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Cover Article
A
Golden Opportunity
Is it trite to recall here how much easier and better it
is to reach a child with the gospel than to a) miss the opportunity, b) let them
reach adulthood, and c) then try to reach them? Now certainly we make every
effort to reach adults for Christ, and we will continue to do that; but how much
better it would have been had we reached them as children! Here are some really
good foundations on which to build a philosophy of reaching children while they
are children:
JESUS TOLD US TO DO IT! Mark 10:14 reads, “Permit the children to come to Me; do
not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” In another
place, Mary told servants at the Cana wedding, concerning her Son, Jesus,
“Whatever He says to you, do it.” That was good advice then, and it is good
advice now. When Jesus says to do something, we had best do it! So, let’s reach
the children.
TO SPARE THE CHILDREN LIVES OF GRIEF! It fills our hearts with joy when God uses
our ministry in the salvation of adults, many of whom have walked down long and
difficult pathways of sin. How much more wonderful if some VBS worker, Sunday
School teacher, AWANA worker, or other person ministering to kids had drawn them
in with the “gospel net” before they got on those paths. So much pain, guilt,
shame, and wasting of life could have been prevented.
THE RELATIVE DIFFICULTY OF THE TASKS! Children are like more easily-bent twigs,
while adults more nearly resemble the hardened limb or trunk of a mature tree -
so very hard to bend! We are wise to take advantage of the ability of a child to
simply trust God, to take Him at His Word. Child evangelism is always easier
than the same work with adults.
A FULL LIFE OF SERVICE FOR CHRIST! Someone asked an evangelist how the service
went, how many people came to Christ. He replied, “Two and a half.” “You mean
two adults and one child?” “No,” he replied, “I mean two children and one
adult.” What he intended was that the adult only had a portion of their life on
earth left to serve the Lord, while the children had full lives ahead of them
for that service.
Camp Open Arms is the Rescue Mission’s greatest opportunity for reaching
children with the life-changing, destiny-altering gospel of Christ. July 14-18
and 21-25 will find us over in Surry County, ministering to 64 children, ages
12-15, and 64 more, ages 8-11. We request your prayer support and financial help
in what we trust will be a harvest of souls for Christ. We would be delighted to
come speak to your group about camp, or about any area of the Mission’s
ministry.
If you would like to help with Camp Open Arms,
please click HERE.
Superintendent's
Corner
Pray for Summer Camp
I spend a good deal of time working on a computer these days.
I do all my correspondence that way; most of my Bible study is done using
computer programs. We keep almost all of our Mission records on computers now,
and even this article is being written with the use of a computer. When a
resident needs a birth certificate - you guessed it - we use a computer to order
it.
The “wallpaper” on my computer “desktop” is a picture of my
family, all eleven of us. So each time I come to do some work, I see smiling
back at me faces of my most dearly-beloved-ones. Five of them are children,
little ones who have so many advantages in life. They have godly, hard-working,
loving parents who put them first in life (after the Lord and each other, of
course!).
Joshua, James, Eden, Joseph, and Addy-Lin should never know
the pain of hunger or the embarrassment of not having good clothes. They should
never experience the abandonment of a parent or parents and the void in life
that such aloneness brings. They will be disciplined, but not abused. They will
be loved, but not spoiled. Three of them have already trusted Jesus, led to
faith in Him by their parents. Church life will always be as natural to them as
home and playground.
My grandchildren’s lives form a great contrast with so many
of the young people who come to Camp Open Arms. Very few of the campers live in
two-parent homes; a large percentage are raised by someone other than a parent.
Many live in very troubled neighborhoods with drugs, drive-by shootings, and the
ever-present uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring in their lives. For most of
these children, education is undervalued and under-emphasized. The way out of
their unfortunate situation is not easy, and it is rarely evident to them.
We believe that a huge first step is faith - faith in Christ
and what He can do in a life. Camp Open Arms offers that faith, and does so
through good role models in men, women, and young people who have the right set
of values, and are willing to pass them on. Pray for our success in lives this
summer, as God touches lives at COA!
If you would like to help
with Camp Open Arms, please click HERE.
A Note From Alan
Not In The Picture
About 2 months ago Faith and I took our kids to see the latest VeggieTales movie
- The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything - (by the way, we highly recommend it ).
Another family from our church also went and took their kids. After the movie we
went to CiCi’s Pizza in Hampton on Mercury Blvd. The kids were all sitting
around one table and the adults were at the next table.
While we were sitting there, a young boy (Michael) came up to our table and
began talking to us. His opening question caught us off guard. He asked if we
were driving a truck. Strange. With our curiosity now peaked we told him that we
were in 2 vehicles - a van and an SUV, and asked him why he wanted to know. He
said he needed a ride home.
As we kept talking we learned that he was at CiCi’s Pizza at 8:30 on a Friday
night, on his bicycle, and he was completely alone!! Earlier that day he had
ridden his bike from his home near the James River Bridge to Bass Pro Shop to
get some lures to go fishing on Saturday morning. Time got away, and he found
himself about a thirty minute bike ride from home in the dark. He had made it to
CiCi’s and had eaten supper there (we’re still not sure if he had money for this
meal, or if someone else paid for it, or if he just helped himself to the
buffet!). In any case, he was looking for a ride home for him and his bicycle.
Before I would consider putting him in my vehicle and driving off with him I
needed to talk to his parents. He gave me his home number where he lives with
his grandmother. This elderly woman, and was a fiery combination of worried and
mad at her grandson. She was stunned that he was that far from home. We assured
her that he was fine and offered to bring him home. She met us at the door.
Michael’s grandmother appeared to be in her upper seventies, very small frame,
and very feeble. She was grateful to us, but she was not happy with him!!!
As we drove away we thanked God that Michael approached us and not someone else.
Our stomachs still knot up as we think of what could have happened to him if the
wrong person had learned he was there alone.
By the time you read this article, we will have given Michael an application to
Camp Open Arms, and we hope he will be allowed to come.
So many of the campers that come are in situations similar to Michael’s. In many
cases, moms and dads are not in the picture for any number of reasons. The kids
are being raised by an elderly grandparent or aunt who are to be commended for
stepping up, but should not be asked to raise children at their age. Many of our
campers spend much of their time on their own, going where they want, fending
for themselves. Camp is a much-needed ministry in their young lives. Pray that
the Michaels in our community will make it to Camp Open Arms 2008 and learn of
the Heavenly Father Who loves them.
If you would like to help
with Camp Open Arms, please click HERE.
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