We got the party started, y’all!

A little over a week ago, we opened our campus to host one of the biggest parties ever! We hosted over 650 kids and had a blast doing it. I attribute most of that number to the number of invites our elementary and preschool kids delivered to friends at school and in their neighborhood. Back in April, I don’t know if you recall us handing out Ring Pops and party-themed temporary tattoos with invitations attached, but they were a HUGE hit!

Each day of Summer Blast had a key focus (a bottom line, if you will) centered around celebrating the Good News of Jesus. By the end of the week, kids left reminded that Jesus is always a good reason to have a party, everyone is invited to the party, they can celebrate the Good News, and they, too, can be party starters!

But we all know we couldn’t have a party without the help and heart of almost 250 volunteers! That’s insanely awesome! Small group leaders, worship leaders, staff, parking team, greeters, registration team, facilities crew, logisticators (yes, that’s a made-up word, but it’s what they do), security team, vloggers, photographers, and childcare volunteers all worked together to make the party a giant success!

However, I can’t just leave you readers with numbers and call it a day…those numbers mentioned above DO NOT COME CLOSE to describing the people they represent. We partnered with amazing adults and students who devoted a week of their time and energy (probably more than the actual week of Summer Blast because that’s how big their hearts are and how much they care) to showing God’s love and making Jesus known to our kids in Midlothian…and might I add, all while putting shaving cream party hats on their heads and allowing kids to throw pom-poms at them to “decorate” the hats!

While I don’t have a list of all the specific names to share with you, we continue to follow up with kids and families about the many decisions that were made to follow Jesus this past week! Even as I type this, I can think of a couple of kids who heard the Gospel throughout the week. And, through counsel and conversations afterward in their homes, their parents celebrated that special moment when their child made their profession of faith. How cool is that?! I just got to be the encourager and celebrater as they walked on campus the next night and could hardly wait until they were even in the building before blurting out the exciting news!

Many kids had good questions and wanted to continue having deep conversations, even if they had already asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. They were eager to keep learning, growing, and deepening their faith, not only for themselves but also as they plan to share the Good News of Jesus with others!

I could honestly go on and on about the event’s impact from my experience, but I know even that perspective is limited. You could ask many others involved in Summer Blast, and I am sure they would have some different and amazing stories that would be equally as exciting to hear and tell! However, I’ll leave you with a picture of just ONE of my personal favorite moments of the past week.

As you may know, I recently celebrated my 5-year churchiversary (again, a made-up word, but it accurately depicts my working-in-a-church situation). You may not have realized that when I accepted the position as Kids Pastor at FBC in 2019, the first group of 1^st graders I was introduced to is the same group of 5^th graders that had just graduated from Kidlothian in May. Summer Blast 2024 was their last “official Kidlothian event” before transitioning into Elevate Student Ministry. And I must tell you that I was NOT fully ready for the emotions I felt when I realized that.

This year at Summer Blast, our ministries collaborated and added a new, special event for the upcoming 6^th graders called the After Party. Elevate student ministry leaders hosted this group of kids with extended hours of donuts, games, worship, and teaching to give them their first real taste of what middle school ministry would be like. I loved this for them because (for those of you who may not remember) this particular transition year for any kid is just a weird and crazy time.

Elevate leaders entirely led this portion to wrap up the week, which also meant that I got to be an observer (and eater of donuts, of course). Near the end of the night (during the message that their NEW student pastor, Jansson, would share with them), I watched as he commissioned them to join him in the following years until they graduate from high school. These next seven years to come, “my sweet, baby sheep” would be entrusted to his care and leadership as he committed to shepherding them and teaching them in the way they should go…in the way of Jesus. (Cue sloppy, wet tears.) I do not have kids yet, but at that moment, I understood a little bit more of what parents are going through.

Yet, I have also never felt more humbled and honored to have a front-row seat to so many lives that the Lord is moving and working in. These past five years have moved so fast, but at the same time, I can think back and remember these (now 6th grade) kids on the day we first met. That front-row seat has given me some amazing memories and even more hope. Even in this crazy world we live in, I have great hope for this future generation.

So, all that to say, if you are even still reading this blog post, I applaud you! I will wrap this up with my shameless plug…It is an absolute privilege to serve in the church and lead kids closer to Jesus. I encourage you to get involved if you want a place to serve at FBC. I, along with many others, would love to answer any questions you may have and help you get involved in serving the next generation in one of our graded ministries. And one of the really cool parts is that God even allows us to party while we do it! No matter what, I hope you’ll continue to celebrate the Good News of Jesus. And wherever you end up, don’t forget to Start the Party!