Editorial: As we celebrated with our kids, did we miss an opportunity?

After months of painstaking preparation, the weekend flew by at breakneck speed. We rushed from puppets to preaching, hurriedly changing our kids into bedsheet togas for their drama performances. We barely had time for the coffee we needed to get through the day.

In the midst of the rush, did we miss something?

Chole Baker of the Keller Church of Christ in Texas participates in the girls’ oral Bible reading event at the Lads to Leaders convention at the Gaylord Texas Hotel in Dallas. (PHOTO BY JOSHUA GIBBS)How many performances or sermons did we witness at this year’s Lads to Leaders and Leadership Training for Christ conventions that didn’t involve our own kids? How many of us interacted with people from outside our congregation?

Though thousands of us from Churches of Christ across the U.S. gathered in massive hotels for the conventions, did we really function as a fellowship?

There are deep divides among us — perpetuated, we feel, by a lack of communication. When we occupy the same space and don’t talk, that’s a missed opportunity. One weekend can’t solve all our problems, but it’s a start.

It’s such a thrill to see our children engaged in heavenly pursuits at these conventions. We pray that — especially at the larger venues — we’ll take advantage of opportunities to leave our comfort zones and share our joy with our extended family of faith.
Related• Where we’ve been: Leadership Training for Christ, Lads to Leaders conventions
• Making God known through art
• Advice from a parent: Seek the true prize in LTC, Lads to Leaders
• Check out past Editorials HERE.