A Place of Joy
One evening, my eight-year-old daughter Lula had two of her closest friends over for dinner. The three third-grade girls were sitting around our kitchen table, giggling and going back and forth about Messi vs. Ronaldo…very serious opinions being shared. My six-year-old, Majid, was also at the table, listening and trying to chime in as much as he could.
As they continued their conversation, I called out from the other room that after dinner I’d need to take the girls home.
Right
on cue:
“Nooooo!”
“We want to keep playing!”
“Can
we just stay later?”
“Pleeeease!!”
I told them it was already kind of late and that Lula and Majid had church in the morning.
One of the friends announced, “church is boring” and the other friend added, “I don’t like going to church.”
There was a brief, quiet pause at the table. Followed by Lula proudly announcing to her friends, “Our church is really fun!”
Majid then added, “Yeah, we even have a church garden with Farmer Don!”
Lula continued, “All our Sunday School teachers let us play games. And during third-grade Bible class, Ms Emily would hang out on the floor with us. We have so much fun.”
Majid jumped back in “Our pastor even tells sports jokes during church and everyone laughs!”
Both friends were listening intently. One of them replied, “My church is not like that.”
The other friend then asked Lula, “Can we come with you to church sometime?” Second friend excitedly adds, “Yeah, I want to go to your church too!”
Lula’s response was simple: “Everyone is welcome!”
Majid then proudly wrapped up the conversation with, “Oh you guys…and guess what?! After Sunday School we get COOKIES!!”
Listening from the other room, my heart swelled. In that moment, I reflected on how incredibly blessed we are to be part of a church family that embraces children so fully…where faith is taught with laughter, where learning happens with games and sometimes on the floor beside caring teachers, where a church garden with Farmer Don becomes holy ground, and where even sports jokes from the pulpit remind kids that church is a place of joy.
God’s work is so often most visible in the quiet, ordinary moments. It shows up in the patience of Sunday School teachers, the dedication of volunteers, the creativity of those who build youth programs, and the warmth of a congregation that says, “Everyone is welcome.”
This Lent, I am deeply grateful for a church family that nurtures young faith so intentionally. I am grateful that youth are encouraged to feel God’s love being lived out through games, gardens, cookies, kindness, and community. I am grateful that our church is truly a place of belonging and that my children want to proudly share that with their friends.
Ashley Deeb
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