Dear TBC,
In short, I want to say, “Thank you.”
Some months ago, our pediatrician referred one of our twin daughters, Naomi, to the State of Georgia’s Babies Can’t Wait Program. This program is intended to improve the developmental potential of very young children who display signs of developmental delay. As part of the program, the state sent an Occupational Therapist (yes, apparently they have those for babies) to our house to work with Naomi. The purpose of this therapy was to improve Naomi’s social interactions and fine motor skills (she has been diagnosed with a mild form autism). The therapy was helpful; however, it was only one day a week. The therapist recommended that we enroll Naomi in a Pre-K program. Out of our twins, Naomi’s sister is the dominant and talkative one. The therapist thought that Naomi would benefit from being in a group of peers, separate from her sister. This was a good suggestion. Unfortunately, it was an expensive one. My wife is a stay at home mom of three and we rely on my income alone to support our family. Outside childcare expenses are not in our budget…especially not for both of our twins. (Imagine the disastrous proposition of dropping one toddler twin off at preschool but not the other.) Regardless of financial constraints, our daughter needed developmental help.
My wife started shopping for different Pre-K options around town. A mother just doesn’t want to leave her children with any old place. As a Christian father, I wanted my children to be taught in a Christian environment. In today’s society “Christian” can have a very broad gate meaning, even among churches. Therefore, certain “church” daycares in Cartersville were not an option for us. No matter what our problems are, the solution for them does not exist outside of God’s will. My wife contacted Tabernacle Baptist Church which we know to be a bible-believing church. Their preschool program was out of our price range, however, upon learning Naomi’s condition, the church granted a discounted “scholarship” rate. We were able to send both of our daughters to Pre-K at Tabernacle.
We are not members or prospective members of Tabernacle (I am, in fact, a former member). Nor are we are not donors. My family has absolutely nothing to offer that local body of believers. All we had was a need that we couldn’t meet. The church met it. After 9 months at Tabernacle preschool, Naomi’s social skills have improved markedly. She is remarkably more outgoing that she was before she attended. The opportunity for her to attend preschool has greater improved her development opportunities. Even better, both of our girls have heard bible stories and learned to sing songs about the blessings of God.
On behalf of my wife, I would like to express our deep gratitude to Pastor Don Hattaway, Preschool Director Rose Mayo, Mrs. Jill, Mrs. Amanda, the preschool ministry staff, and each and every member of Tabernacle Baptist Church. The help you gave our daughter will never show up on a baptism report or balance sheet but it is very real and was much needed. Thank you so much. It is not my place to authoritatively say “Well done, good and faithful servant” to any particular Christian or local body but from the bottom of my heart well done…well done. Thank you very much.
May God continue to bless the children who benefit from the Preschool Ministry of Tabernacle Baptist Church.
Sincerely,
G. Seth Dunn
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend, or the educational institution at which I am enrolled. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
Seth Dunn 