Musical arts ministry excels in Pell City

Upstairs, some children were learning to strum a guitar while counting time. In the fellowship hall, others busied themselves with art. In the sanctuary, youngsters were telling the Christmas story in sign language. And in the annex, keyboards rang out with melodious tunes.
   
With all this activity and upwards of 200 children bustling about, there is no mistaking what is going on. It is the Wednesday afternoon Musical Arts Program (MAPS) at New Hope Baptist Church, Pell City.
   
“A terrific ministry” is how Ben Chandler, St. Clair Association’s director of missions, describes MAPS.
   
For the St. Clair Association church, which averages about 275 in Sunday morning worship, MAPS is an even bigger outreach than Vacation Bible School said Laurie Brasher, MAPS director as well as music director and wife of the church’s pastor, Paul Brasher.
   
During MAPS, “every room literally is used in our church,” she said. This program for kindergarten through sixth-grade children gives instruction on keyboard, guitar, sign language, drama and art, said Brasher. The afternoon also includes a praise and worship time, during which the plan of salvation is presented.
   
Through MAPS, Brasher reported, more than 80 children have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
   
When a child accepts Christ, “we go to the families and explain what is going on,” she said. Teams go to the cars during pickup time to share the plan of salvation with the parents of children who have accepted Christ.
   
Brasher also said designated people go room to room during the Wednesday night worship service to share the gospel with children who stay over from MAPS. Someone is saved just about every week. “That’s why we do it,” she said of MAPS. The program has attracted children from several races and many religious backgrounds, Brasher noted.
   
MAPS offers the children a safe, constructive environment from 3:15 till 6:30 p.m. each Wednesday. Volunteers pick up children from school, if needed, and transport them to the church.
   
“We offer tutoring” for those who have homework, said Brasher. The ones who do not, go outside and play until MAPS begins.
   
Then, the children are immersed in art and music and other enrichment activities … all free of charge. They change classes about every 20 minutes in order to take part in all the subject areas. They are fed supper and given the opportunity to stay for the church’s Wednesday night service.
   
“We do it on Wednesday night, so children who do not have a church home can stay for ours,” Brasher said.
   
MAPS began three years ago and averaged about 90 children, said Brasher. She said other churches with similar programs inspired her to do the same at New Hope.
   
Word of mouth spread the news about the program, which is held for 10-week sessions in the fall and spring.
   
This year information about the program was circulated in most of the local schools. The result was that there were 222 students the first day of the program this year. The church had to buy “tents and make another 1,800 square feet immediately,” said Brasher.
   
In addition, more guitars, keyboards and such were needed. And, as God will do when a need arises, Brasher said, He impressed upon a man to donate $10,000 to MAPS.
   
With the steep increase in the number of children, the weekly food cost increased, but the money to pay for the food keeps coming in from donations. “It’s God,” said Brasher.
   
Other churches in the city have helped out. Brasher said Arbor Baptist Church, a sister church, and Mount Zion Freewill Baptist Church have given MAPS the use of their buses free of charge when they were needed.
   
“We are a little church,” Brasher said of New Hope, adding that it normally averages 35 children from kindergarten through sixth grade on Wednesday nights. With the development of MAPS, that number has risen to 300. “It doesn’t matter about your size, if you have a heart for reaching people,” she said.
   
Chandler concurred. “I saw 300 kids coming to an afternoon ministry where they found great love and excitement,” he said.
   
“The workers were dedicated and excited too. They were well trained. This is an excellent example of a church reaching to the community, meeting needs and sharing the good news.”
   
Not only have many children come to a saving knowledge of Christ through MAPS, but also, “we’ve seen families join our church,” said Brasher.
   
Another positive outcome of MAPS is the spiritual growth experienced by the adults and teens who work with it, Brasher added.
   
And many people have come to understand that God can use them in different ways, from teaching a chord to monitoring the hallway to spooning green beans onto a plate.
   
Some local restaurateurs are allowing God to use them by preparing the balanced meals that the children are served each week.
   
In addition, she continued, there are many prayer warriors. “We have people fasting and praying.”
   
And all this is done by a church with no playground or a family life center — yet.
   
But Brasher is staying focused on the need in the community.
   
She noted that 50 children in MAPS come from a school of 500. That means there are still 450 children in that one school not being reached. So there is definitely more work to do.