“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” Matthew 9:37-38
“Our first Field Buddy was a very small and shy boy, always hiding in his hoodie under a table. He refused to make eye contact or speak to you. When we launched Fathers in the Field his grandmother rushed to get him signed up. His Mentor Father(MF) Dennis is former Marine Special Forces member so I was concerned he might be too much for Alex, but praise God I was wrong. God provided the perfect MF for Alex and we have seen the greatest transformation. Alex has accepted Christ and is a totally different boy; no longer trying to be hidden but striving to help those around him.”
Pastor Lee Evans at Westlake Baptist Church in Chandler Texas is an outspoke champion for the fatherless. I get the privilege of interacting with Brother Lee and it always leaves me with hope for the future. With so many churches in our great country you might think that the majority would have the same desire as Lee, to help the fatherless, but sadly the inverse is true.
With that sad fact in mind, I wanted to let Lee share the impact that Fathers in the Field has had on his congregation and community, hoping it will inspire others to follow suit.
“The impact has been amazing across the board, but the impact on my men has been astounding. The men who become Mentor Fathers are more joyful in their service to Christ and His Church. They look for opportunities to serve others and demonstrate the love of God to these boys by including them in every aspect of the Christian life. Our widows are telling us how blessed they are by these boys coming and helping them. One of these ladies remarked that ‘the actions of these men and boys have made my year.’ As a Pastor there is no greater blessing than seeing Christ shine through the people in your congregation”.
“We have a lot of single mother families in our community. Even before we were introduced to Fathers in the Field God had laid them on the hearts of our congregation. When Mike McNeill, Missionary Champion, shared the abandonment wound that fatherless boys carry it really put a burden on my heart. The more it was presented to me the deeper my desire to help these boys and their families.”
“I cannot express the impact on our men and these single mother families. Whole families have come to attend church, getting involved in ministry. The Filed Buddies are so involved in the life of the church that it is transforming the lives of their families and the burden is growing in the life of the church to see how they can further help. Fathers in the Field has opened people’s eyes to the needs of others and lit a fire in them to step up and into the lives of these people. I am excited about how we will impact the lives of our community in 2023.”
“When I share this ministry with other Pastors, and they give excuses I ask them if not now then when? Things in our country are getting worse and one of the reasons is fatherlessness. God has given us charge over the flock and we need to be about raising workers and this field is ripe with harvest. There are millions of boys who need a father figure, and single moms are the largest unchurched group. I don’t understand why anyone would say they can’t help the fatherless and the widow. This ministry is fully lay leader led with Fathers in the Field training these leaders. It equips more people to do ministry and allows these men to grow spiritually as they invest in these precious boys. We need God’s people to step up into these leadership roles and Fathers in the Field is a great avenue to do it.”
Thank you, Lee, for being a Champion of the Fatherless and the widow.
Standing in the Gap,
John Smithbaker
Founding Servant
p: 1-844-472-4241 e: info@fathersinthefield.com
