With all the activity at Harvest Christian Fellowship, it’s easy to overlook some of the amazing ministry that takes place right under our noses. We hope, in the next few months to share some of the stories of ministry and give you the opportunity to pray about getting involved yourself, that you might grow and bear fruit in the body of Christ.
In our second installment of “Servant Spotlight”, we talked to Valerie Stufkosky who is involved with a puppet ministry and uses her gift to reach out to children in our community with the love of Jesus Christ.
Valerie has been attending Harvest for 17 years. She started working with puppets on Sunday mornings in the Childrens’ Ministry. She had intended on being a teacher’s aid on Sunday mornings but found the only thing available that day was doing a puppet show for the three-year olds. She had never worked with puppets before but felt the Lord was directing her there and showed her you don’t need experience, just willing hands to serve Him.
For the past year and a half she’s been doing puppet shows at our Mexico Missions outreaches in the park as well as orphanages across the border. Recently she performed her puppet show at Cosecha’s (Harvest Spanish) Church here in Riverside. Cosecha has invited Valerie to start a puppet ministry at the church during their Sunday morning services. She’s also hoping to be able to venture into the local children’s hospitals and convalescent homes in the future.
Her greatest joy is to bring a smile to children’s faces as they sing and follow along with the skits, understanding that Jesus loves them. Valerie shared that it never gets old seeing children come to faith in Jesus Christ by watching the shows.
Like so many other ministries, Valerie faces the challenge of having enough volunteers. So if you’re looking for the opportunity to get involved, if you love kids, and want to make a difference in the lives of children, ask about joining the puppet ministry. They’re always looking for fresh ideas for their upcoming productions. Valerie says, “All you need are willing hands and a servants heart and the Lord will do the rest!”
For more information, call the Childrens’ Ministry office at 951-687-6902 or visit their website at www.harvest.org/church/ministries/cm/ .
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The Harvest Women’s Ministry presents their 3rd Annual Christmas Coffee on December 6, 2008 from 8:30am – 11:30 am with the theme this year, “Because He Loves Me”. We’ll feature author and guest speaker, Elyse Fitzpatrick. Complimentary coffee and danish will be served. The event is free but a ticket is required for admission. You can pick up tickets starting next Sunday, November 9, on the patio between services. There’s a limited number of tickets available so don’t miss out as we celebrate the transforming power of God’s love!
