Torch, Spring 1984

Teachers of Good Things by Pat Landers Dixon The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers ofgood things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed (Titus 2:3-5). F or several years I have been asking women in various churches, classes, and retreats if they had ever witnessed the teachings of Titus 2:3-5 at work in their church families. Only one woman has ever answered "yes." She had attended a church where the pastor taught and prepared the older women to teach the younger women. When I was fourteen, God brought an "aged" woman into my life. I walked into her cabin in a Tennessee camp, Camp Joy. This young Bible college student who was spending her summers as a camp counselor 20 extended her ministry to me beyond those short five days at camp. Her teaching me continued for years to follow. Since I lived near the campus, she invited me to come to the dormitory. With my youthful zeal, I garnered all the hours there I could. Faye Buffington certainly did not treat me as a pest. She gave me much of her time in encouraging me to have a personal devotional life, to pray, and to seek God's best and not to settle for less. She and her friends even helped me to smooth some rough, social edges, too . Every teenage girl knows what that means. As I grew into womanhood, I continued to reflect upon Faye's ministry in my life. What she did influenced and compelled me to be an "aged" woman to others in my church and in the classroom. God was allowing me to experience the "Titus two principle." The accessibility of such opportunities are vast for me as a teacher. I have a captive audience. But there can be just as many opportunities for you in your church,