Both of my parents were active in ministry from the time I was born up until last year. They’ve done everything that can be done in a church and never questioned their involvement even though both had very active, busy lives. My dad served for several years as a deacon in the church. He ushered, served as a prayer partner, and taught Sunday school. Some of my most special memories of going to church as a boy involve sitting in my dad’s Sunday school class. He not only taught us the Bible, but he also made it exciting. Since my dad was a sports enthusiast, he always found a way to incorporate sports into our learning. There was Bible Baseball, probably my favorite, where you could earn a single, double, triple, or even a home run. Each question was more difficult the farther you wanted to get on the bases. That was my version of junior Bible quiz!
My mom was a Sunday school teacher, painted, cleaned, directed our nursery school (which had 200 students), coordinated church dinners, called people who needed special prayer, and probably did other things I can’t even remember. Despite raising five children and keeping up with all of our school and other non-church activities, my mom didn’t know what it was to say no if called to do something for the church.
As you can see, the church has always played an important part in my life. By the time I was able to drive, I was at the church whenever I had free time to volunteer for work projects that needed to be done. My senior year of high school, I was the children’s church pastor over a group of 100 boys and girls while the church’s children’s pastor led the older children in another room. I loved it and couldn’t wait to see those kids every Sunday. I’m saying all of this to hopefully encourage those of you not involved in a ministry to get involved. Find the joy of serving the church in a way that pours into your life!
