The Ground Crew

Have you ever heard of Poppy Northcutt, Glynn Lunney, Ed Smylie, or John Aaron? These individuals, and thousands of other unnamed support staff, ensured the "successful failure" of the 1970 Apollo 13 moon mission after an oxygen tank exploded 205,000 miles from Earth. The NASA ground crew worked tirelessly to manage dwindling resources, including building a CO2 scrubber from spare parts, plastic bags and duct tape (think "MacGyver"). The faces of those individuals on that ground crew may not have made the evening news, but their behind-the-scenes efforts saved the lives of the three astronauts on board.

Throughout my life I have been among the “ground crew”—one of many who have worked with those in charge to reach a goal, meet a need, or pull off a project. And that’s just how I like it. I feel it is where God has called me to serve. I don’t want to be the director, the leader, or the head. There are others who are called to those positions, and I love supporting them in any way possible.

Our church is on a Mission. We are gearing up for Vacation Bible School. Our goal is to reach and teach kids about Jesus. Miss Gina is in charge, but she will tell you it takes dozens of “ground crew” to achieve VBS “lift off”.  There are registration collectors, prayer partners, snack servers, craft preparers, lesson teachers, music makers, and a host of others I am not even aware of! Miss Gina knows she needs each one of us, working behind-the-scenes, to make this a successful mission.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” In all we do, as the “astronauts” or the “ground crew”, we can give God glory by doing our best in the areas where we are called to serve. Sometimes that includes putting on the mantle of leadership, and other times it is the hands-on effort of divvying up animal crackers, cutting out sheep shapes, or herding children from one destination to another. God sees, God knows, and God blesses when we “work at it with all our heart”!

Be encouraged!

©2026 Pamela D. Williams