Homeschool graduates Sarah, Stephen, and Grace Mally (34, 28, and 24) live in Marion, Iowa, where they work with their parents in the family’s ministry, Tomorrow’s Forefathers. The goal of this ministry is to encourage families while equipping the coming generation to rise up as strong men and women of God. They provide an assortment of resources, conferences, and tools designed just for that purpose.
For Harold and Rebekah Mally, there is no separating family and ministry. They began homeschooling in 1990, and say that it literally changed their lives. As their three children grew, the five of them became a team dedicated to the Lord’s work. Initially, the children simply quoted a verse of Scripture or handed out tracts. But now they combine music, skits, and chalk drawings as they minister to families and young people. They discovered how God gives each family member different gifts and abilities to contribute what the family needs for the tasks before them.
A major emphasis of the Mally’s ministry is that of family discipleship. According to their website, “The main chore of every parent is not academics and good grades but to disciple his children; that is, to bring them to full maturity in Christ. Parents cannot depend on Sunday school, Christian school, youth group, or anyone else to meet this need. It must happen in the family. Parents are the main shepherds. To accomplish this requires ministry as a family team. It is thrilling to see more and more families having ministry together as teams and using their homes as ‘ministry centers.’”
While the Mally family had long been committed to biblical truth, creation wasn’t always part of their ministry. They felt that Creation Science and a firm view of the authority of Scripture is the foundation every family must have. But lacking a science background, they hesitated to talk about the subject since they weren’t “experts.” Then they had an idea—even though they couldn’t write science books, they could make them available. In 1993, the Mallys began distributing Creation Science books and resources at homeschool conferences.
The Mally family discovered that you don’t need to know everything about creation before using it to glorify God and point others to Him. This led them to develop a basic presentation on creation. Harold says that if a father leads his family to an understanding of biblical creation, the family becomes more aware of the battle that is raging. “When they see that we have all the ammunition, they get excited and see the great opening it provides for evangelism conversations.” Now they focus on biblical creation in many of their presentations.
In 2002, Sarah, Stephen, and Grace published Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends
Sarah is the founder of Bright Lights, a discipleship ministry designed to equip young ladies (approximately ages 14 and up) to use the years of their youth fully for Christ. There is now a growing network of Bright Lights groups across the country and internationally. Bright Lights also leads “Strong in the Lord” conferences and “Radiant Purity” conferences for mothers and daughters. In 2006 Sarah published Before You Meet Prince Charming
Grace helps lead the Bright Lights ministry with her sister. Grace’s heart for evangelism led her to publish a book titled Will Our Generation Speak? A Call to be Bold with the Gospel
Stephen, in addition to working with the family ministry, leads a discipleship group for young men called The Light Shop. Stephen teaches them about Ephesians 6 and how we are in a spiritual battle and need to know our weapons. Light Shop is for boys ages 10-13, although many of the guys keep coming after they turn 13. Stephen is a freelance photojournalist on the side, working for several newspapers and wire services.
The Mallys continue speak at homeschool and family conferences, encouraging families and young people to be strong for the Lord. They are also frequent visitors to the Creation Museum, often volunteering helping the ministry of Answers in Genesis. On several occasions the Mallys have graced the museum with the unique beauty of harp music along with entertaining “chalk talk” and personal testimonies. The family attends Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel.
The Mally family also owns Noah’s Archive, a Christian bookstore located in downtown Marion, Iowa. Noah’s Archive opened for the community in 2009. The store carries over 350 creation science titles as well as many other recommended resources for families including curriculum, books, CDs and DVDs on Christian living, history, reading, music, Bible study and leadership.
See Tomorrow’s Forefathers for more information about the Mallys. Click here to read a brief history of their ministry, and click here to read their blog. The Mallys will be speaking at the Home School Book Fair in Arlington, Texas on May 9-10, and the INCH Home Education Conference in Lansing, Michigan on May 15-17. View their 2014 schedule here.
Check out this fun video below, from Sarah and Grace:
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