Letter to Children's bells parents

I am going to be a bit bold here (to some of you that comes as no surprise).  First of all, I would like to put a disclaimer on this email and that is to say that none of my opinions have been endorsed by the church or discussed with anyone at church.  Also, it is meant as food for thought and not an attack on any one particular person.  I have been thinking about this over the last couple of days and just have to express my feelings.  So, here goes... on Sunday the kids played bells with several missing kids.  Some of those kids had been excused with very good reasons and some just decided to do something else, stay home, or whatever.  As you know, I play bells in the adult choir.  I can tell you, it is exceedingly difficult to play a piece with ONE person missing, let alone several.  I was very disappointed to see the amount of kids who were missing this past Sunday.  And the quality of the piece reflected the lack of children-- who had practiced the music in advance.  My children are expected to be an integral part of the church being servants of God and to the incredible community we have at Mountain View.  My girls have been expected to play bells and sing in the children's choir.  They are expected to use their talents and gifts or learn other gifts to share with the congregation to enrich the life of our church.  There have been times (and this past Sunday was one of them) that my children have begged me to let them miss a practice or not go play bells or sing in church.  Lexi was sick on Sunday morning, when she came to me that morning before church, she was pale, her glands were swollen, and she just looked like death warmed over.  I loaded her up with Tylenol and Advil and said "Lexi it is your duty to serve your church and it is your responsibility to play along with your friends in the bell choir.  I am sorry, but you will have to be there or you will disappoint Danya, your fellow bell ringers, and the church community.  It is one thing if you are part of a singing choir, but bells is another story".  She went, she played her bells and when there were missing practiced bell ringers, it messed her up.  She was disappointed but now understands how important it is for her to be there every time.  I am NOT meaning to toot my own horn here.  James Levie was also one who was not feeling well, yet he was there.  My point of bringing this up is not really about last Sunday.  It is about my disappointment in society and parents today in general.  The quote Steve had up on the screen Sunday morning is fitting for my preaching here (sorry...I am preaching and I am preaching to the choir for some).  "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead ~  As parents, our role is to teach our children responsibility.  To teach them how to stick to commitments and how to prioritize (among other important qualities).  As Christian parents, our moral obligation is to teach our children about faithfully serving God in ways that will please Him and our church community.  Distractions that our children have these days makes it VERY difficult to be a parent...NO doubt.  Distractions make it tough for us to see the forest for the trees and to prioritize.  But next time you question whether or not your child should or shouldn't stick to a commitment, ask yourself "What would Jesus do?"  It's pretty simple, really.  

One last thing....I hope this email motivates you to be more a part of our wonderful church community and to teach your children to be thoughtful and committed citizens of our beautiful church and in our society.  I sincerely hope this email does not encourage you to have your child quit the bell choir.  Again, it is not meant to make anyone feel badly about themselves.  We NEED your children (in fact, we need MORE children to commit to bells).  We LOVE your children.  The Church WANTS your children to be up there playing their bells and serving God.  YOUR children bring smiles to every single person in that congregation when they play bells, sing in the choir, or perform in any youth activity.  The children keep our church alive with excitement!  If you have a problem with my email, PLEASE come speak with ME.