Being an Influence

Last night was our monthly ladies' night at church. About Saturday, the table leaders got emails with a discussion topic and the info that there would be summer recipes and some devotional materials on our tables. So we didn't have to come up with our table time activities.

Well, I don't know what happened to the devotional suggestions, and we never even got to the discussion topic at my table. We glanced at the recipes and laughed at how we all wanted to make the lemon cake and the fruit salsa, then just chatted about where people were from and what fun things there are to do in our area (one lady was in town visiting her brother). Then we went to the sanctuary for some teaching.

The teaching was about being a woman of influence; we concluded the evening by pairing up and sharing with our partner about what we could do ....something specific... to be a Woman of Influence. What stirred in my spirit was that I was to be an influence to a room of junior high girls...

We do have a girl's ministry at our church; formerly it was known as Missionettes, but in the last couple of years it has been renamed to Mpact (K - 5th grade) and Teen Girl Ministries. The material is produced by the Assemblies of God; we're not an AG church but we're using the material. Youngest DD has been in the ministry since we started attending the church just before she entered Kindergarten. When she was in 3rd grade (Stars Club), a memo went out to all the moms of girls to come and help in the class one night. I sighed, and signed up to help the first available Wednesday night...to get my turn out of the way.

Then I found out that the request was to come and help once a month. So, for two years I was a once-a-month helper. By the end of the second year, I was also a sometime substitute teacher for the 4th grade Stars. But I am not totally comfortable w/elementary grades...you may have noticed my teaching tends to get kind of detailed and abstract. For elementary kids, that's the same as BORING. I told the program director that if we ever get a high school girls class going I would be interested in working there. Well, about 2 years ago she asked if I'd be willing to help in the Friends (grades 6 - 8) class. The primary teacher for that class really had had no help and she needed help; plus she sometimes was out of town and needed a reliable substitute. There was one other lady who said she'd help every Wednesday; due to other duties I had in the church I didn't feel like I could commit to *every* Wednesday, but I did realize that, with jr high kids, I couldn't sub teach if they didn't know me. I agreed to work in the class *as much as I could*.

Two weeks into the year, the primary teacher, who'd been teaching by herself for two years, quit. The other assistant and I looked at each other and realized we were IT. We spent that year learning what we needed to know to teach Friends. This past year, we worked on making sure the girls were on target to achieve what the program has for them; we also had another assistant teacher move up w/her daughter from the Stars.

Halfway through the year, my teaching buddy had to step down due to some family issues, and I became co-teacher with the lady who'd moved up (she's been with the sixth grade group of girls since at least 4th grade). But her daughter will be leaving the program at the start of the school year (at 7th grade, the girls have to choose whether to stay in Friends class or go to the youth group, which also meets on Wednesday night. We lose most 7th graders to youth group.). I'm suddenly in line to be the Primary Teacher for the class.

I knew Pastor Leisa would be putting out a plea for teachers/helpers for the Mpact/TGM program as part of her message for last week's Honor Star service, and just before the service started I prayed for God to raise up someone that I could train to teach the class. I was fussing that I never really was called there...I got pulled in reluctantly through the back door of 'There's no one else'.

But by the end of that service, I had actually heard God say 'You're the teacher.'

Last night, in asking where I could be a Woman of Influence, I saw the faces of those girls and realized that that was the place.

So, until God raises up someone who says 'I have a passion to mentor Junior High girls!' I'm going to be the teacher. We'll work around some of the other things I have to do somehow.

What a position of influence...


After the meeting, I chatted with a couple of other ladies...one of whom is a fellow blogger who stops by here from time to time. I lamented that I didn't have any real 'Table Time' to post about...so she (and a couple of ladies who were at her table) informed me that I HAD to blog about what they discussed at their table...the urgent need for properly fitting foundation garments for well-endowed ladies. 'You sew, Lisa!' she said, 'You could design them!'

Hm... I think I'd rather teach junior high girls that tackle that one...

(Incidentally, I was sorely tempted to title today's post 'The cup runneth over', just in honor of that requested topic...)