Remembering Wally and Alexa

In the last two months two senior saints from my home church in Minneapolis have departed this world and entered into the radiant presence of Jesus.  Wally and Alexa Midura were in their 90s and had been married for 71 years when God called them home.  They stand like pillars of godliness in my memory as I consider the vital ministry God gave them as praying and teaching partner-leaders.

“Uncle Wally” and “Aunt Alexa” led Junior Church (for grades 1-6) at Edgewater Baptist Church in Minneapolis for decades.  They were an institution there—a fixture:  there was the steeple, and the pulpit, and the blond woodwork; there were pot-luck dinners; and there were Uncle Wally and Aunt Alexa.  Such dear servants of the Lord.

Every year they’d carve out a couple months to bring out their best flannel-graph images and re-tell the story of “Pilgrim’s Progress.”  I can remember thinking it’s taking forever to finish this story—but that just added to the anticipa­tion as we finally watched Christian pass through the rushing Jordan (as he gave up on his own efforts and trusted Jesus, the floor of the river surprisingly rose to support his feet!) and enter the Celestial City.  It was epic!

I also remember how the Miduras would have the kids do “special music” each week (I dreaded the day they asked me to play the piano—they knew I took lessons; they didn’t know how bad I was).

More than anything, I remember how Uncle Wally and Aunt Alexa routinely shared the Gospel with the Edgewater children.  They used a variety of methods to summarize the key truths—like the “wordless book” (with colored pages) to illustrate pressing Bible facts:  creation, sin, cleansing, faith, new life!  At age 10 there was a Sunday when the burden of my sin and the offer of Jesus’ love really hit home—I knew I needed to respond.  So I prayed that prayer, and I told Uncle Wally afterward (and he told my parents).  It was a great day—a simple but genuine turning of a child’s heart to Jesus!

I thank the Lord for dear, dedicated, kind, kid-friendly, Jesus-loving church leaders—then and NOW!  Don’t underestimate the import­ance of loving and teaching and praying for the little ones among us!