Unschooled Kids and the Kingdom of God - Part 6 in a series.

Wondering who might lend a good ear to the young man in his congregation who felt depressed, Pastor Hugh flipped through the church phone directory. His eye fell on Roger's telephone number. He was a business man.

"Roger, I want to talk with you over lunch. Are you free for a conversation?"

"Yes, Pastor Hugh. Let's meet at 12:30."

Sitting at a table, Hugh said, "There's a young man in our congregation. His brother says he's becoming more depressed all the time. Can't get a job. His girl-friend ditched him. Since you're also from Jamaica, I thought I'd give you a call. Who would you recommend to be a big brother to him?"

"I'd love to, and I would volunteer, but you know about my commitment, don't you?"

"No, how do you use your time?"

"I thought you knew. I grew up in the interior of the Jamaica. I walked two miles to school and two miles back home, hot sun or hot sun, every day. We studied under a tree, only a few of us. When I immigrated and got a good job here, I gathered a group of ten others, also from Jamaica. We raised money to build a school for the other kids in our village. Now we are putting in bathrooms and a playing field."

"Well, I never knew all that! Thanks for telling me." Hugh felt elated, learning something Roger was doing, kind actions no one in the congregation knew about.

"Not at all. You preach about Jesus Christ training disciples. They were to make a difference in the world in their time, starting in Jerusalem. My problem right now is I don't know where my 'Jerusalem' is! Is it my little village in Jamaica, where I grew up, or this suburb, where I now live?"

They laughed together. "I'll have to find someone else who can come alongside Scott," said Pastor Hugh. "Pray for him. I want two or three people to be real friends for him."

"Yes, and don't count on me to usher at Easter! We're  traveling, all ten of us, to bring the whole community back home together. There are lots of reasons for sharing our love. I guess Easter is the time to share the message with them. What do you think?"

They shared the meal and returned to their Kingdom work, Hugh a pastor, Roger a business man, struggling to pay his mortgage, happy to share in his village.