The Great Date

Our receptionists witness many blessings from The Chapel’s front desk, but in the words of Suzanne Ludwick, one of three receptionists at the Akron Campus, the first official Great Date “was very, very special.”

The Great Date is an emerging ministry at The Chapel, managed exclusively by the New Life Community Group. Consisting primarily of young married couples and new families, the New Life group was eager to begin serving others within the church. Their Sunday morning meeting time, coupled with a desire to worship together, meant that finding time to volunteer would be challenging. Fortunately, the group members were up to the challenge.  

The solution? New Life decided to take advantage of The Chapel’s well-suited facility and offer free child care for three hours on a Friday evening. In order to adhere to our security standards, every single member of the New Life community group went through the full volunteer approval and training process established by Chapel Kids. They submitted to background checks, provided references, and received procedural training from experienced Chapel Kids staff members.

On the night of the Great Date, parents were invited to drop off their kids, ages 2 through 10, and enjoy some much-needed alone time, secure in the knowledge that the children were in good hands, and it wasn’t costing them a dime. Over 40 children enjoyed games and activities while their moms and dads enjoyed some quality time together!

Our receptionist watched with thankful eyes as parents left for their dates, hand-in-hand. How fortunate we are, as a church, to be blessed this way by the members of New Life and their servants’ hearts.