Coaching Corner: Why I Love My Job

Do you ever have moments when you think, “Thank you, Lord, for reminding me why I love this job!” Aren’t those moments great? And sometimes they come when you least expect them and in ways that you could never foresee. Here’s the backstory to my most recent “Thank you” moment.

Since I started working for Faith Formation Ministries, my awareness of how people’s faith develops has grown exponentially. Yet I am, at the same time, always reminded that it’s the small things, the daily things, the nondescript things, or maybe even the easy-to-gloss-over things that can be the most impactful for our faith development. 

So when I got an email last fall from the pastor at Rolling Acres CRC in Mason City, Iowa, wondering if I knew of any liturgies for welcoming children to the Lord’s Table, I didn’t think too deeply about it. I asked a few questions and learned that they were about to welcome their first group of children to the Lord’s Table and wanted to mark the occasion for the kids, the families, and the congregation in a morning worship service. I responded that I would see what I could find and sent an email to my own pastor and a couple other people I know to see what they might have in their back pockets.

I sent a quick reply with an example of a liturgy out of the Presbyterian church of New Zealand that my pastor had found online and adapted. I forwarded the email on to Pastor Phil with an “I’ll keep looking,” and a “Let me know what you end up doing. I’d love to hear how it all goes.” I then moved on to other emails and other requests.

After Christmas, I reached out to Pastor Phil, wondering how everything went. Here’s his response:

Hi Trudy,

It was a great morning. There were 12 youth ages 5 to 12, if I recall correctly. I used the form you sent with personal edits. It was very meaningful. We have “wave 2” ready to get started in the near future. Thanks for your help.

Blessings, Pastor Phil

I went on to ask what liturgy they landed on, wondering if I could possibly share it with my other churches. I not only received their liturgy, which was adapted from the one I sent them, but a picture of the kids with their parents and Pastor Phil. That was my “I love my job” moment!

It was also a beautiful example of pastors helping pastors and churches connecting with other churches to bless and help develop faith in kids, parents, and all members of a congregation.

I love it! That’s my job. Connect. Encourage. Resource. And then celebrate with the family of God. Thank you, Lord, for the little reminders of why I love my job.

P.S. Here are a few resource links for those of you who are welcoming children to the Lord's Supper for the first time. Enjoy!

• liturgy from the New Zealand Presbyterian Church

• liturgy Pastor Phil adapted for Rolling Acres CRC 

• Welcoming Children to The Lord’s Supper Toolkit from Faith Formation Ministries. 

Faith Formation Ministries provides congregational faith formation leaders the opportunity to meet in person or connect digitally or by phone with members of our team and other ministry leaders for coaching and support. Whether it's a one-time, one-on-one conversation or a long-term peer group, we are here to help. For more information about our Regional Catalyzers, visit crcna.org/FaithFormation/coaching