My Uncle Bill passed away right before Christmas. Every child should have someone in their life like my Uncle Bill. When my cousins and I were children, Bill was like a bigger, older, one of us. He was always willing to organize a ballgame of one kind or another and was almost always the source of our laughter and mischief.
As we grew older, Bill was always at every family gathering with a smile, a hug, and a genuine interest in catching up with everything going on in our lives. He was a constant in our lives and we knew that we could always count on him in good times and bad.
At his funeral, it was so good to reminisce with all my cousins about the fun times we had with Bill and to hear others tell so many stories about how Bill had influenced their lives through coaching and refereeing sports events. I was not surprised to hear stories about him giving children who did not have money for lunch whatever money he had in his pocket. I was not surprised to hear how even in “retirement,” umpires at adult league games would change a call if Bill saw it differently. I was not surprised to see pictures of Bill on the floor playing with his grandson and standing proudly beside him at his graduation. It did not surprise me that every single picture of him showed a smile on his face that literally spread from ear to ear. I will miss his presence at important events in my life and at other family events.I will miss Bill’s sense of humor. I will miss having Bill’s love. All children should have someone like Bill in their life.
Volunteering during the worship service and other Children’s Ministry events is not always easy or convenient, but it can be so rewarding. You may not realize how you are impacting a child’s life by sitting in the nursery reading a book or by sharing a laugh with them while teaching a Sunday School lesson, but you are. They may not always show that they appreciate the time you spend with them, but they do. So do their parents and so do I.
This summer, during our Wednesday night program, we are going to learn about missions and what it means to be a neighbor as a child of God. I need at least one volunteer each Wednesday night to work with either our younger children or our older children. If you are interested in working with our children this summer or as a volunteer during our Sunday School or Worship hour, please let me know. You never know when you could be a blessing in a child’s life or when they could be a blessing in yours.