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Madeiras named ‘Parents of the Year’

By Rebecca Bria rbria@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

The Rev. Dennis and Lucille Madeira say they have the best parenting guide ever: the Bible.

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The Rev. Dennis and Lucille Madeira, of Dallas, were recently named the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Parents of the Year by the Pennsylvania Family Coalition. From left, are David Madeira, the couple’s son; Melanie Madeira, the couple’s daughter-in-law; Lucille Madeira and the Rev. Dennis Madeira.

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The husband and wife from Dallas were recently named the 2009 Northeast Pennsylvania Parents of the Year by the Pennsylvania Family Coalition.

David Madeira, one of the couple’s sons, nominated them for the award. The Madeiras received their award, a plaque, on July 25 at a banquet at the Hershey Country Club where The Rev. Dennis Madeira was asked to offer the benediction at the event.

The Madeiras believe it is no accident they were recognized as good parents because they live by the Bible and have used it to teach their children to not only be good people, but to love and serve the Lord.

“It’s what we’ve tried to be,” the Rev. Dennis said. “It’s been a goal. We are friendly with our children, but we are their parents. We didn’t try to be their ‘friends.’ You can’t let your children grow up by accident. You can’t just let them wander like a billiard ball.”

As part of David Madeira’s letter to nominate his parents, he wrote: “My parents always practiced what they preached,” he said. “They were very strict, but we all knew that we were loved unconditionally. My mother would often say, ‘Others may, you cannot,’ as they would teach us to live by God’s standards, not man’s. They instilled in us a strong sense of the value of families and children and we (David and his siblings) all have three or more children. Their generational influence is widely recognized.”

The Madeiras, both 65, were married on August 24, 1963. They have four children: Michael, 45; Timothy, 44; David, 42; and Denise, 38. They also have 16 grandchildren and two dogs: Zoe, a Bichon Eskimo, and Buck, a yellow Labrador mix.

“All of our children are serving the Lord; they’re serving the community and they’re raising their children with the same Godly values that we raised them with,” Lucille said. “And that’s the highest award.”

The Rev. Dennis was ordained as a minister in the non-denominational Church of Christ in 1968. He served as a minister at Westmoor Church of Christ in Kingston for nine years and at New Life Community Church in Dallas for 26 years. Although the couple considers New Life their home church, the Rev. Dennis still preaches at Westmoor every other month.

Lucille, who has a degree in psychology, received her Biblical counseling certificate from Light University through the American Association of Christian Counselors. She worked as the principal of the former Westmoor Christian Academy in Kingston and the former Ross Christian Academy in Sweet Valley in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Together, the couple served as representatives for Accelerated Christian Education, a Christian curriculum they marketed to start-up Christian schools. In addition, they ran a bus ministry to take children to church and Sunday School at Westmoor Church of Christ from 1973-1979. Also during that time period, the Rev. Dennis hosted a weekly radio program called “Life in Jesus.”

The entire Madeira family was active in prison ministry at the Luzerne County Prison from the 1970s through the early 1990s. The Madeira children, better known as “The Madeira Gospel Singers,” often performed at the prison, as well as at churches, fairs and conventions. The family also acted out Biblical skits together.

When the Madeiras’ children were in high school, the couple decided to home-school them. It was the early 1980s and home schooling was still a new concept. The Madeiras say people who did not know them well often asked if it was legal and if their children would be socialized.

Lucille now serves as a home-school evaluator. All of the Madeiras’ children have also home-schooled their own children.

In 2005, the Madeiras started a ministry called Maximize Life to provide parenting, marriage and individual counseling, a program that has become a full-time job for both husband and wife. They started the ministry as a way to bring back the values of the family.

When not working in their ministry, the Madeiras enjoy motorcycles, hunting and fishing. They also enjoy baby-sitting their grandchildren.