Brooks McGriew
To watch seven year old Brooks acolyte is to see joy. Every move Brooks makes when acolyting conveys the intensity and sincerity the young boy with big blue eyes has for the task. He is happy to help during worship and he takes his work very seriously. Brooks is the embodiment of the word ‘earnest’.
Brooks first came to Resurrection with his babysitter, Julie Sonnenberg. “I was at a sleepover at her house on a Saturday night,” Brooks says. “She asked my mom if I could go with her and Gene to church the next day, so I did.” He’s been coming ever since.
“His church doesn’t have Sunday School the last Sunday of the month, so he comes with us on that Sunday, “ Julie explains. “He also comes to other special events sometimes.”
When asked why he comes to church with Gene and Julie, Brooks says, “I come for Sunday School. I like Godly play because it is like watching a TV show about God. But, why I really like coming is for the acolyting during church.”
Brooks is Catholic and he says that at his church, things are different. “When I first started to acolyte, I thought I’d have to pass more things to Pastor,” Brooks says. “That is what the servers do at my church. Here, I mostly do the candles. The candles are my favorite part.”
Brooks says he was nervous to be an acolyte at first, but Gene and Pastor and the other grownups helped him know what to do. At Brooks’ church, servers must be 10 years old.
“Nobody here minded that I was only 7 years old,” he says happily.
RLC found a way for Brooks to serve God without his age being an obstacle. The work that Brooks does to serve during worship and the effort that Julie and Gene put forth to make sure Brooks is able to do so are wonderful examples of the accepting, serving environment that RLC creates.
