"For Parents, a Breather"
Only couples with young children understand how tough it is to schedule special times for just Mom and Dad. But several childless couples at Open Door Bible Church in Memphis caught enough of the dilemma to think of a solution. "Instead of offering to baby-sit for an evening, they move in!" says Pastor Gary Starbuck. "They come to stay overnight, taking care of the children in the kids' own familiar surroundings." Meanwhile, Mom and Dad go to their benefactors' home or apartment for a free minivacation. A special meal is waiting for them when they arrive. Dishwashing is forbidden. Tickets to a special event might be laying out, or some gift certificates to a nearby ice cream shop. "This has happened about a half dozen times over the past year in our small fellowship," says Starbuck. "It's nothing organized; it's just a spontaneous act of serving by people who want parents to keep working on their relationship even after the children are born." For one such couple, it was their first night alone in three years. The obvious advantages: • It's cheap. • Children don't have to be transplanted anywhere. • It's a witness to neighbors. After the Starbucks themselves provided this service for a family with three children under age five, the word spread. Weeks later, Gary was calling in the neighborhood, recruiting kids for the church's Awana program. "So you're the ones who did that!" one mother exclaimed. "You're a legend around here."
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