When I was a young girl my family and I attended a Bible chapel in Hazelwood. It was a small church where everyone knew everyone and for the most part everyone got along. It was an amazing church to grow up in.
I was influenced deeply by many members at my church in those early years. My family was best friends with the Pastor and his family, several of my Sunday school teachers were teachers at my elementary school and my parents were actively involved in church ministry. There was one person though who stood out among the rest. That person was “Aunt Ethel”.
“Aunt Ethel” wasn’t my real aunt, but that’s what everyone, even the adults at church, called her. I’m not sure how old she was when she was my 5th grade Sunday School teacher, as at that age anyone older than 18 was old in my book. I’m certain she must have been in her 70’s as she had a full head of white hair and wrinkles that would show every time she smiled, which was often.
Although Aunt Ethel was my Sunday school teacher, it wasn’t the time spent in the classroom with her that most stood out to me as a young child, it was her love for the scriptures. That love carried over to the adults in the church. Every week before Sunday School and Church Service Aunt Ethel would sit in a room and listen to the adults recite their weekly memory verse.
The impression that Aunt Ethel made on me through the scripture memorization program was profound. Remembering how the adults in our church would wait their turn each week to recite their verse impressed upon me the importance of scripture memorization.
As a young child I was required to memorize verses at school and at church. It wasn’t until I saw the adults memorizing verses that I associated memorization with something I would choose to do. Now as an adult I treasure those verses I memorized as a young person.
Aunt Ethel’s legacy has stayed with me throughout my life and has inspired me, along with the Holy Spirit, to start a scripture memorization program here at First Baptist Church of Wentzville. This program will be for youth and adults. The program will consist of memorizing one to two verses a week, with weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly incentives.
Keep an eye out for more details and sign ups in the lobby. Volunteers are needed to listen to verses each week. You can volunteer to listen one or more Sundays each month. Should you want to volunteer you can sign up when program sign ups start.
I hope you will prayerfully consider committing to scripture memorization, whether through this program or on your own. The wisdom and knowledge that can be gleaned through scripture memorization is worth the time investment. You will be amazed at the way God will speak directly to you through your weekly memory verse.