Today, “passing the torch” conjures up images of the Olympic Games. We’ve all seen the runners carrying the Olympic flame around the globe and passing it from one to the other until the last one reaches that final destination at the current Olympic venue. It’s a powerful, emotional experience for everyone in the stadium as the final runner enters and runs up the long flight of stairs to light the Olympic flame. 

In the earliest days of the Christian Grandparenting Network, our tagline and logo included such an image. You can see the figure of an older adult (grandparent) passing a torch much like the Olympic torch to a younger person. We used this visual as a way of reminding grandparents of the biblical mandate to pass the torch of God’s Word and the Gospel to their grandchildren. 

Paul instructed young Timothy to “fan into flame” the gift of God which had been given him. It was Paul’s reminder to him of the faith that had been passed to him from both his mother and grandmother. That stirs up for me this image of “passing the torch”.

In modern times the image of “passing the torch” is also applied to the transfer of leadership in an organization. That is the case at the Christian Grandparenting Network. In 2020, after twenty-three years of leading this ministry, I passed the torch to Dr. Josh Mulvihill. In 2021, both of us agreeing it was God’s choice for CGN. He then passed the torch to Sherry Schumann to take the helm at CGN. God has used Sherry to grow this ministry in amazing ways since she received that torch. It has been such a blessing to watch it all unfold as God moves and directs.

A little more than a year ago, Sherry asked me to come alongside her as Chief Operating Officer (COO). I agreed to do so for a short term until the Lord showed us the person who would step into that role on a more permanent basis. As only the Lord can do, he led us to Jay (Johnson) Bell, a man with extraordinary gifts and life experiences perfectly suited for this position. I am thrilled to pass that torch to Jay, who stepped into the COO position on January 1, 2024.

Passing the torch is a perfect illustration of what we are all about as followers of Christ. We are commanded by God to tell the next generations the wondrous things God has done and who he is. How are you doing at passing the torch of faith to your children and grandchildren? If we do not faithfully carry out this responsibility, another generation may grow up, like that generation mentioned in Judges 2, not knowing the Lord or the things he has done. We dare not fail to carry that flame faithfully and make sure it is passed on to the next generation. 

Will you pray for Sherry, Jay, and the rest of the leadership team at CGN to keep that flame burning bright in the years ahead, calling grandparents to pass the torch of truth to their grandchildren, and providing the tools to help them do that?