Several months ago, I asked Amy Pierson, girls' minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, to blog about a widow birthday party her girls put together. This year, the girls planned a similar event. Here is the story of that party:
Last year I was praying through James 1:27, which says,“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” I’ve been praying for the Lord to help me take the commands of the Bible literally and personally. I went to a few of our widows and asked how they’d like to be served. After a lot of talking they said they’d like a birthday party. Their husbands had always made this a special day for them with flowers and a nice dinner. Now they would like to celebrate with all their friends, but one said: “having a nice dinner with 80 of your closest friends gets expensive.” 
Last year we planned an amazing event, but this year we built relationships. We invited widows and widowers, and each sat at tables according to their birth month again. Moms and daughters created centerpieces were put together by mothers and daughters. One of our volunteers baked 14 centerpiece cupcakes! When each birthday guy or girl walked in, a student escorted them to their table and sat with them. We played games, ate cake, and sang happy birthday. Twenty of our students also danced to a broadway review.
Becca Benson, who works with the junior high, commented that it seemed like more students were talking this year. I agreed. Our students not only served, but they were also ministering to and being blessed by another generation.
Our entertainment was not a special speaker. Instead, I asked one of our junior girls and one of our senior adult ladies to tell their stories.
Grace Lorenz, 16 years old, loves God and loves her family. She not only is an active member of our student ministry, but she is also in our student leadership and leads a Wednesday small group with her best friend. Grace had everyone laughing and clapping as she sweetly talked about her faith. Bobbie Taylor, 90 years old, works 4 days a week in our church. She is the director of her Sunday School class and hasn’t missed Sunday School in 75 years. When I introduced her I tried to hand her the microphone. She asked if I would hold it and stand by her (I couldn’t say no...we were on stage!). So, I held the microphone for about 10 minutes while she shared one of the most inspiring and Spirit filled testimonies I’ve ever heard. As she shared about following God in every season of life, I stood there and kept thinking, “This is one of the moments in ministry I will always remember and love.”
As the event closed, I reminded everyone that we don’t retire from our faith when we hit 55, and we don’t have to wait until we are 55 to be used by God. If we are Christians, we can live for God today, no matter our age.
I knew God was honored and pleased with this event when I saw a large amount of high school girls crowded around their tables still talking to the ladies and each wanting a hug from Ms. Bobbie.
Leave a comment