About the Author

I remember the first day that Rich Wager, then but a young lad, came to the club for the first time. He came from a home with an alcoholic father, but the excitement and friendliness of the club leadership immediately won his heart. How would one describe Rich Wager? You could say that his batteries were always fully charged; if you rated his enthusiasm on a scale from one to ten, he would get a twelve. He had the mark of leadership from the very beginning: In every activity, he was determined to win; losing just made him more determined to win the next time.Win or lose, he always had an enthusiastic smile that signaled his leadership to his clubber friends. After he trusted Christ to be his Savior, he grew faster spiritually than any clubber I ever saw. As a teenager, in addition to being a junior leader, he also accepted the burden of conducting his own Sunday school class. God blessed him with teaching skills from the very beginning. In 1950, the AWANA program was being developed so that it could be available for other churches to use as a ministry in their neighborhoods. I knew if the program was to grow, God would have to send leadership to make it happen, and God answered prayer by bringing Rich Wager beside me as our very first employee. Together we shared a desk under a stairwell-that was AWANA's first "headquarters" office. Rich directed the eighty member Pioneer Club at the North Side Gospel Center while I directed the high school club called Pilots. Rich and I together acted as a "think tank" as we were challenged to develop the AWANA program. Nevertheless, Rich said that we must strive for excellence, and we must get a printing press of our own so that we could print our own books. To raise money for a press, we gathered the clubbers together every Saturday and filled our church bus with newspapers collected from the basements and sheds of many homes.With the proceeds from sale of the scrap papers, we were able to purchase a second-hand printing press. However, neither one of us knew how to run our new machine! Rich, who was very creative, learned first, and together we printed the first book and its covers; the clubbers were corralled to come each afternoon to collate them. God was blessing AWANA each summer and Camp AWANA was a vital part of our ministry. Rich was one of the key camp leaders, and it was there that God taught us many of the basic principles of running a camp. I believe it was there that God gave Rich the vision and direction to direct camps. The most discouraging moment of my life was when Rich shared with me that God was calling him to leave the ministry of AWANA. He became youth pastor at Midwest Bible Church, where he soon got the AWANA program going, and before long he came up with the idea of interclub competition, which developed into the AWANA nationwide Olympics.With the camping heart he had, Rich also developed the Phantom Ranch camp ministry. Later he moved on to become the pastor of the Emmanuel Bible Church in Berwyn; by then he was developing Bible teaching materials and an audiotape ministry. Then, the birth of the amazing camp at Silver Birch became a reality. Rich also had a heart for foreign missions, and was selected to become the chairman of the AWANA Foreign Missions program. He was also a member of the New Tribes Teaching staff, whose members taught all the missionary candidates the basic truths of the Bible and showed them how to share the message of the Gospel. I can only hint at the joy I had in working alongside one of God's brilliant, yet humble, servants. Lance Latham, founder of the North Side Gospel Center and Camp AWANA, also had a large part in mentoring Rich Wager. In turn, Rich has mentored and touched thousands of lives, and his legacy continues today.What an inspiration and a blessing he was to me! I thank God for sending him across my path in life. He truly was a special friend.

Reviews

Pastor Rich Wager proved to be a person deeply in love with God and His Word. God came first in Rich's life anywhere and everywhere. His ministry, teaching, and writings reflect his desire to impact and enrich the lives of others spiritually in their personal study and daily life. Our friendship reaches back many years to Silver Birch Ranch in Wisconsin where I was conducting a week of meetings for his church. Rich and I found time every day between meetings spending the entire time just talking about the Lord and God's Word which pulsates with the life of Christ. Our friendship continued up to and including his pastoral ministry where he developed his studies to give a deeper understanding of God's Word. I believe his handbook on systematic theology for believers will be a great help as they study scripture. REV. CHARLES SVOBODA Founder and Director Emeritus of Bible Related Ministries Hinsdale, IL Strengthened by Grace: A Systematic Theology Handbook is not a watered down theology but a boiled down study of the doctrines of God in a concise and useable format. It is a must read for any student of the "whole counsel of God." KEN KILINSKI, Th.M. Parson to Person, Inc. Rich Wager had a passion to equip his people with the Word (Eph 4:15-16). His outlines on systematic theology trained a generation for service and ministry to our Lord. I was one of them, and am deeply grateful for the foundation that these studies laid that is still bearing fruit in my life and ministry. RON ELWARDT Associate Pastor of Family Life, Camelback Bible Church Paradise Valley, Arizona The art and craft of any good theologian and teacher involves the ability to make the complex simple. Pastor Richard Wager accomplishes this enormous task in his systematic theology handbook. After spending several years under Pastor Wager's teaching both as a member of his church and at Silver Birch Ranch, I know for a fact that he believed the Bible could be read and understood by everyone. This handbook is a worthy guide in helping unearth the greatest treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God that will nourish your soul. "Richard Wager's handbook on systematic theology is an excellent and practical source to begin one's study in theology. The subject of systematic theology is so vast that even the advanced learner will find it as a practical guide for reference. I have personally used this handbook over the years and would recommend it to anyone who desires to know God more. ROY FRUITS, Th.M. Lead Pastor, Rockpoint Church Lake Elmo, MN The most critical issue for Christianity in this 21st century is theological. In times such as these, when absolute answers to life's important questions seem to be few, sound Biblical doctrine is not only a precious commodity but an absolute necessity. Attending church Sunday after Sunday as a young believer, I discovered that Pastor Wager not only profoundly understood and taught sound doctrine, but also lived it out practically and victoriously. This sound Biblical teaching has served as an invaluably essential foundation for my personal growth and service in the Lord Jesus. Here in this book you, too, will also have that opportunity to encounter those same powerful and life-changing Biblical truths as you grow in His grace. DR. RICHARD HESS Dean of Students, Nicolet Bible Institute White Lake, WI Reading this book, I found valuable insights and I would encourage everyone to read it. DR. JAMES A. SCUDDER Founder/Sr. Pastor, Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church Victory in Grace Television and Radio Lake Zurich, IL