08/05/2025
Happy 20th birthday Christian Kids Club!
A message from a board member:
Dear Kids Club,
20 years ago, the Lord planted a dream and a calling into my mother’s heart. It was simple: to show the love of Jesus while serving the community by offering quality childcare. We never thought it would have grown into what it is today.
20 years ago, we started with a staff of 2 and grew to 3, then 4, then opened another center and doubled our staff. We had 20 school-agers, then 30, then 40, then added a preschool, then added classrooms at the original building. We painted clouds, and murals, and groovy Jesuses, and repainted again. We started with a classroom, art room, and office, and now have multiple classrooms on multiple levels in multiple buildings. Our relationship with the community went from “why does Fisher need a childcare center?” and “can you bus the kids yourself? It’s too much for the bus driver” to “We just moved into town, and you were recommended by the school” and “do you have old furniture I can use at my home daycare? I’d like to work with you on some things.” There have been times that we’ve had to create new spaces, and times we’ve had to downsize. We’ve had staff come and go –
for good and bad reasons. We’ve had kids stay with us through the
whole program, and kids that have stayed for a season.
As I think back on all the things that have happened in the last 20
years, I’m reminding of the first few verses of Ecclesiastes:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecc. 3:1-8 NIV)
Through all the ups and downs, ebbs and flows, hard times and harvest, I can say one thing: God has been faithful. He set this in motion and has seen it through.
Even though I’m not there for the day-to-day things, this program is still a big part of my life and there are people that I would like to
thank for helping to make it successful. My thanks and praise go first to God. This wouldn’t have made it 20 years without Him. Second, I would like to thank my mom, Staci, for following the call that God placed on her 20 years ago. The example that you have set for me has led me to success in my career and life. I would also like to thank my sister, Jenna, for following in my mom’s footsteps and dedicating her life to this work. I know this hasn’t been easy and you both have worked so hard to make this program great. Third, I’d like to thank Chelle for the years she’s dedicated to the centers. From dropping off packages that got delivered to the wrong address 20 years ago to becoming a key individual this program has been able to rely on, I thank you for your years of dedication and friendship. Fourth, I’d like to thank the staff. Thank you for coming into work every day and helping all these tiny humans grow up to be good people. This is hard work! Regulations to follow, schedules to manage, classrooms to clean, lessons
to plan - all while teaching kids how to be kind and to grow. Your work matters! And finally, I’d like to thank our families for trusting us with their kids. The world is crazy, and we are thankful for the opportunity to provide a safe place for the kids in our program. It isn’t always perfect, but we strive to do the best we can.
When I was 15 and helping prepare for our grand opening in August of 2005, I didn’t think to pray for the future of the program – just that we had everything we needed to get started. Now that I’m older, I’d like to pray a prayer of blessing for the centers and the work ahead:
Lord, thank you for Your faithfulness to us and to this program over
the last 20 years. Thank you for allowing us to help in this great work. Lord, as we look to the future, I pray that Your hand would continue to be on this program, that You would continue to bless our families, staff, and community through this program. Lord, continue to guide us as we strive to show the love of Jesus and offer the best care we can. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Haley Benson
Board member (and former janitor, aide, teacher, and director)
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