Moms in Ministry

My friend Heather is leading Children's Church. She has a gift for catching the attention of even the most persistent wigglers and drawing them into the song or story. This week, however, she looks slightly distracted. It could be because there is a 3-year-old hanging from her leg.

Heather looks as though this kind of thing happens to her all the time. And considering that the clinging toddler is her son, it probably does. As one hand guides the motions for "Deep and Wide," Heather's other hand is engaged in keeping her son from using her dress as a hideout. Whenever I think of moms juggling ministry and family, I picture Heather.

I've met so many mothers who fully believe that God is using their gifts to bless their families, but who also yearn to do more to bring God's love to the hearts of others. Still, trying to balance the needs of our children with the needs of others can be precarious at best. So when I spoke with five women who have children and also a ministry outside the family, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the women who developed a healthy equilibrium were those who found ways to include their children in their ministry. The result is not only moms who are using their gifts to change the world, but kids who are learning invaluable lessons in living the gospel.

Connie Lindsley

Connie Lindsley is a former missionary in Austria, China, and South America. She and her husband, Art, are partners in Oasis, a Washington, D.C.-area home ministry.

Connie says their house is open to anyone who needs a place to stay for a short time; they've had believers and non-believers, people in important positions, foreign students, sons and daughters of friends. An Israeli television journalist will be staying with them for a few days while she meets with people in D.C., and a psychiatrist will come on a day-long retreat for prayer. Missionaries or others in ministry who need rest and respite come to be renewed; others just need a bed and a meal.

Connie admits that organizing her ministries around the needs of her two sons, Trey, 11, and Jon, 9, is a juggling act, but well worth the extra energy. "Our family's purpose," she says, "is to give people a reason for hope."

But Connie also notes that as a mom in ministry, she makes sure her children know their needs still matter. She says, "You have to think about your family commitments, making sure your kids are thriving and communication lines are open." Because of this concern, Connie and her husband recently took a six-month sabbatical to focus on their own relationship and to be with their kids.

Connie says her family's involvement in Oasis has given the boys "a bigger picture of the world" as well as freeing them from prejudice. Connie says, "With the world coming into our house, they really see that in Christ there is no Jew nor Greek; they feel the community of God."

Jeannie Rodkey

Growing up on the mission field, Jeannie Rodkey always wanted to be a missionary. She felt, as she puts it, "on the shelf," as she homeschooled her four children in Santa Barbara, California, a beautiful resort community that hardly looks like a mission field.

Then Jeannie heard about a local pregnancy care center called Life Network. Through Life Network, Jeannie began to mentor a pregnant teenager named Sophia. Jeannie and Sophia studied the Bible together, went for ice cream, and attended Life Network activities with other teens and mentors, often with Jeannie's children in tow. Other times, Jeannie and Sophia met for Bible study and prayer during the Rodkeys' homeschool lunch breaks while the older kids watched the younger ones. Sophia also joined the Rodkeys for family activities, allowing Jeannie to not only spend time with Sophia, but giving Jeannie's children the chance to be part of the ministry as well.

Jeannie says, "My kids got to watch all the stages of Sophia's pregnancy. After the baby came, my children and I even provided daycare for her baby for three weeks when Sophia needed extra help."

The kids were thrilled to share in their mom's ministry, especially as they shared in the excitement of seeing Sophia come to know the Lord. Jeannie says, "I think when kids are part of their parents' ministry like this, it makes their faith more real. They see God working."

For Jeannie, the most fulfilling part of mentoring Sophia has been watching the teenager's heart become open to God. "I've seen what a difference it's made in Sophia's life to learn that God cares for her and loves her. I realized I've been a missionary here."

Regina Wheeler

Regina Wheeler of Valencia, California, ended up in ministry almost by accident. Regina says she was "basically minding my own business" when an Awana commander from her old church approached her and said, "Regina, you want to help in Awana this year?" Regina had no clue what Awana was, but said yes anyway. Says she, "I believed that was my calling."

Since then, Regina has guided her church's JV (junior high) group in Awana, a non-denominational Christian program which stresses Scripture knowledge and memorization. On any given night, she supervises 75 seventh- and eighth-graders for Bible study, small group time, and games. Her particular love is her Pacer group, a small core group of 20 which she started about four years ago to help kids transition from eighth grade into Awana's Varsity (high school) level.

Regina includes her children in the Awana ministry, and the family impact has been evident. Regina and her oldest, Jairus, now 21, started JV together and Kelli, 16, Gregory, 13, and Chase, 8, have all participated in Awana. Indirectly, Regina's son Chase helped lead his dad, Quentin, to the Lord. The material in Chase's Awana book intrigued Quentin so much that he took the book with him on a Navy tour at sea, talked to the chaplain on the ship about what he was reading, and accepted Christ.

It's hard for Regina to estimate how many hours a week she spends with Awana. Yet she doesn't sound stressed or burdened by it. "Sometimes the schedule conflicts with family, but I give it to God and figure he knows where I need to be."

Karen Weaver

Karen Weaver lives with her husband, Jerry, and children Joshua, 16, Caleb, 13, David, 11, Isaac, 10, Elizabeth, 9, and Esther, 6, in Denton, Texas. Sharing God's love through acts of prayer and service is a family mission for the Weavers.

Karen homeschools five of her kids and coordinates the children's ministry at the church where her husband has a pastoral position. But Karen felt led to do more—and include her children.

With her nursing background, she knew of many ministry opportunities in hospitals and nursing homes. So she and the children developed an outreach to nursing homes, where the children help with a devotional service, leading music or reading Scripture for the residents.

The whole family is also involved in intercessory prayer, both public and within the family. "My deep desire," says Karen, "is that my children know God and the joy of praying to him. And what better way than letting them experience how exciting and wonderful it is to be part of God at work, and by seeing some of our deepest prayers answered."

Karen tells of the time Joshua needed new shoes, but money was tight. She says, "We put it on our prayer calendar and agreed to pray for the need for two weeks. We told the kids, 'Let's see what God does.'" That was Friday. On Sunday, a friend of Joshua's brought a pair of brand new shoes to church, exactly the type he needed. The friend said his mom had bought him a pair and got the second because it was half price, but he really didn't want two pair. Karen reports, "The shoes fit perfectly."

But that wasn't the end of the story. Karen laughs and says, "We said we'd pray for two weeks, so we kept praying. By the end of the two weeks, every single child in the family had shoes. We've seen this kind of thing happen over and over and over, so my kids have really experienced God working."

Jane Biscarini

Jane Biscarini, her husband, Peppo, and their two children, Marco, 11, and Isabella, 5, are part of Campus Crusade for Christ in West Palm Beach, Florida. They are involved in a new outreach to community leaders called Executive Ministries. "We reach these people through invitational dinners. As many as 300 people attend, and we've been getting around 75 first-time decisions for Christ," Jane says.

Jane is involved in follow-up for those who attend the dinners, helps facilitate three Bible studies a week, and participates in team meetings for Bible study leaders. Jane has found simple ways for the kids to be involved with the ministry. Marco and Isabella help stamp and seal envelopes for newsletters, help set up for the couples' groups each week, and attend the group dinners and events. Jane notes, "We want our kids to be involved, but not to resent the time we spend in ministry."

SO, HOW DO these women do it? How do they balance the incessant demands of family against the steady pull of ministry?

Perhaps Karen Weaver explains it best when citing her life motto from Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened … for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"Ministry is an outpouring of God's love." says Karen. "If I'm out of love, I pull back. Other times, I'm so full, I can't keep from sharing it. He pours it into me and gives me the opportunity to give it to others!"

Pamela Shires Sneddon is the author of Body Image: A Reality Check (Enslow).

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