Tonight-I am sharing our church. Our church means more to me than most anything else on this list (my family is just a bit above)
I have been going to our church since I was 3 years old. 26 years. I started in the preschool department-and there I learned about Noah and Moses and Jesus and the Devil-It wasn't as advanced teaching as we have now but it was a good foundation and a guarantee that I would get animal crackers when we talked about Noah.
As I grew older I became involved in the youth choir-which took me on many choir tours-and allowed me to witness to 3 kids. I still have those kids named etched in my head...Ronald on the basketball court..Elijah the little boy who called me sister...Velicia the precious girl with dimples...
In high school and college my involvement with the church dwindled as my life with sin increased. It wasn't until Todd and I were parents of 2 did I return.
When I returned it was because I was desperate. Desperate for help-for guidance-for God. I knew I needed Him and I didn't know where else to find Him.
It wasn't long after I returned did I become an employee in the Children's Ministry. It was here my growth as a Christian really began. Here I learned what it meant to live out the life God wants for us. Here I made my first adult friends and learned to study the word.
It was here I discovered my desire to teach kids the truth about being a Christian-Not to encourage them to pray a "prayer" and be saved-If they felt the calling to do that then that was awesome-I wanted to teach them how to live out a life that is anything but ordinary-how to have a desire to learn about God-how to apply the lessons we read each week to their daily life.
I began with 4 year olds-then dropped down to 2 year olds-then moved over to 1st grade-where I have been for almost 3 years with my teaching buddy Richard.
Man-am I going to miss Richard. Richard is a dad and a husband. He has 4 girls (Jr in high school-8th grade-2nd grade and 1st grade)
He is ex military and he works countless jobs. He is dedicated to serving the youth at our church-he takes them camping, canoeing, picks them up for church if they don't have a ride, he takes a week off of work to serve as a camp counselor at our summer camp. Richard has a servants heart and he has been a great friend and mentor to myself and to Todd.
God picked out a great teaching partner when he selected Richard.
Our pastor Greg and his wife Susan have been instrumental in my life. Dr. Greg came right when Todd and I started coming back to church. He is a pastor that preaches the word. He is steady leading our church to reach out in missions and in the way we "do church". He has been a father figure to me and such a wonderful example of a Godly man for Todd,
The friend from church are a whole other day-but there is one other group that I can not leave out.
My kids. Not the Broadus 3...my church kids. I tell this story every year and I feel the need to share it with yall.
I never wanted kids. At all. When Madyson and Aubrie came-my heart began to change-and when I began teaching these kids-My life-my heart grew. I never once knew you could love someone else's children the way you love your own-but yall-I do. I absolutely adore the kids in our children's ministry and all the ones that have passed through my classroom. These kids are going BIG things in their lives. They have a desire to learn and to grow. 2 weeks ago we were learning 2 Kings 22 about King Josiah being 8 year old-we got on the topic of doing things we don't want to do but doing them because God calls us too. I shared with the kids about our move to Georgia and how I did not want to go-but I asked God that if this was His will for Him to make it easy-I told them how he sold our house and got us a house in Georgia-how He did everything for us-all we had to do was pack. One of my precious little boys-asked "why don't you want to go?" My eyes filled up with tears as I mumbled "I don't want to leave yall"
I never thought that being a Sunday School teacher would be so much of my identity. But I love being "Mrs. Sarah" and I love getting up every Sunday to go to church and investing 1 hour of my time to 15 eager and hungry for God first graders. I love being able to know that with each hug and each lesson about controlling your sword and each story of compassion and wisdom and with every animal cracker...they are becoming one step closer to an eternity with Jesus. You just can't
get any better than that. I love being a tool of God's. and I will continue to serve in any aspect He has planned for me. But boy...I am sure going to miss these kids.
If you are not a part of a church because you don't feel like you fit in-or you don't have anything to wear-or you don't like the music....I beg you-make it your mission to find a place that you feel comfortable in. You might have to try on a few "pair of shoes" before you find the one that doesn't give you blisters-but please find a church body to worship with-to help you grow. Our church has been such a blessing to the Broadus Bunch-we would not be where we are today if it were not for the love of Jesus we have been shown by the people of our church.
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