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Serving with Joy at Zoe Community Church’s All-Church Retreat

By: Abida Diep

This past October, Lighthouse sent a team of 17 volunteers to serve Zoe Community Church, one of our church plants, by providing childcare for their all-church retreat. Over the course of three days, we cared for 76 kids, from ages one to ten, across four retreat sessions. Our role was simple but impactful: to love their kids well so parents could fully participate in worship, teaching, and fellowship.

We hosted a mini VBS using the theme Maker Fun Factory (a fun throwback for some!). Each session included worship, snacks, games, crafts, and lessons centered on foundational gospel truths: God made you, God is for you, God will always love you, and God is always with you. To bring the theme to life, we even had special appearances from a high-tech doctor, astronaut, mad scientist, and geologist that added much excitement and laughter along the way.

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As with any serving opportunity, preparation only goes so far. Going into the retreat, there was some natural uncertainty: What would the kids be like? How would the schedule go? Did we prepare enough? God was incredibly gracious and blessed us with such a sweet group of kids. While flexibility was required at times, the children were energetic, engaged, and eager to participate. Some of the most meaningful moments were when kids were sad that worship was over and asked for more, or when they enthusiastically shouted the “hey hey”s during the song By Him (Colossians 1:16–17). It was a gift to build meaningful relationships with them in such a short amount of time.

That care for the kids allowed parents to experience the retreat in a purposeful way as well. Many shared how thankful they were to be able to fully engage in worship, God’s Word, and community, some for the very first time.

Reading their thank-you cards at the airport on our way home was a sweet moment of the trip. Lighthouse’s Children’s Ministry goal is to support parents in the evangelism and discipleship of their children, and it was a joy to live out that mission by pointing kids at Zoe to Jesus.

This weekend was also personally meaningful to me because I wasn’t attending Lighthouse when Zoe Community Church was planted in 2016 and had the opportunity to meet some who were part of the original church plant, including Pastor Eric and Pastor Jesse. Talking to them allowed me to witness firsthand God’s faithfulness in the growth of Zoe. Hearing their stories, seeing their perseverance, and learning about the intentional leadership and planning from Lighthouse was encouraging. It was also sweet to witness reunions between members of our team and people from Zoe, reminders that relationships built years ago can continue to bear fruit through encouragement and shared history.

Beyond serving the kids and supporting families, it was a joy to serve alongside this “star-studded” team. From long-time veterans to newer volunteers like me, everyone faithfully stewarded their gifts, and God quickly knit us together. This team was a beautiful picture of the body of Christ, many members, one body, working together for the sake of the gospel (Romans 12:4–6). I was deeply encouraged by their humility, faithfulness, and genuine care for the kids. It was always all hands on deck: people willingly stepping into stations that needed extra help, jumping in wherever there was a need, and even making long drives back into the city for craft supplies without complaint. Serving alongside those who have been faithfully serving the church for many years was a true privilege!

I’ll end by sharing one of my favorite moments from the trip, which was this quote by Pastor Wayne:

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“This is my favorite part of the trip…fellowshipping and being here with you guys. The serving is whatever.”

He said “just kidding” afterward, but how I interpreted it was that it didn’t feel like serving. From shared meals and long car rides (shoutout to Tony for being the best driver and for being all that and a bag of chips) to late-night hangouts and countless moments of teamwork during sessions, serving alongside one another was a true joy (Galatians 5:13). When our shared aim is to glorify Christ, serving alongside fellow believers becomes worship, not merely duty.

This trip was definitely a highlight of my year! Supporting our church plant, building relationships, and making memories together was such a blessing. I’ll always smile when I wear our matching Buc-ee’s shirts and look through our photos in the shared album.

Please continue to pray for Zoe Community Church: for their growth, their leaders, and especially for their children to know and love our Savior! I’m honored to have been a small part of what God is doing there and look forward with joy to what He will continue to do.