Archive for July 2017
Transformational Ministry is Relational
Susan was the lesson planner and organizer. Cobb was the fun-loving, relational businessman. Everyone thought of her as the “teacher” and “children’s worker.” Cobb was just helping out. Each Sunday they would serve side-by-side. Whenever I would check in on them, I would observe Susan presenting the Bible truth, leading an activity or helping children…
Read MoreTravel Update: Quinton Hufferd in Hungary
I was a little nervous about going to Hungary. It wasn’t the potential language barrier, the new people to meet, or the distance. It was the pressure of teaching a national ministry team that has been operating for twenty years. I started with the Bible resource publishing program abroad less than a year ago… what…
Read MoreChildren Can – and Do – Respond to God
Years ago, I was asked to preach in a church in Quilpué, Chile. Before the sermon, they took an offering. The ushers had large, shallow straw bowls. Four of them stood in the front of the sanctuary. Down the pew from me was a young girl that looked to be about ten years old. She…
Read MoreMaybe it Really Does Take a Village
In 1996, then First Lady Hillary Rodham-Clinton released a book entitled, It Takes A Village. This title was criticized for several reasons. Many people disagreed with the overall premise of the book, that the community is responsible for raising children collectively, not just each child’s parents. I was a part of that camp. I believed…
Read MoreTravel Update: Krysten Norkaitis in Mexico
Last month, I had the privilege of traveling to Mexico City to work with EGM-Mexico‘s Director, Benjamin Calderon, and a few key leaders. The purpose of the trip was to begin their training process on the five qualities of a Model Children’s Worker and to challenge them to teach others what they learn. What is…
Read MoreChildren Are Excellent Teachers
Some of the greatest ministry being done in the world today is being done by children. Some of the most important lessons I have learned have been taught to me by boys and girls around the world. Sometimes we get so caught up in serving, teaching, pastoring and otherwise giving to children that we forget…
Read MoreTravel Update: Emese Balint in Romania
Emese Balint, EGM’s European Director, recently participated in a summer camp hosted by a partner of EGM-Hungary‘s church in Romania. Check out her video update and read the testimony below! “We had the blessing of seeing God work in the children’s lives but also in the teachers. I praise God for the way He showed…
Read MoreTalk is Cheap: Local Ministry Needs Local Funding
Words are nice. But often they don’t really say much. I recently celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary. I spent months planning a trip that included as much of what my wife loves as I could fit into the two days we had to celebrate together. And I spent money — a lot of money —…
Read MoreThey Have God’s Full Attention
Four years ago, I completed a training session in Kisoro, Uganda. Several leaders asked me to walk with them to the nearby Potters Village Orphanage, run by the church. I was introduced to a little baby who was only hours old. His mother, a DR Congo refugee, had died in childbirth. There was no known…
Read MoreVBS in Romania: A Four-Wheel Adventure
Last week, my family and I had the privilege of participating with EGM-Romania in a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program they organized in partnership with the First Baptist Church in Manastur, Cluj. This was the 15th year of VBS at this church. The theme of the week was “Four-Wheel Adventures.” The purpose of each Bible…
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