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Friends United Meeting |
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October 2003
Mother's Morning Out:
An Outreach to Your Community
An Outreach to Your Community
By Lori Nicholson
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the
most of every opportunity.
Colossians 4:5
One Friday morning a four-year-old boy was asked where he went to church. He replied, "I go to church here." Knowing the boy didn't attend our church, the women asked, "Where do you go to church on Sunday morning?" To that he replied, "I don't go to church on Sunday, I come on Friday."
At Sycamore Friends Church in Greentown, Indiana (Indiana Yearly Meeting), we have an exciting program that serves as a great outreach into our community. Three years ago we started Mother's Morning Out for preschool children in our area. Our program is open to any child, ages six months through six years. The program runs each Friday morning from 9am-12pm, excluding holidays. The cost for all three hours, which we intended to keep minimal, is $5 for one child and $2.50 for any additional children. There are also scholarships available for those who need them. The idea was to give moms a break to do their shopping, appointments, etc. without bringing their small children along. With that in mind, the cost of the program is minimal for their benefit, as well as to not jeopardize our church's non-profit status. The fees we collect each week go to buying snacks, toys and curriculum, as well as a modest salary I receive for directing the program.
Each week as the children arrive, our group of adult volunteers welcomes them and they begin to play. After about an hour of free play, consisting of Play-Doh, blocks, games and a wide assortment of toys, we wash our hands and go the fellowship center for a snack. When we are finished eating, we sing a few songs, usually action songs with motions, and settle down for a Bible Story. When the story is over, the children participate in some activities and/or crafts that highlight the story we have just learned. While waiting for the moms to arrive, we go outside to the playground or watch a Christian video.
Here is how the whole idea developed. After a temporary teaching position, I became a full-time, stay-at-home mom. I had heard of a program like this in another town and it was also mentioned in a book I was reading, and I felt strongly God was trying to tell me something. After some thought and prayer, I decided my seat on our Evangelism & Outreach committee at church would be the perfect forum to test my idea. I was overwhelmingly encouraged to go forward with the program. The next month it was approved by Monthly Meeting and we began the real planning. We wrote a proposal to apply to Indiana Yearly Meeting for a Growth Grant they give to help new ministries. We were approved and received funds to update some toys in our nursery and buy snacks, books, craft supplies, a first aid kit and all of the essentials we needed to proceed.
We advertised locally and in a short time, began to receive calls from people I had never met, but who would benefit from our outreach. This program has grown from about 15 children three years ago to nearly 30 children who are currently enrolled. We began with three or four volunteers three years ago and now have seven or eight each week. Through this ministry, our other children's programs, such as youth and VBS, have also seen an increase in attendance.
I have to admit, this has taken a certain amount of work to accomplish what God has called me to do, but it is very rewarding and the children are a blessing. Each week we are blessed (and entertained) with the cute things they say and do.
I gave this poem to my volunteers at Christmas. I love the message:
One Hundred Years From Now
One hundred years from now
It will not matter
What kind of car I drove
What kind of house I lived in
How much money I had in my bank account
Nor what my clothes looked like
But the world may be a little better
Because I was important in the life of a child
Author Unknown
I know we are important in the lives of the children we serve; it's written all over their faces as they come through the door. The men and women who volunteer range in age from thirty to eighty and each has developed some special relationships with the children. My hope is that the children and their families will stay connected with us for a long time. Some of the children have home churches, others do not. Some have joined us on Sunday morning, others have not.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not by works, so that no one can boast." I am reminded often that this ministry is not mine, but God's, and the glory goes to Him for the good things that come out of this ministry.
My charge to you is that our children are our most important resource. They are our future national, world and spiritual leaders and worth the very best we can give them. By showing them and their parents God's love in a practical way, our hope is that the seed of God's love is planted in them for Him to bloom when the time is right. Our mission is to bring others to Christ. What a perfect way to show God's love by caring for His most precious little ones.
Lori Nicholdson is the Clerk of the Evangelism and Outreach Committee at Sycamore Friends, Greentown, Indiana. They encouraged her vision of this outreach to families.
Copyright (c) 2003 Friends United Meeting
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