Pastor Letter: April 24, 2019
Buck Run Family:
Have you ever wondered what goes on down the hall to your left as you enter the church building? That place just beyond the Kids Ministry to the left of the rehearsal hall where a giant sign reading “Buck Run Students” is located?
If you have, let me fill you in a bit: every week, Middle and High School students come together in our Student Room to connect with one another, to learn and apply the Scriptures, and to grow as disciples of Jesus as they are led by truly Godly men and women who care for them.
It’s a wonderful setting where “one generation commends the works of God to another and tells of His mighty acts” (Ps. 145:4). We work hard to proclaim God’s Truth, make disciples of Jesus, and serve moms and dads in their God-given task to “bring their children up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Leaders and parents working together in ministry is what we aim to see, and when the two come together in a joint effort between the church and the home, it is undeniably a beautiful thing.
This past week, in an effort to further fuse those two worlds together, I met with parents to address the question, “What is success in parenting teens?”, and together we set before ourselves from Deuteronomy 6 the reality that the overarching goal of all that takes place in the church and in the home should be to pursue faithfulness in fostering in students a desire to know God, love God, and serve God with all that they are. More than seeing students get great grades, perform well in athletics, or set themselves up for financially successful futures—as good as those things are—should be this one main thing.
While this is a worthy endeavor, ultimately, it is impossible to accomplish ourselves. Paul David Tripp has written,
“Cultivating a heart for God in teenagers is the hardest work a human being could ever do…And when it finally clicks that you can’t change your kid’s hearts, you’ll get down on your knees.”
Church family, would you keep in your prayers our Student Ministry- that students’ hearts would be transformed by the power of the gospel to know, love, and serve God with all that they are? Would you keep in your prayers families—and parents in particular who are burdened in their task—that they would be refreshed and renewed to remain resolved in their efforts to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord?
Working with you to that great end!
All and only for the glory of our Servant-King Jesus,
Matt Ross