Teressa Berton
When Andrea signed her daughter Serena’s permission slip for a service project she had no idea how God would use that decision to bless her.
Serena’s 4th-grade class was volunteering their time at Christian Library International. Serena spent the day stamping books, packing boxes, writing encouraging notes, and praying for inmates. When she came home she was so excited to share about how she had spent her day.
“She came home from school, and she was really excited! She wanted to tell me everything that she had done that day,” said Andrea. “She was excited to tell me about the letters that they wrote. She was really excited that what she was doing, writing the encouraging notes, were going to real people directly and that it was leading people to Christ. She seemed really empowered that what she was doing made a real tangible difference.”
Serena’s excitement quickly spread, and she told her mom that she wanted to continue serving God at CLI. Andrea began researching ways for Serena to continue serving after school, but she didn’t realize the world of opportunity that lay ahead of her.
When looking for information about volunteering, Andrea discovered the many ways one can get involved at CLI; from coming to the offices to sort, stamp, and pack books, to directly ministering to inmates through CLI’s discipleship program. CLI’s Bible studies are individually reviewed by a CLI Bible Minister to help inmates grow as Christ’s disciples.
“I had personally been praying about what ministry God wanted me to lean into,” Andrea shared. “I had just taken a class at church about what my spiritual gifts are. Two of my gifts are teaching and encouraging, so I thought checking the Bible studies would be a great fit for me.”
Andrea applied to be a minister and completed her training. Over the course of her first year, she was able to learn, grow, and see how much God was using CLI to work in the lives of inmates, as well as in her own.
“I really enjoyed reviewing the lessons and seeing what each student learned from the lessons. What questions they had, and what they were taking away,” Andrea observed. “I started thinking more about theology and how I would answer them. I’ve really learned a lot!”
Andrea’s passion for CLI’s ministry continues to grow as she spends time reviewing lessons. She joined a ministry team to serve as a leader in CLI’s annual dinner in Georgia. One day, when Andrea and her family were in the Raleigh area, they stopped by CLI headquarters in Raleigh to volunteer.
It’s amazing how God worked through Serena’s school service project to bring both Andrea and her family closer to Him. Through their service, inmates are also coming to know their heavenly Father and becoming His disciples.
To learn more about how you can become a CLI Bible Minister, click here.
