My name is Allen Fausch and many of you know my parents, Al and Sharon Fausch. Dad has faithfully served on the staff at Calvary for 40 years. My parents taught me many valuable lessons as a child, but one from my teenage years is especially engrained in my memory. But first, some background.
As I said, Dad has been on staff for 40 years, which means I began attending Calvary before I was even born, and I was saved at a young age. If the church doors were open, we were there. I grew up in one of the largest and most prominent Southern Baptist churches in the country with abundant resources, yet I still had a problem- a “me” problem.
In my teenage years, I made many mistakes and bad decisions. Decisions that hurt myself and hurt others. Decisions that I am ashamed of to this day. I didn’t live for the Lord like I should have and because of these decisions, the relationship between myself and the Lord was strained. My mom and dad began to have to require me to come to church. I remember protesting to my dad one Sunday afternoon about having to go to choir that evening. I wanted to see friends and hang out with them, not focus on ministry. It was that afternoon, that my dad spoke six simple words to me, “Son, it’s not all about you.” I had no idea that those six words would have such a profound impact on my life several years later.
It wasn’t until after college that I began to realize that my spiritual life was lukewarm at best. I knew that I needed to repent and rededicate myself to the Lord. I had to change a lot of things and I couldn’t do it on my own. I realized church was now something that I needed and somewhere I wanted to be. I was ready to rebuild my relationship with the Lord, and I wanted to serve Him in whatever way I could. My dad’s words were as clear to me several years later as they were the day he spoke them: it wasn’t all about me.
Matthew 20:28 says that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to love like Jesus, and that means serving like Jesus.
Back in the 90’s people started wearing these bracelets that said WWJD – “What Would Jesus Do?” When I sat back and thought about what Jesus did, two words came to my mind, Love and Service. I used to listen to this Christian music group called DC Talk, and they sang a song called, “Love is a Verb,” which implied action. Love required service. Matthew 20:28 says that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to love like Jesus, and that means serving like Jesus.
I knew what Jesus would do, and I knew what Jesus would say. He would say, “Allen, life isn’t about you and church isn’t about you either. It’s about others. If you want to be the greatest in my kingdom, you have to humble yourself, love others, put others first, and become a servant.” There was only one thing left to do: obey.
The Elevate was being held down in the gym at that time. A pastor approached me and told me that they were going to start doing baptisms in the gym and asked if I would be willing to set up the baptismal on Sundays, as needed. Around that time, I started dating Jennifer, who is now my wife, and we were able to serve together. Jennifer and I have gone on to serve in various ministries and in various capacities inside and outside of the church. We now have two daughters and are trying to teach them the same lesson my dad taught me. Although the girls are very young (ages 2 and 5), we still try to find ways to involve them in ministry. For example, our Bible Fellowship class goes every month to Salem Pregnancy Care Center to clean their offices. Our class chose to do this, in large part, because the children could serve with us. Every step of the way we have found that the Lord is always faithful to bless us as we try to bless others through our service to him.
There are so many opportunities for service here at Calvary. If you love coffee, Calvary has a “Brew Crew” that makes coffee for others to enjoy. If you enjoy children, the children’s ministry is always looking for teachers who will love on kids. If you like shaking hands, we have greeters who love on people as they come through our doors. We even have a quilting ministry for those who have that ability. There is something for everyone. The Lord has blessed us all with unique talents and abilities and 1 Peter 4:10 exhorts us to use those gifts to serve others. If God can use me, He can use you.
You see, many of us know what Jesus would do, but I lovingly ask you as Jesus would: what will you do? Are you serving, or being served? In a church Calvary’s size, there should never be an area of service where volunteers are lacking, and yet we have many. My prayer for you is that you would hear the words of Jesus and respond. Obedience is all that is required. As my dad would lovingly say, “Friend, it’s not all about you.”