By JAY Wilber

among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many”( Matthew 20:26-28, NLT).

What a statement of love; it brings me back to when I first joined CMA. The first major event I attended was a rally called Little Sturgis in Sturgis, Kentucky. We did the usual things like giving out coffee and water, cookies and crackers, and tracts. We worked at the gates and helped security when someone was too drunk to find their campsite. Everything was as I expected, but then something strange happened. The chapter’ s vice president approached me and said,“ Let’ s go serving.” I gladly said yes, and then he handed me a toilet brush and a pair of rubber gloves that went up to my elbows. What is this for? I asked. And he explained we were going to go clean the showers. I said Ok, but I didn’ t want to do it.

When we got there, the showers were a mess, and it didn’ t seem like we would accomplish much of anything, but we went in each stall and did the best we could. I understood why I was asked to help because I was the new guy, but why was the vice president of the chapter cleaning right next to me? I then thought back to what Matthew 20:26-28 meant— being a true servant and showing the love that Jesus showed. He showed me that you must lead by example as a leader.

What better example than the one Jesus showed?

Well, we finished with the showers and started to leave. As we were walking out, a couple entered the shower house. They didn’ t say anything; they just looked at us. Later that day, as I was working the booth, the man who had passed me in the shower came up and said thank you. I said for what? He said it meant a lot to his wife that she had a clean shower. Then he said again,“ Thank you for your service.” I stood there and started reflecting on what everyone was doing, and I noticed that no matter what the title was in the chapter, everyone was working together.

Are you working together as a chapter? Are you Looking for places to serve? When you meet as a chapter either at your meeting or for fellowship, and you talk about event opportunities, do you look at them as a task, or do you look at them as an opportunity to serve? That experience of cleaning the shower house at Little Sturgis had a tremendous impact on me. It helped me realize that no matter who I am, I’ m just a servant of Jesus. It also helped me realize that our chapter was so strong and healthy because each member was committed to serving the lost and each other. There was no me-first attitude, just the desire to help each other.

If you are concerned about whether your chapter is healthy, look around. Do you see a group of servants who love each other or a group of people who are looking for what makes them look good? CMA is celebrating 50 years of ministry,

and some of your chapters have been around for a long time. It’ s easy to lose focus on why you came together and your purpose as a chapter. When we lose focus, the best thing to do is to look at who we are and why we exist. We are servants of Christ, and He exists to serve others. Remember our motto:“ Here if you need us.” That is whether we serve the lost at events or serve each other in our chapter. Remember to love and serve as Jesus did and see what happens.

CMA

Jay and Jane Wilber oversee the North Central Region as National Evangelist.

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