A LESSON IN BEING VISIBLE

Some days the lessons come by accident.

It was a typically busy Sunday. Kids were already starting to come in before the service, and I was greeting them, talking to them, saying "hi" to the parents, and attending to a few dozen other things. I then had a moment where I needed to go to the foyer to give a message to someone.

As I made way past the hallway, the little girl with the cute ribbon in her hair broke away from her parents to run up to me and give me a smile and a hug. She had been absent for awhile, so I talked to her and told her how much we had missed her. After our conversation, I walked a few more steps and heard, "Hi, Teacher Tim," "Hey, Teacher Tim," "Mom, there's Teacher Tim!" Another hug, a couple of high fives, handshakes, and knuckle bumps later, I finally delivered my message. I turned and met a family who was there for the very first time. I spoke with them for a few moments, then spoke with a fairly new family who had been coming for a couple of weeks. They said how much they're kids enjoyed our program and they were thinking that maybe they had found their new church home. As I turned to go, I met a parent who had some questions and a volunteer who wondered when she was scheduled.

In the course of 12 minutes, I had more exposure then I usually have on a given Sunday. You see, I always try to be visible to the parents. In fact, one of the changes I made in the "way I do things" was to quit doing take down tasks and instead talk to parents at the door (I describe it here). But this last Sunday, I was struck by another fact: people expect "Teacher Tim" in the children's area. But "Teacher Tim" in the main foyer is a treat! It was an energizing, affirming experience.

So as I continue to grow and build as a children's pastor, I want to make my "out of the box" appearances more deliberate. I want to be even more visible, so that kids and parents can identify someone who watches out and cares for children at our church.