Coming back to my home church after so many years away was a very sweet experience. I had a sense of nostalgia the entire time I was there. Saturday, as I stood on-stage practicing with Stephen, I kept imagining myself as a little girl and all the things I used to do at that church. I saw myself on that pew I always sat on or at a table in the exact same room where I used to attend Sunday School. Everything was the same, and yet it was different also.
I got to see a lot of familiar faces while at Grace Chapel. These people are special to me because they each helped shape me into the person I am today. You see, I’ve wanted to be a missionary for as long as I can remember. As a small child, I’d tell people about my dreams and I’d always receive praise about how great an idea that was! Now that I’m an adult, I can see where all the encouragement and smiling faces of the many people who’ve passed through Grace Chapel made it possible for me to live my dream. A lot of times children tell their parents or other adults about their aspirations for when they’re a “grown up.” I was no different. But if my dreams hadn’t been nurtured, I don’t believe that the seed God’s spirit planted in me to pursue this path would have been able to grow and thrive.
So this is my message to all the adults reading this blog article. Encourage the children/youth in your church. Whatever it is they want to pursue in life, be sure to help them in their efforts. If they want to be a pastor, tell them how wonderful that is and give them opportunities to practice the art of preaching. Let them lead a youth service one night, or if the child is brave enough give them the chance to maybe preach a little on a Sunday night. They may change their mind later on down the road, but that is OK too. Do not dismiss the hopes and dreams of a young person simply because of his or her age.
I think that if someone had been negative about my desires to be a missionary I might have turned down a different path and not be where I am today. I was very impressionable as a child and thought a lot about what adults said to me. As Christians, we need to understand the power our words can have on aspiring youth. I never want to be the cause of a child turning away from ministry because of my words or actions. I always want to be a positive influence for these youth and I want them to feel comfortable in telling me about their dreams. It is never silly to want to work for God. Children who think they might want to enter into the ministry need to be mentored and empowered to be who they feel God is calling them to be. Each one of them is precious and so desperately needed.
So, in closing I want to thank you Grace Chapel Church of God of Prophecy for everything you did right by me. You encouraged me, helped me, and gave me a safe place to grow in Christ. I am a direct product of you and everything I do here after is because of your ministry. You are a small church, but you are making a big impact in your community and world- and that I think is something to be very proud of.