HORSE CAVE, Ky. (KT) – Horse Cave Baptist Church has an eye on the future with a renewed commitment to children’s ministry.
New pastor Casey Carver said he stepped into an ideal situation where nearly three dozen adults have joined together to disciple and teach children every Wednesday. It all happened before he came on the scene.
“Trust me, it’s nothing that I’ve done,” said Carver, who began serving as pastor in September. “The interim pastor (Dan Garland) before I came told them they needed to get these things squared away for the new pastor. He told them if they wanted a youth program, figured out what they wanted to do now.”
Carver said the “ringleaders” of the NG3 (Next Generation Grow Groups) are Megan Banhidy, Debbie Pennington and Lori Blumenberg. Banhidy’s father is a pastor at Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green. There is plenty of help standing with the leaders, he said. Everybody working together has made it happen.
They are modeling their Wednesday nights after Vacation Bible School which, Carver said, the church has always done well. The children flocked to the church every Wednesday and, during the months of November and December, the numbers reached as many as 70, including 25 to 30 adult workers.
The work burden being shared has been part of the success, Carver said. “It takes commitment and that’s what they have. It changes the game of how it’s going to operate.”
He said the congregation came to understand that without discipling the children, the church’s future would be bleak. Five new families have joined the church, and four children have been baptized since the Wednesday program began, Carver said.
The next step, he said, is to keep the children and youth coming not only on Wednesdays but Sundays. Transportation is an issue. The only bus the church has is being used to pick up two disabled men from a nursing home. The church may consider a capital campaign for a bus that could transport two dozen or more young people.
He said several churches in the area have offered the use of their buses on a short-term basis and that may be something to consider as well.
Carver said his role has been minimal during Wednesday nights although he has told some mission stories and shared the gospel with children who were asking questions. Mostly, though, he is there to support.
“I’m here to advise and consult, as needed,” he said. “Mostly I came around and got to know some of the children better. It’s been a good situation for me.”
Carver said about a dozen young people in grades 7-12 come regularly, but the bulk of the ministry is in ages 12 and under. Classes are broken down to keep children in the proper age group.
Carver and his wife, Tebbie, have four children. He said the transition from Inez First Baptist Church to Horse Cave has been going as smoothly as possible.
“The search committee reached out to me, and I told them I’d pray about it, but don’t be surprised if the answer is no,” he said. “I thought God was leading us in a different direction in Inez. But it was not what God put in our future. Doors kept opening and here we are.”
Carver said churches in the Horse Cave area have taken notice about the influx of children and youth attending Horse Cave Baptist. “They’re asking how we did it and I’m glad to share with them,” he said. “We’re excited about the future. I think we might be headed in the right direction.”
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This story first appeared in Kentucky Today.