More than "Just for Fun" - or, why we do events like the sleepover

Let me pose a blunt question: does your kid have Christian friends?

How many? Who are they? Do they have enough? And by "enough", I mean that your child will have the peer support to stand firm in his or her faith regardless of what gets thrown at them during the coming season of adolescence?

There are many reasons to have Christian friends - any adult Christian knows this - but the importance may not be evident to kids. After all, their non-Christian friends aren't evil and aren't necessarily bad influences. Therefore, it falls to a parent to ensure that a pre-teen kid is equipped and outfitted for the journey ahead - and spiritually supportive friends belong in that toolbox.

Here's the equation, very simply: If we want our kids to love God and stay loving God the rest of their lives...and if we believe church is an important component of that…then we should want our kids to enjoy coming to church…and Christian friends become a necessity. Or, from another angle: If we want kids to love God…but we recognize how little time they spend at church compared to, say, at home or with friends…then we have to recognize that church can only do so much to shape beliefs, attitudes, and habits…and Christian friends become a necessity.

This is the primary reason we do outside events - dodgeball, bowling, and soon, the sleepover. When we put on an event, yes, we try to be high on the "fun" factor. Fun is a kid magnet. But we have an ulterior motive. How great would it be if all of our kids had at least seven Christian peer relationships by the time they entered middle school? I would never suggest that kids or teenagers only associate with Christians - I think that's a poor witness. But if, at every event, your child was introduced to someone new, who became part of their "circle", and eventually some of whom became close friends - would that make the effort (ours and yours) of outside events worth it? You bet.

So here are some numbers that should interest you:

373+ Number of different faces who've come through the 4th-6th grade room since September

160 Average attendance on a weekend

55+ Number of schools represented since the start of the school year

The downside of our church's size (Will I know anyone? It's so big...) can be turned to a strength: there's a strong chance in a group that large that your kid will click with several others.

This weekend I gave the kids a picture of "standing firm" in faith: stones are easily kicked back and forth and out of the way, while boulders sit in place, unable to be moved except with great effort. Supportive friends add "heft" and weight to our faith. They keep us from wandering from where we ought to be.

Now ask yourself: am I raising up a stone, or a boulder?