Mentoring Ministry Calling
My name is Mariah Polaco. I am from the U.S. in Pueblo, Colorado. I am 21 years old and just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing, I have one sister and currently work at a local business in purchasing. I am very involved in my church and my local youth group. I have been the worship leader there for about three years and also help out with other areas in my church as well. I began my faith in Jesus Christ when I was in elementary school. I was raised attending a church where I was a part of worship teams and different youth groups and loved to serve. I have always known Jesus was in my life, but when I was a senior in high school, I went through a rough patch in my life, but I reminded myself that God is always there no matter what the circumstance. I got baptized that summer and re-dedicated my life to serve Him in my mentoring ministry calling.
I am planning on using my ministry training so I can be more confident in the work I do at my church. I am currently involved in the college ministry, the main service, and the youth group. I want to learn more and go deeper in God’s word so I can be prepared to help and serve in my mentoring ministry calling. My main reason for getting this experience is so I can be a great mentor to my youth students, and I want to be able to give them the Biblical truth and be confident in what I tell them. I want to confirm that God is using me and that I am as educated as I can be to serve these students.
Having a scholarship at Christian Leaders Institute will help me tremendously. I always thought about going to Bible school to get an education, but I never did because I couldn’t afford it. I will be able to fully focus on my studies and achieving the goals that God has set in place for me with this scholarship. It would be such a great opportunity to get this ministry training in my life.
Learn about Ministry Ordination Programs at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Debt Free Ministry Dream
I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. I was born into a church going family with Baptist roots in the deep South. By the age of nine, my family had migrated to Wisconsin and joined a Baptist church in the inner-city of Milwaukee. While attending a regular Sunday morning service, I was led to Christ. At 14, with a better understanding of what it means to be led to Christ, I rededicated my life to Christ and received my calling of a debt free ministry dream at 15, which has since been confirmed by several leaders of the local church. At the age of 18, I learned who the Holy Spirit is and what an infilling of the Holy Spirit is.
My debt free ministry dream is to lead a newly planted church. The details of the church are still being laid out for me by God. However, I do know that a component of it will include a ministry to the homeless as this is something that my family has personal experience with and I have an understanding that homelessness can hit anyone regardless of social and economic standing.
Prior to taking this course, I felt stagnant in my walk with Christ. I know that a large part of that surrounds knowing that God has called me out of the fold of another church to stand and follow my debt free ministry dream. This course has renewed my desire to walk into my calling and not let people, circumstance, or doubt stand in the way.
I identify most with the role of Pastor. I have heard, clearly, the voice of the Lord call me to that role. This role aligns with my heart’s desire to lead and mentor those within the Body of Christ. The other roles have some interesting components but don’t fully align with the vision God has given me.
I’ve lived a life of ministry. From early childhood in choir and holiday pageants to adulthood as a member of Praise and Worship teams and Choir, distribution, youth leadership, director of creative arts, usher board, and so on. I have lived my life serving God.
One of the biggest challenges in Milwaukee is the popularity contest. People in this area tend to only support those that they know and like. There is a “no new friends” mentality going around that is preventing people from accepting something new and going after what God has for them especially if it is not coming from someone that they have known for a while. I’m hoping to change that and win those people over with the Love of Christ.
After my divorce, I felt lost. I felt like a part of me had died. I wasn’t sure which direction to turn. Admittedly, I was off track for some time. But when I turned my face back to Christ, I found the hope I’d lost. The void that I was trying to fill had been filled with the love of Christ. He told me, “Remember why you first fell in love with Me. And I’ll take care of the rest. Just focus on me.”
My local church has been encouraging me for some time to walk into my debt free ministry dream calling. Under my current pastors, I attended a 16-month training program for those that have been called into the five-fold ministry. Since then, they have started their own Bible training school and have encouraged me to attend. However, the time commitment and the financial cost don’t align with my current employment situation.
My family is very encouraging. In particular, my mother has been there with me in prayer. They have all offered to help as much as possible in the beginning.
I’ve put off walking into my calling for so long because of work conditions, finances, and lack of training. To get the training needed, I’ve been asked to relocate with financial assistance or job placement assistance or to pay out of pocket an astronomical amount of money that I don’t have. This scholarship will give me access to training that I can complete without relocation or financial hardship. If I am awarded this scholarship, I will be forever grateful.
I ask that you pray that I continue to decrease, that God is increased in my life and in the lives of those that I will touch on a day to day basis as well as through my ministry. Pray that all of the pieces of God’s plan come together in a timely fashion and that my ministry operates debt free at all times.
To learn about local “ecuministry” ordinations, go to Christian Leaders Alliance.
