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Children are like tiny flowers: They are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers. - Friedrich Frobel Harris Park Bible Church announces new pastor Dr. Alex Probst to the church. Probst, his wife, Kim, and their 12 children, have lived in the Harris Park community for over sixteen years. Worship services and children’s Sunday School are at 10 a.m. The address is 2257 Shelton Drive in Harris Park Estates, just past the Harris Park Community Center, on the left side. The second Sunday of each month is Pot Faith Dinner and begins at about 11:30 a.m. after worship service. (Photos courtesy of Dr. Alex Probst) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.theflume.com/free_content/harris-park-welcomes-new-pastor/image_dbec14fa-e7d1-11e5-9eb2-93a3742f0bb4.html] |
I first learn about Pastor Alex Probst and his wife, Kim and their children from Catherine Pakaluk’s book: Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth. When I learnt that they have 13 children, I got reminded of the novel, Cheaper by the dozen. They are similar to Charlton and Natasha Sweazy, another Christian family with many children.
Alex Probst explains why he has many children:
Many people ask me why I have so many children. My answer: a calling from God. I was not saved until late in my 20’s. I even had two children and was married before I acknowledged Jesus as my Lord and Savior. After I was called, the very first thing He told me in prayer was that He wanted to be in charge of the number of children I would raise. I love the Lord and obey Him as much as I am able to, and in this matter, it has been a truly amazing walk of faith and joy. I can truly say that the call of the Christian is a radical call, but one filled with many rewards in this life and the next!
As for his wife, Kim Probst, she explains on Catherine Pakaluk’s book: Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth, on why she fell in love with babies. If you want to know more, please buy that book and read it.
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Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth Hardcover – 19 March 2024 by Catherine Pakaluk (Author) A portrait of America's most interesting yet overlooked women. In the midst of a historic "birth dearth," why do some 5 percent of American women choose to defy the demographic norm by bearing five or more children? Hannah's Children is a compelling portrait of these overlooked but fascinating mothers who, like the biblical Hannah, see their children as their purpose, their contribution, and their greatest blessing. The social scientist Catherine Pakaluk, herself the mother of eight, traveled across the United States and interviewed fifty-five college-educated women who were raising five or more children. Through open-ended questions, she sought to understand who these women are, why and when they chose to have a large family, and what this choice means for them, their families, and the nation. Hannah's Children is more than interesting stories of extraordinary women. It presents information that is urgently relevant for the future of American prosperity. Many countries have experimented with aggressively pro-natalist public policies, and all of them have failed. Pakaluk finds that the quantitative methods to which the social sciences limit themselves overlook important questions of meaning and identity in their inquiries into fertility rates. Her book is a pathbreaking foray into questions of purpose, religion, transcendence, healing, and growth--questions that ought to inform economic inquiry in the future. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.amazon.com.au/Hannahs-Children-Quietly-Defying-Dearth/dp/1684514576] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/book-review-hannahs-children-women.html |
LESSONS LEARNED:
Just like the Jews and the Anabaptist Trio, many Christian families have large families and they rather send their children to Christian schools or home-school them. They do not fear having many children, because they know God will provide for them.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4 vs 19 (ESV)
The couple deserve the John Troyer Memorial Award, for having many children. I wish Alex and Kim Probst the best in serving God and their family. I will close with a quote from Catherine Pakaluk -
“I think that bringing children into the world is like bringing holiness into the world. Like every soul has a mission that can only be fulfilled by that individual and we don’t know what that individual’s mission is and even what our own mission is. We’re all figuring it out as we go. And I think, yes, it is something that I do for God in a sense of the work component.”
― Catherine Pakaluk, Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
“Children are not
accident. They are not an inconvenience. They are not a symptoms of a venereal
disease…. Children are a gift from God.” – John F. MacArthur [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1144050444427244&set=a.463195695846059] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/02/im-dutzend-billiger-cheaper-by-dozen.html
PHOTOS OF LARGE FAMILIES:
I will post photos of large families from the Jews, Anabaptist and Christians.
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Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence. - Johann Sebastian Bach The Mel and Katie Stoltzfus Family in 2024 [PHOTO SOURCE: LINK] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-stotlzfus-family-musical-group.html |
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The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Peirce and Christina Baehr with their ten children [PHOTO SOURCE: https://share.google/images/p8rFriqsuJXCHIIkH] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/06/meet-baehr-family-of-pilgrim-hill-in.html |
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“Tomorrow’s world will be shaped by what we teach our children today.” – Amish Proverb The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb Meet the McCallums, one of Australia's few Amish families Ever wanted to not just slow down, but jump off the grid? A family leaves behind the trappings of the 21st century to lead a simple, pious life in rural Tasmania. Springfield Farm Fresh Produce - McCallum Family [PHOTO SOURCE: https://maps.app.goo.gl/r9BLz6rNjPR59YG99] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/einfache-leben-mccallums-and-their.html |
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17 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 18 For he shall be as a
tree planted by the waters, Gloria Yoder and her family https://amishamerica.com/amish-cook-gloria-yoder-husband-daniel-dies-accident/ https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/03/meet-gloria-yoder-new-order-amish-cook.html |
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“Where the heart is rightly disposed, it doth not demand any uncommon abilities to discharge family worship in a decent and edifying manner.” – George Whitefield 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. – Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV) PHOTO CAPTION: The Martin family gathers at their table in Halfway, as a neighbor child (on the left) also joins them. The Mennonite family is devoted to their Christian faith, and avoids worldly influences that would distract them from God. Shanna Sissom/Plainview Herald [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Mennonite-family-has-life-filled-with-devotion-8421237.php] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/leading-family-worship-by-joel-beeke.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/leading-family-worship-by-joel-beeke_27.html |
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“Children are arrows in a quiver, and they are to be trained as missionaries and shot at the Devil.” — Jim Elliot Charlton and Natasha Sweazy with their children (February 2022) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://strengthtostrength.org/creation-to-new-creation-curriculum/?srsltid=AfmBOorFfOrEBvHKaOARswEgufO7AinXW8eJ_vZxvS8SOvBnn91X4TtQ] Mr. Sweazy is a former professional firefighter who has spent the past decade focused on discipleship and church planting. In 2014, he and his wife, Natasha, moved to East Africa to engage in international Kingdom expansion. While in Uganda, they planted a church in Kampala and established a Christian resource center near the city’s largest university. The center serves as a lighthouse for many to engage with scripture, utilizing Creation to New Creation, a biblical literacy curriculum Charlton developed. A former Sattler College trustee, Charlton has recently transitioned into a staff role at Sattler, where he continues his commitment to Kingdom expansion through education and discipleship. He also remains actively involved with The Bridge English Training Center, which serves the immigrant community just outside Boston, MA. Charlton and Natasha have five biological children and six adopted children from Uganda. As a family, they are passionate about the Kingdom of God and strive to see “His Kingdom come on earth” through loving obedience to Jesus and radical love for their neighbors. https://sattler.edu/blog/team/charlton-sweazy/ https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/01/meet-charlton-and-natasha-sweazy-and.html |
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The Israelian Etiya has no less than 9 children. And that’s of great importance. Because the more children, the better, according to the mother: ‘ Every child is a Mitzva. Every extra child makes the people of Israel bigger.’ [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYUQ7K_-Dss] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/12/israels-baby-boom-2024-children-are-joy.html |
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“The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.” - Mario Puzo [PHOTO SOURCE: https://wheelbrothers.com/2014/01/16/the-strength-of-a-family-like-the-strength-of-an-army/] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html |
Harris Park Bible Church links:
https://www.frcs.org/team/probst-alexandre/
https://harrisparkbiblechurch.org/about/
KINDERWELT LINKS:
“I think
that bringing children into the world is like bringing holiness into the world.
Like every soul has a mission that can only be fulfilled by that individual and
we don’t know what that individual’s mission is and even what our own mission
is. We’re all figuring it out as we go. And I think, yes, it is something that
I do for God in a sense of the work component.”
― Catherine Pakaluk, Hannah's
Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
BOOK REVIEW: Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Pakaluk
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/book-review-hannahs-children-women.html
“Children are arrows in a quiver, and they are to be trained as missionaries and shot at the Devil.” — Jim Elliot
MEET CHARLTON AND NATASHA SWEAZY AND THEIR 11 CHILDREN
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/01/meet-charlton-and-natasha-sweazy-and.html
“The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.” - Mario Puzo
JOHN TROYER MEMORIAL REPORT 2025
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html
“A father’s holy life is a rich legacy for his sons.” - Charles Spurgeon
JOHN TROYER MEMORIAL AWARD
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html
The Hebrew phrase for "children are a joy" is "ילדים הם שמחה" (yeldim hem simcha). "ילדים" (yeldim) means "children", and "שמחה" (simcha) means "joy" or "gladness". Israel is the only OECD countries that have the highest fertility rate of 2.91 per woman.
From September 2023 to September 2024, about 183,000 babies were born in Israel, meaning that more than 400 babies were born per day. There was a similar case in 2022, in its annual Amish population study, the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College estimates that 1,450 Amish babies were born in Lancaster County last year. Only 145 Amish of all ages died. That population increase of 1,305 brought the total number of Amish living here to 44,315. There were more Amish births than deaths in that state.
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/12/israels-baby-boom-2024-children-are-joy.html
15 And
he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and
Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in
them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” - Genesis
48:15-16 (ESV)
ISRAEL’S CHILDREN WORLD: THE ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS ON THE RISE
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/06/israels-children-world-ultra-orthodox.html
“Our children are the only treasures we can take to heaven.”
AMISH BABY BOOM PART 1 – PROVERBS ABOUT CHILDREN
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/10/amish-baby-boom-part-1-proverbs-about.html
Who takes the child by the hand, takes the mother by the heart. – Danish Proverb
AMISH BABY BOOM PART 2 - CANADIAN AMISH ON THE RISE
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/amish-baby-boom-part-2-canadian-amish.html
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” – I Samuel 1:11 (ESV)
Our home joys are the most delightful earth affords, and the joy of parents in their children is the most holy joy of humanity. - Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/05/2025-mothers-day-sermons.html
Honor the house in which you were born, the tree that gave you shade, and the village where you were raised. – Swedish Proverb
THE FAROE ISLANDS: CHILDREN’S WORLD IN EUROPE
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-faroe-islands-childrens-world-in.html
Children are a poor man’s wealth. – Danish Proverb
THE ADOPTED CHILDREN OF THE FAROE ISLANDS
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-adopted-children-of-faroe-islands.html
“Children are the reward of life.” – African Proverb
NAPPY VALLEY - GEELONG BABY BOOM
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2026/01/nappy-valley-geelong-baby-boom.html
Beyond 2050 the world population may start to decrease if women across the world will have, on average, less than 2 children. But that decrease will be slow. - Hans Rosling
BIRTHGAP – CHILDLESS WORLD DOCUMENTARY FILM
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/09/birthgap-childless-world-documentary.html
