Angels Among Us!

There are angels among us, and you might never guess who some of them are! Do they have wings and gowns? Do they fly? Do they play harps and wear halos? Not necessarily. Here's the secret: they're members of children's Sunday school!!!

Children usually love a birthday, especially their own. It's a time for friends, parties, cake and ice cream, balloons, and best of all, presents! It's a time for surprises, but in the case of some of our children, it's we who are in for a surprise. At least four of our children made big plans for their birthdays. They set a date and time for the party, invited friends, ordered the cake and then made a different request of their friends. "Please don't bring gifts for me. Please bring a gift for my favorite charity, and we'll make a donation." The migrant farm workers, the World Wildlife Federation and The Shepherd's Table Soup Kitchen are among some of recipients of their kindness. Special thanks to Will Decker, Ainsley Seiger, Erin Flynn, and Olivia Bryant who are a few of our wonderful children who have chosen this incredible act. Amazing. Just amazing.

Jesus said, "Unless you become like one of these, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." This, at least in part, must be what He was talking about. Our children are setting a standard for us in teaching us to share and to give and perhaps to not take more than we need. Our children find may ways to give that reveal their generosity and their humanity. Every year they collect money in their Heifer arks, often doing extra chores to earn more money for their collection. They donate used coats for WRAL's Coats for Kids program and cut their hair for donation to cancer patients. And over the years, they have donated to a variety of excellent causes. They are individually moved; they see a need and RESPOND. This voluntary outreach from our children reveals many things to us: excellent parenting, fantastic Sunday school teachers, emotional maturity on the part of the child, and a flourishing spiritual life! God is at work at the Church of the Good Shepherd!!! We recognize these children at Good Shepherd and see them as a gift from God. What we do with them is our gift back to Him. And we thank God for the example and standard they have set for us.