I would like to take some time to bring you up to date on the possibility of bringing a daycare center to Kiowa Creek Comnmunity Church. At our congregational meeting, I introduced the idea to you and, since then, much has happened. The next step in our process is to make a commitment to proceed or not. For this reason, I want to bring you up to date and to ask for your input on this issue.
When I first arrived to Kiowa Creek, I was impressed by the facilities that we have here. The Fellowship Hall is spacious and currently underutilized, and my imagination ran wild thinking of ways to use this gift that God has given us. My first idea was to start a "Funday School" that would give parents a place to drop off their children on Fridays, when Kiowa does not have school but parents have to work. I spoke to several people about this idea but found that there was little interest in making such an item a reaility. That was fine, and I dropped it. I believe that, when God wants to move, He will do so through the people of the church, rather than through the pastoral staff alone.
About a year ago, I was approached by someone in the church about setting up a daycare program. We discussed it and the more we discussed it, the better it sounded. I spoke to someone at Elbert County Social Services who was very encouraging, and she told me that this was a very serious need in our county. She told me that the county would do whatever they could to help us, if we chose to go ahead with this plan, and that state money might be available to assist us. Not long after that, I spoke to Bret Robinson about daycare and how such a program would compliment the pre-school program at Kiowa Elementary School. Bret thought that a daycare program would greatly enhance the pre-school program and would benefit many teachers that currently need to drop off their children at daycare in Elizabeth and even Parker, before reporting to work back in Kiowa. Finally, during our last meeting with the Presbytery Long-Term Initiative (LTI), we discussed the possibility of a daycare center here at the church. The LTI committee was very interested in this ministry possibility, offering that this type of ministry could be just what we need to reach out to the un-churched in Kiowa.
Each of these events has served to impress upon me anew, that this is not just a good idea, but that it may be God's will for our church. There are those within our church that have the passion to see this happen. There are agencies in our community that are anxious to see this happen and will assist us in this endeavor. Finally, those on the LTI committee have seen this as a positive step (or series of steps) in revitalizing our congregation.
I understand that determining the will of God is tricky business sometimes. I often get nervous when people simply state that God wants us to do this or that and then expect us to follow. I believe that this scenario is different; that, through a variety of events and movements, God is trying to get our attention. That is where you come in.
The session has called for two meetings to take place. On march 12, 2006 at 12:00 p.m., we will have an informational meeting for the congregation. Before this meeting, you should receive a mailing outlining the practical features of how the daycare program will happen (i.e., where the startup money will come from, how we envision the program growing, how it will interface withg the community). The following Sunday, March 19, 2006, session has called for a congregational meeting, when we will vote on the question, "Do we want to go ahead with the daycare center?". Actually, there will be two meetings, one after each worship service. If you have any questions at all about this opportunity, please feel free to call, and we can talk. Keep this in mind: although logistical questions will have to be addressed, our task is to answer the main question, "What would God have us do?".
