One Nine-Year-Old, Third-Grade Boy at a Time

By Derek Altom

When I was nine years old, my parents divorced. As you might imagine, this was an extremely difficult experience for a third grader to process and navigate. I was fortunate to have a wonderful extended family, a loving and caring church family, and many friends to help guide me. It truly was a beautiful picture of the church and the home working together. Let me explain.

My mom made sure we were at church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. On occasions when she had to work weekends, my aunt, uncle, or grandparents would fill the gap since we all attended the same church. My mom worked hard to make sure our home was a safe place. She encouraged us kids to adopt biblical values into our DNA. Generational discipleship took place in our home, and for that I am forever grateful.

While at church, I received intentional discipleship training from passionate Sunday School teachers, youth ministry volunteers, and a wonderful pastor who preached biblically-sound, expositional sermons. Members of the congregation gave sacrificially, so my siblings and I could attend youth camp every summer. It was during a summer youth camp in 1993, at age 11, that I gave my heart to Jesus, and it would not have happened if it were not for their generosity.

Throughout the last 15 years of serving in ministry, the values instilled in me by my local church and at home have guided me as I seek to instill them in others. The biblical principles that shaped my life help me as I also impress them on the hearts of the four boys the Lord has given my wife and me.

What I experienced through my most formative years is exactly what Randall House and D6 Family Ministry is all about—helping you build believers through church and home. It is our aim to create resources to help guide you, ministry leaders and parents, on this journey. We want to equip ministry leaders with the resources needed to train parents to be the primary disciple-makers in the home. We want to equip parents with the resources needed to impress biblical truth on the hearts of their children, so they may do the same with their children.

For us to achieve this mission, we need your help. We need churches and individuals to partner with us financially to ensure this mission continues. At Randall House and D6 Family Ministry, we refer to these financial partners as “D6 Heroes.” D6 Heroes are men and women, churches, and organizations that believe home is the primary place where generational discipleship takes place. D6 Heroes believe the role of the local church is to come alongside parents in this pursuit.

Would you consider becoming a D6 Hero? To join the ranks of our heroes, please visit D6Hero.com. Together, we can impact both the church and the home one nine-year-old, third grade child at a time.

About the Author: Derek serves as the director of events and development at Randall House and D6 Family Ministry. You can reach Derek by email at derek.altom@randallhouse.com.