Bus Ministry Update
As you can see from the photograph (March 20, 2026), Emanuel’s bus is now an important tool for our youth ministry. When we first planned on getting a bus, we had in mind a regular Sunday morning route to pick up children and a Wednesday evening route to pick up adults. Those routes have not developed as expected. We did have regular use of the bus last year for Vacation Bible School and for some Sundays. But we have not been able to put together enough riders to use the bus each Sunday. Instead, our driver on Sundays, Margaret Bailey, has picked people up in her car so that we don’t have to use the large bus for a small number of riders.
Nevertheless, we are regularly using the bus! I drive twice a month for youth bowling and for Game Night. I also used the bus in February to pick people up for the Youth Overnight. For these activities we get many riders! We are meeting youth who do not have a congregation and are new to Emmanuel. This is not the use we expected originally, but it is a steady use of this new tool, with good results. We are introducing new youth to the basics of Christian teaching and practice.
WHAT YOUTH ARE LEARNING
All our youth bus activities include devotions and prayers, even at the noisy bowling alley! We are consistently teaching the Lord’s Prayer. During the Christmas season, the youth learned to sing verses of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “Joy to the World” while riding on the bus. At our recent Youth Overnight, the theme was the Fatherhood of God. We learned about what the Lord does as our heavenly Father, drawing from fifteen Bible passages. We then separated the boys and girls to discuss what it means for a man to be a father and what the girls should consider when thinking about a father for their children.
NEW BUS OUTINGS
On April 25th, I hope to use the bus for an outing to Dawes Arboretum, east of Columbus. A sign-up sheet for that carpooling outing should be available soon. Since we can seat 15 people on the bus, you adults may be able to leave your car at home and ride the bus. I’m also considering a special outing to an amusement park for the youth.
CONTINUE TO PRAY
I’m hopeful that promoting the bus ministry at other youth activities will develop into the regular Sunday route we envisioned. For example, Southwood School kindly makes some of our activities known to its students, which draws local visitors. We are adding a sign-up table at the Easter Egg Hunt so other families in the church and in the area can learn about bus ministry. As more apartments are built on South High, we may meet still other families who would like to use the bus. Please continue to pray for the success of our bus ministry.
