Kids

Cape Point, South Africa

When was the last time you left the comfort of your world and experienced something bigger?

I just got back from a 10-day trip to Cape Town, South Africa. I spent time with the team from one of our international partnerships, South Point Church. Our GlobalX department does an incredible job building partnerships with leaders all over the world and leveraging what we’ve learned and what we’re doing in the United States to support ministries who are reaching the people in their community.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Leadership matters. John and Becky Hastings are leading the charge for South Point Church.  They have a personal calling and a personal passion to create a church that unchurched people would love to attend. They believe that a growing relationship with Jesus Christ has the power to change lives forever and they live it out. It was such a privilege to meet such committed leadership.

2. Relationships are the language that everyone speaks. Connecting kids into a consistent small group with a leader who knows them and loves them is a strategy that crosses the ocean. Kids are attracted to someone who loves them and accepts them. It was powerful to watch leaders investing in kids and connecting them to their heavenly Father.

3. Time spent developing resources is time well spent. Watching kids dive into an activity, knowing that the bottom line of that morning is so important to their lives was great to experience. Hearing stories from people who had found South Point Church or had connected in a new way to God through resources, DVDs, music, children’s curriculum, and sermon series reemphasized to me the importance of taking what we’ve learned and passing it along in the form of a helpful tool.

Sometimes I lose sight of how God can use such a simple thing, like a DVD, in the life of someone so far away. I sometimes think in terms of resources for other churches instead of remembering how these resources touch real people. It was a great reminder as I watched leaders unpack their material for the morning and I listened as a lady shared her story of how she gave her life to Christ and began attending South Point Church after listening to a message on a DVD.

4. Focusing on children and families is a powerful strategy for growing your church. Colin, the family ministry director at South Point is leading a team of staff and volunteers to create environments that children can’t wait to come to. I saw them in full swing on Sunday and I was so impressed.

Over the past months, they have seen great growth in the areas of preschool and children which is translating into families. They have done KidStuf in the past and are looking at leveraging the idea of an UpStreet Party and being “Kid for a Day” as opportunities to pull the parents into an environment where kids and parents are learning together.

5. Developing healthy teams is critical to building a healthy church. It was so great to meet with all of the staff and volunteers of South Point. I was completely amazed at the high level of involvement and passion of the volunteer leaders who serve with this team.

We had the entire team take the Strength Finders 2.0 test and jumped into a healthy discussion over several meals and meetings about the strengths of this team and the kind of people they would be looking for in the future. I loved that the leadership recognized the importance of everyone’s unique contribution. This team was so excited to learn together and to contribute to the growth of the overall team. I felt like we were old friends when I left.

6. God is an amazing Creator. I arrived at night and when I woke up the next morning and walked out the front door, this is what I saw. Table Mountain. Beautiful.

Everywhere we went, it was beautiful. Seeing the southern most tip of South Africa - Cape of Good Hope - was amazing. Our God has created a beautiful world. He is beyond creative. I was in awe.

7. The last thing that I learned is that baboons are mean and you need to watch out. But their babies are oh so cute!

It’s so important for all of us to get out of our comfort zones and experience what is happening in other places. For me, I walked away realizing that we have friends who are on the other side of the world who are working just as hard as we are, maybe even harder, for the same purpose. That my work everyday is really a part of something much bigger.

That those of us who have been given more opportunity have got to figure out how to fuel, encourage, and support our fellow laborers around the world. That we need each other. We can learn from each other.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity. I hope you find a way to step away from your day to day world and get a bigger picture of what God is up to all over the world.

Where are you going this year?