It's A God Thing!

Looking back over the past year of working here at this place, there is one particular thing that I believe is the most significant of all since I came. It’s something that began the second day I was here. I was actually on my way out the door to go to the inner city children’s ministry program we do on Tuesday nights when the owner of the company began talking about a Church he thought was near where we met that would soon be closing their doors. His brother-in-law happened to be the pastor of this particular Church and because the area where the building is located had become ninety percent Hispanic they felt they could no longer minister there. My ears perked up. Exactly where was this property located?

Turned out the address was only five miles from where we were meeting in the community center of the apartment complex where we did the children’s ministry. My black minister friend had been able to raise enough money to purchase property and had begun working on a building plan but after ten years the funds had not been available to proceed. The owner of my company went on to say that the Church was going to disband but they wanted to donate the buildings and grounds to someone who would carry on the ministry in that area.

I cannot tell you exactly how I felt but it was a strange feeling because somehow I sensed God was involved in this situation. I told the owner I would immediately inform my black minister friend and get him in touch with the Church leaders of the disbanding work. Okay, there’s much more to the story and it took about three months to get everything done, but in January of this year the African American mission began conducting services in the disbanded facilities. I was privileged to be their first invited guest speaker later in the month. We finished out our year at the apartment complex for the children’s ministry but with this new school term in September we started having the children’s Bible club at this new location.

These folks went from having to meet in a facility that had just one large room to a fully equipped Church property with Sunday school rooms, an auditorium, a fellowship hall, and a gym. The next major hurdle was to determine how they could minister to the Hispanics in that area. They put out fliers and knocked doors and had a good response to our children’s ministry. Over twenty families had indicated an interest. The previous folks had not been able to reach the community because of the cultural and language differences. What we have found is that most of the children speak English, therefore, they have no problems coming on Tuesday night and enjoying our Bible club program.

The first night we had only two Hispanic children. They, by the way, have not missed one club meeting. The next week we added one. After that we began to see a few more coming. Last night I believe we had about forty children and maybe eight were Hispanics from the nearby neighborhood. The fellow who owns the company where I work had very little knowledge about this ministry in the inner city. He really didn’t even know why he told me about the Church that was disbanding. It was more or less a comment made in passing. Obviously God had something else in mind. Wow! Do we serve a great God or what?

I may not make another day, another week, or another year here but I will always be grateful to God that He worked it out so that I could be used as a conduit in providing this property to reach boys and girls for Christ. No matter how much I accomplish here and my desire is that it be important things, there can be nothing greater than to know there will be children’s lives changed forever as a result of God arranging for me to come here. He and He alone deserves the glory and I gladly give it to Him. Amen. .…. more later.