As a small boy growing up in South Mississippi, I spent the majority of my summer vacations shirtless and shoeless. We only had three channels of the TV and video games had yet to be invented (I’m old.), so I was pretty much outside from dawn to dusk.
For me personally, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Not unlike Corduroy in the beloved children’s book of the same name, the Cannon UMC Prayer Bearers are ministers in miniature. These handmade, multi-colored, adorable and cuddly bears are sent out into the world to bring comfort to those who need it at the most vulnerable of times. For cancer patients, hope is found in many forms, but having something to hug can bring a different type of hope, something simple and innocent.. a teddy bear.
Founded in 2002 by Carole Shepherd, a cancer survivor herself, the Prayer Bearers are a product of the loving hands and blessings of the cancer ministry at Cannon United Methodist Church in Snellville. The first year, Carole had plans to make 100-200 bears to be given to area children’s hospitals as a means to show her gratitude for having survived cancer. As often comes of a plan to minister, God had bigger plans for the Prayer Bearers. By the end of the first year, over 1000 bears had been made and delivered.
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The group refers to their leader as “Momma Bear” and more than one person has fulfilled this role. Currently, Jan King serves as the “Momma Bear” and facilitates donations, workshops and the annual fundraiser that is lovingly referred to as “Adoption”. “We arrange the bears in the sanctuary and they are prayed over and blessed,” says Jan. “People can obtain a certificate and either take their bear with them to give to someone who needs it or they can allow us to take the bear to the hospital.” Either way, a nominal $20-$25 donation is used for materials to keep the bears in production. “The polyfil is the most expensive item,” says Jan. “We get material on sale and several people watch for those opportunities.” The different materials really make each bear unique. There are colleges represented, holidays and all sorts of interesting patterns. This year’s “Adoption” will take place on Sunday, November 23rd at Cannon UMC.
The bears themselves are the “bearers” of prayers for the returned health of those who have become ill and come with a prayer that was written by one of the wonderful women who bring these creatures to “life”. Diane Cline describes the process by which the Prayer Bearer Prayer was “scribed”. “I was taking a walk one day and the words just worked themselves into my thoughts,” says Cline. “It really just wrote itself.” The prayer may be found at http://www.cannoncancerministry.org, but includes the words:
Lord, may this bear be an instrument of Your peace. May this bear be a blessing to the person who receives it. May this bear bring hope to someone who has given up on hope… May this bear bring the love of the people who had a part in making it…
It is very evident that lots of love goes into making each bear. The basement room that serves the ministry looked a bit like Santa’s workshop with many elves sipping coffee, chatting and having a taste of homemade coffee cake while their fingers stitched away closing up the stuffed bears, adding smiling faces and cutting patterns for future projects. “We are approaching 10,000 bears,” says Jan.
“Unfortunately, there will never not be a need; so we will continue to make them.” The bears are given to local children’s hospitals, Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, nursing homes and local hospitals. About once a month, one of the women from the “Bear Den” takes “Bear Skins” to a local assisted living facility where the residents place the stuffing and love into the bears. It takes many hands and a great deal of donated material to create the Prayer Bearers. “Any amount is important,” says Kathleen Torrance. “All of the people involved keep an eye out for a good bargain and they just grab it.”
“We have never had anyone refuse a bear,” says Jan. “From little children to grown men, the bears provide ‘something to hold onto’.” According to Kathleen, the bears have been carefully planned for “huggability.” “This size has been fully tested and found to be the perfect holdable size.”
Rows and rows of “holdable” bears line the “Bear Den” ready to be placed in a good home. Just like Corduroy, they have a mission in life and will wait patiently until their time to be held comes up. In the meantime… it seems like a few of them had a glint in their eyes…like maybe, just maybe, they climb down from those shelves at night and poke around the workshop to visit with one another and say a little prayer for each bearer’s very special mission.
To offer donations or learn more about the Cannon UMC Cancer Ministry: http://www.cannoncancerministry.org.
Recently, a woman asked me if God talked to me. I always am hesitant to answer that question because of all the quacks and flakes of whom we hear about. But this raises a very important question: Does God speak to people today??
While attending a graduation party recently, Dustin Mattox was called over by a mother of a grad who introduced him to a friend. “This is someone who helped raise my son,” she declared. Dustin, by spending enormous amounts of time with student-athletes in a local public high school, was there to provide support, guidance, and friendship.
Dustin is a team chaplain, mentor, and character coach at Grayson High School. He is also part of the organization called NG3, which stands for Next Generation referring to current youth who will be future leaders. The 3, stands for the three tenants of the organization; character, community, and change.
NG3 started in 2011 when Dustin met Matt Williams who was a chaplain at Brookwood High School. They hit it off from the start and learned that they both were like-minded and passionate about serving students. “We saw the need to minister to the athlete,” Dustin said. “Matt had the vision of duplicating what he does on other campuses in Gwinnett. I fell in love with that vision and now we are doing it at Grayson.”
Now the organization has five men who serve in local public high schools. One whose name might be recognized is Jon Stinchcomb, who played at UGA and the NFL. “He’s the community developer and has a big heart,” Dustin says of Jon. “He wants to give back.”
Mattox grew up in Colbert, Georgia and graduated from Shorter College with a degree in Communication Leadership. While growing up in his church in Athens, he was involved in SWAT Ministries (Students With A Testimony) where he got his start in serving and ministering. “God called me to do this, it’s something I’ve been passionate about since I was 16,” Dustin said.
Dustin’s youth pastor, Jon Messarra, started SWAT and is a huge reason why I’m doing what I’m doing’ Dustin said. “He taught me how to lead by giving me a place to lead even when I wasn’t ready. But he gave me the tools and I grew into it. We still stay in touch weekly and he remained a mentor and friend”.
After college, Mattox continued his work with SWAT and later became a teacher at Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula. He married Erin in 2003 and and they have three children 1, 4, and 6 years old. Dustin next served as youth minister at Graystone Church in Grayson for several years and he began getting to know the young people in the area. Mattox then met Matt Williams and NG3 was formed.
The impact of NG3 is being felt and the results are impressive. “We target the student-athlete,” says Dustin. “We want to be a shoulder, ear, and a voice during hard times and crisis. We get to be with the students all the time, when celebrating and when hurting.”
So far the community is behind NG3 and supports them. “We want to build long-lasting relationships,” said Dustin. He currently is the chaplain or ‘character coach’ for the football and track teams at Grayson High School. He attends every practice and event and is there building relationships and being supportive. “Half the job is just showing up,” he says. But Dustin does much more than show up, he is there to build character, instill discipline, and challenge the students. He feels that sometimes its better to go deeper with a few students than to be shallow with many.
Attendance at Dustin’s Bible studies, instruction, and one-on-one mentoring is voluntary. He often has an athlete come to him on the side and ask for prayer. The coaches are all for it and welcome the support. “We want the coaches to see us as an asset,” Dustin says.
With any ministry, there are challenges. Getting through to some students in a public high school can be a struggle as there are many preconceived notions. “I want them to see me as a valuable member of the community, not just a religious person,” Dustin insists.
As a ministry, Dustin and NG3 have no salary and rely on support from the community. The roller-coaster of donations are a major challenge and they are grateful for every dollar sent their way so they can spend the time they need in fulfilling their mission. A positive and productive organization, NG3 is making a difference in Gwinnett County. You can reach any of the staff at NG3 staff by emailing info@ng3.co. For more information visit htttp://www.ng3.co.
Donations can be made online at http://www.ng3.co or mailed to:
NG3, 1440 Dogwood Rd, Snellville GA 30078.
107 W Crogan St, Lawrenceville Ga 30046 | (770) 963-3699
