Church News

Sundays are traditionally known as the day of rest, but for the Rev. David Merlo and Karen Head there is little rest on Sabbath mornings.

Every Sunday, Merlo and Head drive off from Bible Baptist Church to make their rounds in various neighborhoods to pick up a slew of waiting kids eager to learn about God.

It’s all part of Bible Baptist’s bus ministry, which has been a staple of the church since its inception 36 years ago.

The ministry service is for anybody needing a ride to church, Merlo said, but kids have the highest attendance with 15 to 20 riding each week.

Merlo said there are a variety of reasons why children use the bus instead of riding with their parents.

Sometimes the parents aren’t necessarily religious and don’t want to attend church but want their kids to learn. Others might be working later that day and prefer to rest in the morning.

For Maria Payen and her three daughters who have been using the bus service for four years, it’s just an exciting way for the kids to head off to church.

“My girls take the bus, and I meet them (at church), and they ride back with me home,” Payen said. “They love it. They’re really happy, and they’ve learned a lot.”

Payen’s daughter, Alexandra, 10, loves the bus because it’s extra time to spend with friends.

“There’s a lot of nice kids in the bus I talk to,” Alexandra said.

The ministry service starts on Saturdays with Merlo visiting the children’s houses to remind them to come to church the next morning.

“I’ll go out and go by each kid’s house and get to know the kids a little more and maybe get their parents in the church,” Merlo said. “I almost feel like it’s our job to help them come to church and help them have a different life to walk with the Lord.”

Once Merlo and Head pick the kids up, the ministry becomes more than just a way of transporting people from one place to another. It’s a way for children to get access to church when they otherwise would not.

“These little kids get to come to church otherwise, if we didn’t pick them up, they wouldn’t hear the gospel,” Head said. “They really do like to come.”

Head, who has been driving the church vans for nearly 25 years, said that she never gets tired of driving.

“I promised God that I would stay faithful to driving the bus. I just stay focused on that as being a servant for the Lord, and that’s what keeps me motivated,” Head said. “When they get on, and they’re excited to come, that helps. It’s not drudgery; it’s something that I like to do. If they came with their long faces, it wouldn’t be too much fun.”

Head said her favorite part of the ministry is spending time with the kids and singing religious songs to and from church.

Riding the bus to church also enables the children to attend Sunday school to learn more about their Christian faith.

“It teaches me about God and more information that I need to know,” Alexandra said about going to church.

Because Bible Baptist has had the bus ministry since it started, the fruits of the labor are already evident. Merlo said many kids who previously used the bus ministry have now grown up and still attend church with their children.

“We’ve seen a lot of positive results of kids getting saved in the bus ministry,” he said. “To me, the important thing about it is that young kids still haven’t been affected by the things out there in the world as far as drugs and rebellion. We can get them young to love and understand the Lord.”