Training adults to effectively minister to the thousands of children that need to have a personal relationship with Jesus is as vital to the child as food, water and shelter.
The air was filled with the excitement and expectations of 170 girls, ages 9-12 as they arrived with suitcases and sleeping bags in tow for a weekend of fun, fellowship and training. It was a military setting and the theme was “HOT pursuit of God”. Donned in pink camouflage t-shirts, carrying Bibles and jewel-adorned notebooks the girls arrived at the service anticipating God’s next move.
This was my opportunity to train these girls how to put aside their earthly burdens and wholeheartedly seek after God, the one who has a plan for their lives, the one who gives hope and a future.
Children throughout the U.S. are under a tremendous amount of pressure to be accepted by their peers, to live up to parents expectations and often times carry the burden of a family that has been torn apart. With 45% of children living in single family homes, over 18% living in poverty and 12 substantiated reports of maltreatment per 1,000 children, it’s no wonder that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and 14 and that as many as one in every 33 children may have depression.
As the evening came to a close the girls were invited to spend time with God, seeking His direction and His healing power in their lives. One by one the girls came to the altar and began to pray. As I glanced to the right my attention was drawn to Tonya. Her head was bowed and body leaning forward. Tears fell from her cheek. What could be burdening this child so much?
We can no longer minimize the cries of a child at the altar. They are no longer tears over a lost toy or a pet that has died. We must realize that the tears are being shed for much deeper reasons. We can’t minimize the tears simply because they are children, lest one of them becomes a statistic.
As I knelt down to pray with Tonya, I knew that this was the first step to her healing. The second step would be her relationship with a trusted adult that could give her the much needed spiritual teaching and guidance necessary to pursue after God.
Are there people ready to help Tonya wipe away the tears?
My desire is to train an army of compassionate adults who will be able to recognize a child’s pain and be equipped to effectively minister to that child offering the peace and hope that only Christ can give. It’s imperative that I help churches identify individuals that are passionate about a child’s need for Jesus and then train them to reach the lost. That is my primary purpose for establishing iRock ministries through US Missions.
There are thousands more like Tonya and I can only reach a few of them. By training a group of 10 adults in every church in just my district, over 3,000 people will be equipped to reach, at the very least, 3,000 children. As I continue to help churches train their leaders I’m going to need your help both prayerfully and financially. Consider becoming a financial partner so that I can devote all of my time and energy training people in hundreds of churches across the United States.
Together we can change the world as we reach the millions of children that need to hear about Jesus, one at at time!