“A country’s most valuable natural resource is its children.”
When I was just starting on the pathway of doing children’s ministry at Council Road Baptist Church, I encountered that quote. As I remember, it was credited to a man who was a famous actor, singer, dancer and comedian. His name? Danny Kaye. Now I don’t know if he was a particularly wise man, but I do know that he realized a truth about children: they are a treasure of great value and it is imperative for the future that we protect, nurture, guide and love them.
Our church does that so well in our Preschool, Children, and Student Ministries on Sundays and Wednesdays. A huge shout out to our leaders, Dondra Lonsdale, Sarah Hagar and Alex Luttrell, and to all the teachers who faithfully serve every week. But, did you know that the same loving and guiding of children also happens at the CUBE on Tuesday afternoons? Yep! It’s called Whiz Kids.
Every Tuesday at 3:10, Luke McConnell and Makenzie Magnus start up our old people movers and drive them to Council Grove Elementary School where they pick up 24 kids to bring them to the CUBE—boys and girls of assorted ages sizes and personalities, each of whom have been recommended for a little extra tutoring in reading. All of them are great kids and you can’t help but fall in love with them and their stories when you meet them one on one.
So, what happens at The CUBE? First, there is some free time to play and students eat a light meal with their tutors. Next, Sarah Hagar teaches a Bible lesson with life truths and a verse. Then, students pair off again with their tutors to do some serious reading and intentional game playing. These kids are nurtured, loved, guided, and treasured.
Why do we participate in this outreach ministry? Why do some of our men and women interrupt their day, leave work early, and come to The CUBE every Tuesday? Gordon Walker and his wife, Beverly, are two of our tutors. Here is his response to those questions:
Beverly and I first became aware of Whiz Kids twenty or so years back when my Dad was a Whiz Kids tutor at Baptist Temple. We never could understand why Dad would NEVER miss WK.
Now we do.
Although it took a few weeks of WK for mutual warmup to take place between the kids and the tutors, the bonds soon after became very solid. Seeing Antonio begin to make progress in his reading took me to a point where I was the one who never wanted to miss a week, knowing I might miss something big.
The something big came early this semester when it seemed the light clicked on for Mr. Antonio, or as I now refer to him affectionately, “Mr. 64.”
Antonio struggles with distraction during our reading time. Our keyword to get on track: CONCENTRATE.
When Antonio concentrates, he is a capable learner. He is plenty smart. He’s just not all that interested in intentional learning. That was, until January. In the succession of a few weeks, he began to grow bit by bit, week by week, in this area of concentration. And then, he went from being forcefully nudged to read 20-25 pages a week of “Are You My Mother?” to cheerfully read ALL 64 pages in one 20-minute sitting.
As he reached the halfway point, he suddenly sat up straight in his chair and began to read confidently and with far more than a whisper.
Mr. 64 was born.
Beverly and I pray regularly for Antonio and his sister, Liberty, that they would both learn to love learning (Liberty truly has grown to that point this year) and, more importantly, learn to love the Lord.
Whiz Kids is a marvelous vehicle for both of these goals.
So there you go! Gordon’s answer nails it! Antonio’s life has been changed for the better and he feels loved and important and confident! Whiz Kids is just one of the many missions efforts of CRBC that our Missions Minister, Makenzie Magnus, coordinates and that is definitely worth celebrating!
Meet the author!
Millicent has been a member of CRBC for over 40 years, worked in the Children’s Ministry almost as long, and has been married to Dave for over 50 years. She loves her grandkids, quilting, and chocolate. Yep, she’s old and loves every minute of it!