearing stories like this. This is one of the many reasons we pour out the blood, sweat, and tears (all literal) for Kids Week.
“Steve” is one of the kids in our neighborhood, and he plays with our boys frequently in our cul-de-sac. He comes from a home where his mom is a believer and goes to church intermittently and his dad is agnostic. Over the past few years, my husband and I have done several things to reach out to them and build a relationship with them. We went through the Gospel-Centered Marriage curriculum with them in our home. We had them over for Advent during Christmas time. And in general, we’ve just tried to be in their lives and to spend time getting to know them. But they’ve never shown any interest in attending church with us. They have a lot of family struggles going on, and despite our reaching out, they’ve kept God at arm’s length.
Well, Steve came with us to Kids Week … and he loved every minute of it. When we brought him home one night, his mom’s eyes were filled with tears. She said, “You just don’t now how much it means for him to be with your family and your church. It’s really making him feel so good and is having such a positive effect on him.” She told us that when Steve had been to other churches in the past, he said that it didn’t seem like God loved him very much, because he got in trouble so much. But he didn’t feel that way at the Summit. And he wanted to come back.
Because of Steve’s experience with Kids Week, he asked both his mom and dad to come to Family Worship Night. And they did! Then he asked them to come with him to church on Sundays. And they did! They’ve been several times now, which is incredible for us to watch.
I’ll never forget the cars rides with Steve, to and from Kids Week. He would bring his CD to our house every night, and always wanted to listen to it and sing along to all the songs he was learning. He has come over to our house a few times since Kids Week to play with the boys, and has even asked my husband to read the Bible with him! We are so encouraged to see God at work in this family, and we know it wouldn’t have happened if not for Kids Week.
