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Merced Corps experiences God’s timing

July 25, 2008
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How one corps’ initiative helped them encounter the character of God.

by Brent Church –

Brent Church and a Discovery Club member.

Earlier this year, I talked with a lady involved in a Good News Club at a nearby school. Later my corps officer, Captain Raymond Erickson-King, and I decided it would be a great adventure to start a similar clubDiscovery Clubat Sheehy Elementary School in Merced, Calif.

The start date was February 6, 2008, and we prepared. That day, we set everything up before the last bell rang. The kids ran out of classrooms and into the halls, but none of them came running our way. We waited and waited and not one child came. At that moment we could only wonder: What had we done wrong?

In the next few days, we prayed and prepared for a second try at Discovery Club. A week later we again headed out to the elementary school. As we were setting up, the bell rang and the kids streamed out like before. We waited and waitedagainand thought no one would comeagainwhen a little girl walked in with the biggest smile on her face. She was ready to have fun and ended up being the only child to come that day.

Week after week, the smiling faces seemed to multiply until we had an average of 20 kids participating on a regular basis. Over a 15-week period, we took the kids through different lessons on the parable of the sower, the prophet Daniel and the meaning of prayer. Memory verses and contests went along with the lesson for each week.

As an incentive for remembering previous lessons, we handed out Bible bucks, which could be cashed in for prizes on the last day, at the first annual Discovery Club Auction.

As we cleaned up that final day—long after no one had originally come to our new club—we realized how faithful God truly is. Every moment we spent with the kids was worthwhile. I’m so glad we tried again.

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