There are so many things I love about our visits to lead services at Forest Heights Long Term Care Centre…

One is being inspired by the prayers the children offer to God about the residents and their families…Another is watching them rise to the occasion after minimal rehearsal time, to do their very best in worship! Yet another is the giftings that become obvious when they take on a task wholeheartedly for Jesus…And finally, there are the grins, hugs, thanks and tears of the residents, who so graciously reach out and want to connect after the service. Some of them express how touched they were by the message; others are happy to recognize us as a group, or tell us how they just moved in, and are connecting with us for the first time… Talk about hands-on training and experience as our ‘On Your Mark!’ kids run the race of following Jesus!

Thanks again to parents for their endless support, and to the children, who are always excited to learn something new, and are discovering the joy of letting God take it to the next level.

Here is a message from Ingrid Loepp-Thiessen, the chaplain at FHLTCC. She leads a service elsewhere on Sunday mornings, but hears about how we were received from the program directors and volunteers who host us on a Sunday morning:

A big thank you to all the children and junior youth and their adult leaders who came to the nursing home to lead the residents here in worship. The residents loved your singing, dancing, worship leading and the little gifts you made. Thank-you for being part of the Christmas message of hope and love for our residents. God bless you.

A special thanks too, to the many parents and ‘On Your Mark!’ volunteers–You’re the best!–who came and helped us to make it all happen.