Coit Church First Annual Hayride 2009

HARVEST TIME

Galatians 6:9

What a beautiful evening it was on that fall night of October 29^th.   The weather had turned cold all week and it was calling for rain, but on this day the sun came out the air was warm and in the evening it was that refreshing crisp fall air were you could smell the leaves that had fallen from the trees and were crunching under foot.   What a wonderful day for a hayride and bonfire.    Everyone met at the church, excited with the anticipation of going out into the country, climbing into a wagon of hay where songs would be sung and the darkness of the night would add to the atmosphere of laughter and hay flying through the air.   

 We told Coit kids that if they brought a friend that didn’t go to church they would go free; For them it was a hayride, but for us it was a time to sow seeds, seeds that may one day bring a harvest for the glory and Kingdom of God.   There was sixty of us that night, and more than 50% were young people that don’t go to church.   What a wonderful time for them, to see that “church people” do have fun, laugh and are able to be silly.   And it was a wonderful time for all of us.  It was such a special time of bonding with our own children at Coit.   Being outside in the dark, the Hayride, the singing and the bonfire as we all cooked hotdogs and marshmallows over the open fire was special, it was family, it was something most of these kids have never experienced, and we had the privilege of experiencing it with them, laughing with them, being the arms, hands and feet of Jesus to them.    Harvest time is in God’s time, but we will continue to labor in planting and watering the seeds of God’s Word into their lives, and not grow weary in doing so.    To God be all the Glory……..

The future success and health of the CRC lies in engaging youth in relevant ministries and in giving them ownership of those ministries, says Rev. Jerome Burton, pastor of Coit Community Church in urban Grand Rapids, Mich.

“Our young people are future church leaders, and that’s why we need to give them a voice in our church,” he says. However, Burton doesn’t want to wait for young people to get older before inviting them to actively participate in the church. “We want them to play a role in our church right now,” he states.

That philosophy lies at the heart of Coit’s youth ministry, which was recently given a boost by a special Christian Reformed Home Missions grant that helped the church add part-time staff members. These new staffers, Carla and DeWayne Moore, focus their efforts on organizing youths and integrating them into the life of the 87-member church.

The Moores, who are also the directors of the local YMCA, mentor the six Coit youth members who make up the church’s Youth Ministry Council. These six young men and women are “being trained and mentored for ministry,” says Burton, who has led the church for the past 14 years. He adds that “this program provides order and structure for young people who often come from broken families with poor ideas of how institutions work.”

by Ben Van Houten to link to Banner magizine website

Ben Van Houten
Ben Van Houten is a senior writer for Christian Reformed Home Missions.