Dewey Alger
Children’s pastor with a creative spark
COVER STORY Above photo: Dewey stands with a traditional armor Top Right: Dewey takes a page out of the Where’s Waldo’s books in an Old Testament game of Where’s Jesus in the Old Testament Right Center: Dewey’s Wall of Faith: the different colors represent 1) accepting Christ 2) baptism, and 3) “I could use some help!” Right Bottom: Dewey’s “Captain America” version of the Armor of God *Note: Where’s Waldo is a property of Martin Handford; Captain America and Thor are properties of Disney & Marvel Studios and are used under Nonminitive Fair Use.
16 May / June 2020 | Christian Living
By Sandy Jones At 51 years old Dewey Alger, children’s pastor at Cloverdale Church of God, fondly remembers his first grade Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Dia Finkbeiner, and her beloved mouse-puppet Squeakers, who would whisper things in her ear that 6-year-olds find profound. Dewey took the impact Mrs. Finkbeiner and Squeakers had on his walk with the Lord to heart, and today, as a children’s pastor himself, he has a puppet sheep named Betty Lou, who whispers many of those same kind of profound thoughts in his ear. Dewey has a fantastic imagination, and he’s always looking for new, innovative ways to bring the Bible to life, to get his students to fall in love with Jesus, and to whet their appetite to become lifelong readers and learners of the Word. It’s said that you always want to make a great first impression. This article is a direct result of my first impression of Dewey more than a year and a half ago. He was new on staff at Cloverdale, and I had stopped by to visit with the church’s senior pastor, Tom Dougherty. Tom introduced us and suggested that I check out some of Dewey’s classroom aids. I instantly liked Dewey, who is gregarious, with an impish, fun-filled smile. We all know someone like Dewey — they’re the people you want to hang out with because you just know it’s gonna be fun! Dewey led the way to his small office, where he proceeded to lay out for me his latest project, a kid-friendly version of the Armor of God, based on a Marvel character. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:10-17 NKJV) Dewey explained that when Paul wrote these verses he was handcuffed in prison between two Roman soldiers and trying to describe the armor the Christian should wear; Paul found using the soldiers’ own armor to illustrate his point was his best hope of getting them to understand. Realizing that most kids today don’t know what a Roman centurion is, Dewey made a Captain America mannequin with a shield that has a cross on it instead of a star. Dewey’s students have learned about the “belt of truth” and the “helmet of salvation” by seeing them represented on
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