Graduation and Promotion...

This time of the year is always a difficult time.

Tonight at 6:30 pm, we officially welcome 12 new middle school students into the student ministry. But last week, we officially recognized 10 graduating seniors. This is always both a tough time and and an exciting time.

It's exciting because we are getting some new middle schoolers. Most of the time, these students have been looking forward to getting into the student ministry for a year or sometimes two. I know this year, we've had 5th graders slowly walking past the middle school room during "Live Wire" on Sunday morning getting a good look inside for about 3 months now. So some of these students are ready to go. And we're ready to have them.

But it's also a tough time. We are graduating some incredible seniors. Many of these seniors have been super-involved. We've traveled together. Talked. Hung out. Challenged. These students have discovered their spiritual gifts in the student ministry. And come August, they won't be a part of the student portion of the ministry (with at least one of the seniors, we are already talking about plugging him into the middle school ministry as a leader). But it's tough to say "good-bye" to what you know and love and say "hello" to what you don't yet know and don't yet love.

So, tonight will be both interesting and exciting. Exciting to look into the eyes of the 7 students who are coming to the middle school welcome dinner. But interesting to see where the next 7 years will take us.

Jim