SIDE BY SIDE
A Family Affair Julie Sohmer
The normally busy and noisy hallways throughout Kids’ Harbor have been quiet these days. The classrooms have been disinfected and set up, in anticipation of the happy return of volunteers, parents and children. Julie was scheduled to give this eye-opener on Called to Serve Sunday in April, but COVID-19 changed all that. What hasn’t changed is the joy and call to serve the church. I have been attending College Church as long as I can remember. Yes, I was a toddler in the nursery here, where I apparently had a biting problem. Thankfully, I got over that and grew up to enjoy many of the children’s ministries the church still offers today. I played the role of King Nebuchadnezzar in the children’s choir musical. I spent my Wednesday nights at Pioneer Girls working on awards and learning songs full of Scripture that I still remember today. I also recall making candy Christmas ornaments at the home of my mentor (or pal as Pioneer Girls called them), Anne Kroger, more than 40 years ago. I spent every Sunday morning at Bible school learning about Jesus from faithful teachers like Jean Dusek and Faith Haddock, who recently taught some of my children in Kids Korner. These women are some of my spiritual mothers and sisters. They invested in me because they wanted to disciple the next generation of believers. After graduating from Wheaton College, I married my husband, Dave, and we moved out of state for seven years. When we came back to the area 21 years ago, it was a natural decision to become members of this local church body. We love kids, and at the time, had four little ones of our own— we figured that since we were contributing to the population of Kids’ Harbor, it was a good place to jump in and serve. For the past two decades, we have worked with children of almost every age—nursery through KMs. We have had the privilege of teaching and looking at the Bible from a child’s perspective, which can sometimes be the most profound. We have gotten to know our own children’s peers and connected not only with the kids but also with dozens of brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we have worked alongside. College Church is big, and when I look around, I see some people I know very well. I see some faces I have known since I was young and others I have never seen before. The spiritual reality is that, in Christ, we are family. The only way to build relationships is by investing time in one another. Besides our
involvement in small groups over the years, nothing has helped us plug into this church and connect with other believers more than serving in Kids’ Harbor. I can promise you there is never a dull moment in Kids' Harbor and bonds are formed as you serve with others. For three years now, our family has served in Wonders of Worship (WOW). We have a team of awesome individuals that we would not have gotten to know if we weren’t serving together. First is Bill. We served with Bill for two years. He is incredibly kind and humble. Little did the children in WOW know that the man teaching them the Ten Commandments song on Sunday mornings was assistant conductor for the Lyric Opera the rest of the week. His willingness to serve, even sometimes out of his comfort zone, showed me the heart of a foot washer. John plays the banjo. He is the balloon guy that makes the kids happy. If you are ever at a church event and see kids hitting each other with giant balloons, you know John is nearby. John also reveres God’s Word and always has the kids stand before it is read—that sharpens me. Pete and Ben are a dynamic fatherson duo who show up every week ready to talk with each of the children in their group and to find out how they are doing. Ben and Pete demonstrate to them and to me that Jesus has time for kids and wants to hear about their lives. Jon, Tiffany and Abby serve as a family and arrive at WOW with smiles on their faces because they love spending time with the kids of this church, and they want the children to know that Jesus delights in them. Amy is even-keeled. She is thoughtful and insightful in her teaching. One time when Amy taught a lesson on prayer, she said, “After we pray, the world is different.” I guess I always knew that God uses our prayers to change us and release his power but hearing her say that so succinctly made me want to pray more and I’ve thought of it many times since. Serving in Kids’ Harbor has been a huge blessing in our lives. We get to help make disciples right here in our own church and build relationships with other believers who encourage our faith and sharpen us. As each of you pray about how you can serve this church family, consider joining children’s ministries, and when you do, be prepared to connect and grow. Fall Kids' Harbor Serving—Sign up to make disciples and build community.
The Kids’ Harbor hallways and STARS classrooms won’t stay quiet forever. Consider how you can connect in serving after the church reopens. Questions about serving? Email Cheryce Berg for Kids’ Harbor at cberg@college-church.org or Julie Clemens for STARS jclemens@college-church.org 11
