Bro. Ed, you should do thios at your church.

My pastor has lay preachers speak here and I'd be willing to bet yours would welcome a break from preaching some sabbath.

If you do, and work it out, share it with us as to how it went.

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What is popular is not always right.
What is right is not always popular.
Gerry B.

I get to bring flowers, money, offering plates, but no messages from the pulpit ( Just Sabbath School & Superintendent).

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Edward F. Sutton

I'd love to have a message like the one you described in either of my churches.

If we don't become "family-friendly" soon, you'd have to improvize the illustration by hoisting up the youngest retiree while those who can still walk on their own place the flowers...

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As the Happy Moments Roll,

Pastor Andrew

Unfortunatly too true.

Geritol has always been rejected by the 36 week old taste test crowd, something about the Lack of the milk of human kindness.

Maybe we should add this update to our understanding of doctrine.
"Thou shalt love your neighbor more than anything except God. This word love is an action word that means visits, helps for their & our needs(sometimes they are the ones helping us), prayers, fellowship,
groceries and shopping trips and so on."

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Edward F. Sutton

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice!
Edward Sutton, YOU are my kind of speaker. In your heart is a love for children that can only come from Above.
In the church I was attending until this summer was very much like some that were described at the beginning of this subject.
There were quips on the church board how people joined our church to die, we had about 6 deaths last year. However, the hearts of many have been dead for years (& years). We had a wonderful pastor when I joined to be with friends who have since left the state. He was loved by many and disliked by as many. But he loved children. Now we have a 'fancy' pastor that went to Brigham Young and allows no one to forget that he is Dr.especially when a point is needed to be made and is forever working the polls, (the retired pastors and head elder).
To please the polls, "Sabbath School program is suppose to be enough for the children"; the children's story was forever scrubbed; 'To make the Worship service more appealling' to the up and coming and those with ample monthly retirement to boast the tithes submitted to the conference each month.
True, there are some sweet souls that still have a young heart and they are the only reason I stayed as long as I did.
I don't think that my Jesus would have enjoyed it either. He would not be very welcome there. Only the priests and rabbis!

We shared a glorious Sabbath. A stimulating Sabbath school lesson, a A+ sermon, a delious lunch and time with the family I rarely get to see during the week.

I was reminded of a story that my uncle told numerous time regarding a certain 3 or 4 year old girl. Mother had to go to the doctor for she was suffering from enlarged tonsils. She was there for a rather small woman with a very very small throat. The doctor had given her some pills that she found difficult to swallow and complained the doctor had given her 'horse pills'.
Sabbath as the choir entered through the back for the march down toward the front. She looked up just in time to see the doctor in question. Excitely it was announced in a loud whisper, "Ooh, there is Dr. Parker. My mommy says he's a horse doctor." Many faces turned red. Dr. Parker, at being associated as such, was embarassed, the people around and yip, Uncle Wilmer, all attempting to conceal the humor of the moment.
I never felt contempt from the grownups as I grew in the church.

A few years down the road, a young mother of two attempted to rejoin the church. The oldest child was 6 years of age and baby sister was 2. The mother's room was not air-conditioned and the speakers didn't work. The mother embarassed because the children were not use to sitting confined for such a length of time decided that to avoid "the looks", she would return when the children were older.

She never did return to that small church. Jesus said, "Let the little childen come and do not forbid them." Kids are..well, they are kids and do impulsive things...smile, whisper too loud or even just can't seem to sit still. Let none forget to embrace the little ones. They are the church of the future and Jesus lived and died for them too.

Isn't God Awesome?
klb