Fourty five years ago last January I entered Maple Street and found the experience that went with it to be a critical part of God’s equipping me for the rest of my life. It offered opportunities to grow in knowing God and providing insights into life-changing ministry patterns.
In working with children, I discovered their concrete thinking will challenge your conceptions of reality and will not let you get away with unexplored statements, generalized assumptions, or unexplained data. Such as, “If God is everywhere, could I step on God and not know it?”
Children learn and communicate with their whole body, arms waving, feet stomping, hands clapping, seeing, smelling, yelling, yawning, participating: Not sitting still! For instance, wearing a blindfold opens their eyes to how Blind Bartimaeus felt when he heard Jesus was coming, or how helpless Saul felt, waiting, without seeing for three days, remembering what had happened on the road to Damascus, holding on to this hope: “You will be told what to do.”
Why is the Maple Street Children’s Center so special? It gives us a chance to think BIG, to equip teachers with skills for ministering throughout the whole church. While serving children this building offers opportunity for developing leadership in those who work with children. Amazingly 90% of those serving as Children’s Family and Summer staff leaders in the 1970’s eventually went into full-time service, becoming pastors, missionaries, counselors, teachers, evangelists, chaplains and innovators in ministry to this day. Having “cut their teeth” on what it was like to minister to others, they chose to follow a lifetime of such. Within less than one decade literally dozens of leaders, (committed to teaching the word in such a way that children and others were attracted to walk in it) went out from Lake Avenue Church to make disciples around the world who would follow Jesus for the rest of that century and into our present one. It all began by helping our children to know God as real, a worthy goal embraced by LAC in the 1970’s. The experience of God at work in children and families changed their lives, revealing to them the place they had in God’s design.
Do you want to influence the world three decades from now? Serve at LAC by teaching children now!
Teachers and those who gave themselves to communicate biblical truth in the 1970’s in such a way that it encouraged changed lives went on to also do the same with youth and adults, utilizing the skills learned in interacting with children. They became leaders in the church, innovators on mission fields, communicators in Christian schools, colleges, seminaries; creators of small groups, visionaries for Lake Avenue for the remainder of that century. They had tasted what it was like to serve as an instrument in the hands of God, fulfilling the purpose of God when he said, we are to provide opportunity, “not prevent, children from coming to” Jesus.
Children have a way of helping us realize that to really learn something we must experience it with our whole being. “I wanna try it myself!” means she got it and now wants to prove it to both you and herself.
The Maple Street Children’s Center has and will continue to carry out the fullness of Jesus’ vision for the future. I learned about God’s multipurpose that working with children is Holy Ground for making leaders. Children weren’t the only ones whose lives were changed by the Maple Street experience. Developing leaders in ministering is “the icing on the cake” which won’t be fully known until we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.
Why is this children’s space special? It provides place for the people of God to actively carry out the command of God to make known to all generations His purpose, presence and His plan.
Is there a Maple Street experience waiting for you?