A Pleasant Surprise
by Luke McConnell
When we started the Whiz Kids ministry last August, we weren’t really sure what to expect. How would we be able to adequately help kids learn how to read over Zoom? How would the students react? Would we be able to build any semblance of a relationship with the kids?
We knew this year would be difficult, full of baby steps as opposed to steady growth, both in relationship building and in academic growth. But I think we forgot how big of a God we serve.
I know for me, the faith that led to asking for 50 volunteers for Whiz Kids last summer was not there in my expectations for how each week would go over Zoom. I’m not really sure why. I’m not sure how our level of faith can vary so wildly from situation to situation. Seeing God provide us with 50 volunteers should have been evidence enough God would also make our time over Zoom each week meaningful.
How silly of me to sell God short in my own mind.
If you didn’t know, we have been meeting in-person for Whiz Kids for about a month. We have 20 students from Council Grove Elementary and 18 tutors, and it has been such an incredible experience. Students and tutors built great relationships this year over Zoom, but they’ve flourished even more meeting in person.
That’s not to say it’s not challenging as well. We have a student, Elijah, who is our only first grader. He's quite hyper and has a short attention span. It's clear this can be a little tiring for his tutor, Paul Thompson, but he's done great with him this year. Someone suggested to Paul to do something that kept Elijah moving while they read. Paul had casually mentioned to me the exercise bikes in the CUBE weight room as a possibility. Well, halfway through our time last week, I didn't see Elijah or Paul, so assumed he had tried it out. I checked and sure enough, there was Elijah walking on the treadmill while Paul held the book for him! Such a cool moment for a student and tutor just figuring it out together!
At the end of the day, we have many goals for our Whiz Kids students. We want them to learn to read well and to grow academically. But we also want them to know Jesus, to hear the gospel each week and for God to open their eyes to their need for him. We also want to know their families, to learn more about their home situations and how we can meet needs they have.
When I think about our church serving the community, this is what I picture. These students and their families live very close to our church. They’re literally in our backyard. And while the church is made up of people and we all are living out the gospel in our own areas of influence around the city, I believe the immediate community around the church takes precedence.
I’m excited about the future of this ministry because it’s an easy and natural way for our church members to get to know 20 families in our community. I really feel we’re on the verge of a big breakthrough at Council Road. I think Whiz Kids, as well as the huge turnout we had at Easter Family Fun Day are steps toward our church beginning to look more and more like the community around 30th and Council.
Whiz Kids has been a tremendous experience thus far. Please continue to pray about how you can be a part of this ministry. We want to serve as many kids as we can and to do that, we need more tutors. We have a large church, full of people who want to serve and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Bethany. I don’t think the number of kids we can reach will ever be too big.
Remember, God is faithful, and he’s always going to surprise us. Not because we discover a new capability of God, but because our faith reaches a higher level of trust and expectation.
Author Bio
Luke serves as the Cube Director at Council Road. He previously worked at Channel 9 as a sports writer and an account executive. He also serves as the play-by-play voice for Southern Nazarene University athletics. Luke graduated from OU in 2011. He and his wife, Mary, have been members at Council Road since 2012. They have twin boys, Jackson and Cameron. Mary teaches third grade at Wiley Post Elementary. They also help lead a home group.