We’ve been at our current church and place of residence for about four years now. The first year we were here, I felt the Lord nudging me to take on the role of AWANA commander. The ministry here was struggling and just needed some freshness and vision. I believe that two of my main spiritual gifts are administration and evangelism and I was very suited for the position. However, as the following article indicates, I believe that a man was what was really needed for the role. Since the time I wrote this article, the Lord has blessed the ministry tremendously and has even called a man to take over as commander. Now I’m doing what I really love: working as the preschool director!! Julie from Everyday Mommy asked for posts about godly manhood and raising our boys to be godly men. I don’t know if this is what she had in mind or not, but it reminded me of this old article (written three years ago for our church’s newsletter) and I thought I’d share it with you today. . . ------------------- AWANA workers have officially taken a sabbatical for the summer and I have been reflecting on the lives of the nearly 100 children who were enrolled this year and the relationships that many of our church members made with those children. Our pastor says it often and I believe it, "The Kingdom of God is all about relationships." I rejoice to think of all of the future Smallville adults with whom we have been developing relationships! In August, the public school will go back into session and AWANA will follow suit. I now realize (from how things went this past year) that we really need more church members to volunteer to come on Wednesday nights and be “listeners” for the Scripture memory time. Specifically, we need MEN. (We need women too, but that’s not what this article is about.) It is my opinion that too many American children are mentored in a feminine world. They grow up in homes, schools and churches, which are led and taught by women. Children have over a 98% chance that their primary school teachers, babysitters or day care providers will be women. The situation is no different in churches all over our nation. Most Sunday School teachers, nursery workers and children’s church workers are women. Anyone in church work can attest to the shortage of men who are committed to discipling children. How might the next generation be affected if it had more men as mentors? Christian men bring a unique contribution to children’s ministry that cannot be successfully substituted by females. Only men can serve as male role models and communicate the fatherhood of God (a need for both the boys and the girls!) Also, manhood is better “caught” than “taught.” Many of our AWANA children grow up in single parent homes. I believe that First Baptist might be the only place where some of these children have an opportunity to interact with loving, nurturing, caring values of godly manhood. The purpose of this article is NOT to discourage women from volunteering to help with AWANA. We need women too! It’s just that the overwhelming numbers of AWANA children who come from broken homes breaks my heart—and I want to express my heart as AWANA commander, and as your pastor’s wife to my church family. We had about 20 precious people who came each week and listened to the children quote their Scripture memory work. But frankly, it just wasn’t enough. Many weeks, we would have to put 4+ children with ONE listener. It’s just impossible to help children memorize with student/teacher ratios like that! I am praying that many of you will feel moved by the Holy Spirit to jump in and help. I don’t endorse everything about Rick Warren’s ministry or works, but I liked what he said here in his book, The Purpose Driven Life concerning serving and spiritual gifts:

Many books get the [spiritual gift] discovering backwards. They say, “Discover your spiritual gift and then you’ll know what ministry you’re supposed to have.” It actually works the opposite way! Just start serving, experimenting with different ministries, and then you’ll discover your gifts. Until you’re actually involved in serving, you’re not going to know what you’re good at. You have dozens of hidden abilities and gifts you don’t even know you’ve got because you’ve never tried them out. So I encourage you to try doing some things you’ve never done before. No matter how old you are, I urge you to never stop experimenting. I have met many people who discovered hidden talents in their seventies and eighties. I know a woman in her nineties who runs and wins 10K races and didn’t discover she enjoyed running until she was seventy-eight!

In Heaven we’re going to serve God forever. Right now, we can prepare for that eternal service by practicing on earth. Like athletes preparing for the Olympics, we keep training for the big day. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after the one that’s gold for eternity. In closing, I’ll quote a friend (in his late 70s) who is still going strong for the Lord:

I’d rather burn out than rust out.”

Amen, my friend. AMEN! Be praying about your place of service in the Body of Christ!