This morning I want to celebrate the call to ministry. Some of you may wonder what this has to do with Mother’s Day, but we will get to that.
Immediately following last Sunday’s morning service, I began the journey to Stroudsburg, PA. I had arraignments to meet Charles Thomas (a current FLAME student) in Roanoke and ride with him to Stroudsburg. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and sharing as we made the long trip to FLAME. There were several long stops not of our making (traffic backed up). We finally arrived in Stroudsburg at 10:00 PM.
Some of you this morning are wondering what FLAME is. FLAME is an acronym for Fellowship of Leaders Acquiring Ministerial Education. The program is headed up by Rev. Wayne Richards and is sponsored by the Department of Education and the Ministry of the Wesleyan Church. Most of you know I have a degree in Church Music from Indiana Wesleyan University. I really felt God was calling me into a worship/music ministry position. It was only after I had left IWU that God called me into a preaching/pastoral position. The degree at IWU left me lacking in these areas of education. FLAME filled in the gaps. FLAME is designed for non-traditional ministerial students (over the age of 28 ) whom God has called into the ministry. Many times these men and women are called into the ministry at their local church. Sometimes once they finished the requirements, they are called to another church. FLAME is not designed to give academic credit, but is a way to educate men and women and then ordain them for ministry in the Wesleyan Church.
FLAME has made a great impact on my ministry. I have felt called of God to invest back into the ministry that deeply affected who I am today. Part of that calling involves you releasing me to go and serve at the FLAME conferences like I did this past week. I go strictly as a volunteer. This past week I led worship with a great worship band and then served tables and all kinds of little tasks. We wear nametags so everyone gets to know us. Those who served on staff got special titles. Wayne’s was Commander-in-“cheese.” Dave and Mary Lou Stevens serve as our cooks. Dave’s title was Prime Minister of Extreme Cuisine. And Mary Lou’s was Vice President of Hospitality and Drinks. My title for the past week was Bishop of Worship and Salads.
We had a great week serving those men and women whom God is calling into Christian service. God moved in a mighty way, especially on Wednesday night and Friday morning. One of the things that God taught me over this week is that in my weakness, he will make me strong. On Wednesday, I had lost my voice, because I wasn’t used to the amount of singing we had done. In my weakness, God provided. I want to share with you this morning a couple of thoughts from FLAME.
The first has to do with this carabineer. What is carabineer, you may ask. It is a device that is used in mountain climbing and looks like this. Many people use them to attach their keys to their belt or purse. The real purpose of a carabineer is to attach the mountain climber to the safety rope, just in case they misstep. This way instead of a tragic end, falling to their death, it is only a small mishap. This morning, I have this carabineer and first I can attach it to God. I encourage you this morning to attach yourself to God. This is the vertical relationship. Second there is a horizontal relationship. This is also part of the FLAME strategy. Not only do we need to attach to God, but we need to attach to each other. There is no room in this life for lone-ranger Christians. We need each other. The carabineer that was passed out at this year’s conference also has an attachment on it. It is a reminder to each of us that our family is attached to our ministry. So this serves as a visual reminder to attach ourselves to God, to each other and our family.
One of the neat things about FLAME is to see how God is raising up an army of men and women
What does all of that have to do with us? So what? Some of you are wondering what any of this has to do with Mother’s Day. It is my belief that on this day, we not only honor mothers, but all women. For some this can be a very difficult day. Some women would like to be mothers but can’t. Some of you may be spending the first year without your mother on this day. Some have had a bad relationship with their mother. This is a day that we celebrate women. One of the ways that we can do that is see how God is using women to spread the gospel.
I have a question for you this morning. Is God calling you to the ministry? This question is for both men and women. What is God calling you to do? Perhaps you’ve been running away from God. Perhaps, if you’re a woman, you never though it was possible for you to be called into the ministry and do anything but be a missionary or a children’s pastor. There are several women pastors in the Wesleyan Church that I count as friends in the ministry. Dawn and Renee are now ordained and their ministry to me at FLAME was incredible. Dawn played and sang with me several times in the FLAME bands. She was always an encourager.
So what is God calling you to? Perhaps this morning God is calling you into full-time ministry. It’s never too late. One of the men I met this week was already retired from a secular job and was finishing up his ordination requirements, because he felt God was calling him to the ministry at age 67. Believe it or not he even slept on a air mattress for three nights as he attended classes. God is calling even now, men and women to serve Him in the ministry. Is God calling you? Are you willing to follow Him?
