by Claire Kermitz Chinn, Minister of Children and Mission
One of my favorite songs is called “Awake my Soul” by Mumford and Sons. I think it is my favorite because of this one simple line that says, “where you invest your love you invest your life.” This line is one that gives me pause when I hear it.
It gives me pause because it really makes me think about where I am invested. Am I invested in things that matter? Am I investing in something worthwhile? Does my investment matter?
And then I think about my church family- I think about Carol Fauss and how she would send a card that read “pop out of bed to get to church this Sunday” with a little popper toy before time change Sunday. I think about how many cards I receive from Ann Carter- Just because. I think about all the faces I see on Sunday morning and all the different ways we have connected.
I think about our church family and I realize that investment matters- investment matters because we build a relationship by investing in each other’s lives.
We all invest in each other in different ways. Some of us are great with finances, others are good with helping with getting the Heralds ready to be mailed, and still, others are good with simply showing up.
Last Thursday Bill Mercer showed up at church with a bagful of handcrafted wooden cars for our kids. Each one was different and each one was carefully made for little hands. A simple gesture by Bill reminded me of how important it is to invest in our children and youth.
Not all of us are gifted teaching, not all of us are gifted at crawling around the floor playing with our youngest friends. But we are all gifted, we are all talented and we all can invest in our students.
After a tough few news weeks, I think there is no better time to invest in our students. I think there is no better time to simply show up. Our investments don’t go unnoticed- they are a reminder to our students that they are loved and cared for far more than they realize. It is a reminder that in a hard world they can find rest and comfort in their faith community. It is a reminder that we are all loved and sometimes we all need that reminder.
Want to know more about investing your time with students? Complete our volunteer form or just give Claire a call at 904-396-7745 x313
