by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
Every morning this past week I’ve been getting into a different character, prepping for my role as leader of the 3rd/4th grade drama class at our church’s MAD Camp (which stands for “Music, Art, and Drama”). This wonderful week that our church hosts every summer was started many years ago by a former staff member, David Lautzenheiser, with the goal of teaching kids about the artistic, musical, and dramatic gifts our Father God has given each of them.
I hadn’t led a class in several years, but when our children’s ministry director, Holly LeMaster, asked me if I’d be interested in creating some drama this year, it was an immediate YES! Holly is doing a fantastic job loving on the kids and young families God has sent our way. And the support she gets from her teddy bear of a husband, Austin, has been fun to watch! What a gift their family has been to our church!
Holly recruited some amazing helpers for my class, Kelly Shepherd and Laura Morand. They are both very active in our Mom’s Group, and they have preschool children of their own. But when they said YES to Holly and to me, I don’t think they had any idea what they were getting themselves into. Their roles this week have also required them to get into a different character each day (a superhero, a pirate, a mismatched nerd, and a sports fanatic); planning their costume for each day; choosing a character’s name; prepping for theater games and skits; and even making children “walk the plank!” But it hasn’t been difficult for them—they have been fantastic all week. I knew they would be—because as moms they are used to having to wear a lot of hats.
Hats, Hats, and More Hats
Performing a specific role in any kind of drama is like putting on a different hat and assuming the thinking, acting, and speaking a person wearing that hat might express. We introduced this idea to the third and fourth graders with whom we were entrusted, and they caught on rather quickly! They learned what all goes into character development, the necessity of projecting loudly from the stage, some basic drama terms, the importance of sound effects, and how to improvise based on the “hat you are wearing at the time.”
Throughout the week we acted out several of Jesus’ parables, and we talked about the different talents God has given each of them. And just as no child’s fingerprints are exactly like anyone else’s, so too, God has uniquely gifted every one of his precious kids. The theme verse for this week of MAD Camp is Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV).
This past Wednesday, on “Pirate Day,” we read from the Pirate Bible (yes, such a thing exists; check out https://piratebible.com. The paraphrase of Ephesians 2:10 in pirate speak reads like this: “Arrr, we be ’is ’andiwork, fashioned in Christ Jesus with th’ aim o’ carryin’ out th’ good works ’e set afore, that we shoul’ walk in ’em” (Pirate Bible).
Wearing Your Hat Well
What hats has God been calling you to wear lately? This past week, I saw many different hats on display . . . women who love teaching kids how to sew pillowcase dresses for Haitian girls; folks who love stuffing bears and putting some creative outfits on them so that they can be given to hospital patients, policemen, and those in need of some TLC; people who are master LEGO builders; ukulele strummers; bucket drummers; rope jumpers; nurses; joyful people who love working in the kitchen and serving fun snacks to kids; talented artists; childcare workers; people who love teaching kids to praise the name of Jesus in song; and those who made sure we were safe all week, and that each group arrived at each place where they needed to be.
God prepared “in advance” each of these incredible servants of his kingdom to do “good works” because they are “God’s handiwork.” Isn’t that an amazing thought! I love it when the church pulls together like this, each person working in his or her area of giftedness. That is God’s design.
The apostle Paul challenges us with these words: “He [Christ] makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:16, NLT).
That’s exactly how the Holy Spirit called the church into being in the book of Acts. Each person doing his or her special work! I am praising God this morning for the gifted leaders like Holly and Austin our church has been blessed with; for the more than 100 difference makers who planned, prayed, and showed up for five mornings this week to love on God’s kids; and for the 300 gifted and talented children who made MAD Camp 2024 such a fantastic week. May God take the seeds we have planted and water them as only he can. We will never know the impact a week like this can make on even one child, and the impact that child can have on his or her family. May God draw others to give their lives to Jesus through the ministry of MAD Camp.
What hats has God been calling you to wear lately? Are you wearing them well?