A Short Reflection on Working in Churches

Something that I noticed early on in this process is the difference in size between Wellshire and the church I grew up in.  Wellshire probably has twice the number of members, if not more. The Wellshire staff has about 17 paid positions and the Third staff has three.  I have realized that I feel much more comfortable and at home in a smaller church.  I do not feel led to be a preaching pastor at this point, so the areas of ministry that I am most interested in are really only paid positions in larger churches.

Being within about a year of my first real job and of being truly out on my own, I am thinking about what I want to do as a career, where I want to live, and also what kind of church I want to belong to.  If I am led to work in a church, my personal preference of a smaller size likely will need to be compromised in order to find a place where church work can become my career.  I know that each church has different needs, and that the Lord's plans will take me exactly where he needs me.  For now, my task is to wait for him and bring him glory through this process

A Catch-Up Post

I am more than half way through my summer at Wellshire! Here's what I've been up to since the last blog post.

My mentor was gone the week after Music Camp so I took a much-needed slower week, and spent some time with the congregational care pastor.  I got to go along on some pastoral care visits, which were hard and wonderful at the same time. We visited a new born baby at her home, just days old, and gave her a gift from the Sunday School. We visited a woman in the hospital who had an infection in her leg, and was so happy to see someone from the church. We visited another woman who had a cracked pelvis and the pastor took me out to lunch, asked me hard questions and paid for my pizza. I was pushed about denominations and the contrast between the way I was raised and the things I have chosen, and the church I am serving this summer. I learned the church work of collating bulletin inserts and accepting new members. I wrote the Congregational Prayer and got to pray it from the pulpit on Sunday morning.

Moses and his Israelite friends
ready to teach the kids about unleavened bread!

The next week Holly was back and we got to work on setting up for VBS. It was a blast.  We made egg shakers and read curriculum.  We dressed a rabbit puppet up like a chef.  We construction papered, and magic markered, and toilet-paper tubed. And Holly taught me, once again, how to go all in, how to do nothing half way.  We ate cinnamon bears, and I was energized by organized lists, and careful planning, and creatively bringing about a vision for the kids.

At the end of the week, my rabbit and I could hardly wait for Tuesday.

Dance Steps, Jello Oceans, and a Really BIG Fish

This past week at Wellshire was Music Camp.  The Director of Contemporary Music here wrote a short musical on the story of Jonah and over a week 17 3rd-8th graders learned the show and presented it in church!

It was a very cool week.  Holly, my mentor/supervisor planned the whole week, and she doesn't do anything halfway!  We made Jonah Snack Mix (blue M&Ms for the sea, goldfish for the big fish, pretzels for the prayers of Jonah and the Ninevites, pumpkin seeds for the plant, and raisins for a second chance) and Jonah Jello (blue, with a gummy fish 'swimming' in each cup). We let the kids experience being swallowed by a big fish.  We created a giant fish belly by covering a room with black plastic sheeting and made the doorway look like a fish mouth:

Some open cans of cat food (for the smell)
and a splashing water sound effect completed the effect! 

Games, crafts, and songs also were fish/ocean/Jonah themed. By the end of the week, they knew that story inside and out, with all of their senses.  How awesome.

The 5th-8th graders designed and painted a GIANT fish for us!

Every day started with Holly, learning another piece of the story.  She would read the scripture, then reinforce it through some true/false questions about whales and Jonah, and then sing an energizing song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ytoIhRYAQ (a parody of "Mony Mony" called "Jonah Jonah") It was so cool. Watching her do this direct teaching connected with my heart is a big way.

Then was games, crafts and snacks.  After all that fishy fun, we had rehearsal every day.  It was hard work to cast, learn, block, memorize, practice, costume, and perform a whole musical in one week, but we pulled it off!  The kids had a blast all week long and were such excellent performers the show.

Our excellent cast!

After the week, here are my thoughts about Children's Ministry:

• It's intense! There is a lot done behind the scenes that doesn't always get noticed, but would certainly be missed.
• Good organization is key!  You must learn to coordinate and embrace volunteers. This includes learning to interact with a variety of people.
• Kids are absolutely able to understand, embrace, and proclaim the message of a Bible story.
• I would love to teach kids to get excited about God's book.
• Writing your own program can be a huge challenge, but a creative person (Holly) can pull it off!

I want to be just like Holly.

• A career devoted to telling kiddos about our God (teaching, reinforcing, checking for understanding) is probably one of the best jobs on the planet.  And a little bit scary. It's a big deal, eternally important work.

The call to ministry is becoming more and more clear to me. Many people here have given me verbal confirmation of my gifts in this area. I don't think I can see myself doing anything else.

Galveston, Oh Galveston

I have returned from the youth mission trip! What a crazy adventure.

It all started with a 20+ hour charter-bus ride, through the night, with 60 people (of which I knew 1). We were all excited to finally see the ocean as we crossed from mainland Texas onto Galveston island!

One step off the bus told us that it was going to be a hot and humid week. And that was totally accurate.

We worked with an organization called One Mission: Galveston, which was started by a self proclaimed "loud-mouth" contractor from Virginia, whose heart ached for the people left devastated after Hurricane Ike in 2008. We broke up into 5 work teams and set off for four days of construction work. The contractor/missionary daily gave us the task of stepping outside out comfort zone to connect deeply with the people we were serving.

My work group was amazing. The 9 teenagers worked hard and stayed safe. They visibly became closer and closer as the seek went on. They were hilarious and never whined and were so fun to be around. I had the added challenge of leading them by myself. The other four work groups were all led by a pair of sponsors, but my partner didn't show up until half-way through the third work day (of four). But I am proud to say that I rose to the challenge and led those kids to the best of my ability. Our task was re-siding a house. It was a pretty large house and in pretty bad shape when we showed up.

We worked four long days demolishing the damaged siding, shoring up the foundation, installing insulation, tar papering everything, and finally nailing up nice, new siding. We finished a large chunk (with other places close to being done) and I am so proud of my team.

The other thing I was responsible for leading (mostly alone, also) was a small group Bible study. This was perhaps the most frustrating part for me. My group was so distracted and uninterested, and mostly refused to engage with the material I had worked on before the trip. I eventually had to come to the conclusion that that group of kids had a different expectation and desire for the Bible part of the trip than I did. It was a very difficult task for me and caused me to think more about what youth ministry would really be like. Of course, as soon as my partner/sponsor showed up, the Bible study group was great and all had something to contribute. I am not used to this kind

The trip was, on the whole, really great. I learned a lot about youth ministry, and I think I decided that week long trips with 50 teenagers are not something I want to be repeating too often. Within the group as a whole, there was a lot of drama, there were more tears than necessary, and not a whole lot of sleep. A week was just a few days too long. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the kids are great and they are really committed to each other and to the work. The mission trips are the highlight of their years, and I can see why.

Some things I learned:

• I am happiest when I can help in specific ways that benefit the whole group. I best showed then love and care by taking care of their physical needs.
• In high school, peers are a whole lot more important than adults. Matching my hard working senior guy with my two distractable 14 year olds was a great move.
• My desire to be liked by everyone is not going to be fulfilled within a group of high schoolers.
• I have different values and motivations than other youth leaders. It can be frustrating or discouraging when these conflict.
• Coming into an existing youth group, one that is steeped in tradition, is a difficult task.
• I think that interactions with youth will become easier the farther removed I am from high school.

I love those kids. A week was too long for me. But it was really a blast. This week I moved in with my host family and started Music Camp. We have 3 more days of rehearsal and a performance on Sunday!

Day Four: Reflections

I have officially completed my first week of my Jubilee Fellows internship! (Goodness, this summer is going to fly by!) Here are some things I have learned and experienced so far:

Wellshire is a big and beautiful church. The staff is even more beautiful than the building, and so welcoming. Everyone was about as excited to meet me as I was to meet them! Their love and concern are so evident. I automatically belonged here. My supervisor, Holly, is so fantastic. I have absolutely loved working with her and learning from her these four days.

I learned how to make coffee.

I learned how to make a copy, and how not to make a copy (Apparently, the goal is to NOT PASS OUT).

I have a desk!

I attended a staff meeting where the staff finalized the plan for each and every day from now until December 31.

I got to see how the different members of the staff worked together. I'm starting to get to know everyone.

I also learned that it takes time for me to feel comfortable with new people, willing to talk and share my ideas. The beginning of every meeting with new people started with simple observation on my part, but I eventually was able to joke, laugh, and plan with them.

I worked on the script for Music Camp.

I researched the depth of many passage of scripture and wrote up questions and other study material.

I got to meet some of the senior leaders in the youth group. They are awesome. I am so excited to be a part of planning events for them this summer!

I got to help write the Bible study materials for the youth mission trip next week.

Tomorrow afternoon I will hop on a bus, with 50 high schoolers and 9 other leaders, bound for Galveston, Texas. We will be serving the people of Galveston through reconstruction, painting, installation, and any other jobs that are sent our way. I am so excited to start getting to know the youth group! If they are anything like the staff at Wellshire, I am going to love them to pieces. I can't wait to see how the Lord works in the hearts of the Texans and the students, as well as the ways he will shape and teach me.

Tomorrow!

My internship at Wellshire starts tomorrow! I am so excited.

But I would be lying if I said that I'm not nervous. There is a big unknown, wonderful and daunting, looking me in the face tonight. I am not sure what kind of work is awaiting me at Wellshire, or if I will be ready for all of the opportunities I will be given. But, I can't wait to start knowing and loving the people of the church and to experience first-hand the work I have learned so much about.

A few days ago, in my devotion book, I read this prayer which has been directing my thinking this week:

Sending God, how can I possibly represent you to the world? Let me start right here, on my knees, seeking the power that comes from on high. May your spirit move me toward the world you love. Amen.

The Journey Continues

The 2011 Jubilee Fellows

This past semester of my college career has been challenging and stretching and wonderful. I was selected as one of 12 juniors to participate in an excellent and exciting program at Calvin College called Jubilee Fellows. This program seeks students who are interested in church ministry or Christian leadership and through classroom learning and hands-on experience helps them to explore this call.

The twelve of us, working under the mentorship of three pastors and their wives, read about, discussed, and meditated on Christian leadership throughout the semester. The Lord was clearly working in and through each of us. The support and perspectives of leaders and peers as we all worked through this information was invaluable.

The Lord's hand was clear through this class. His perfect timing and constant guidance prepared my heart for the lessons I learned week after week. The times I was faced with an issue or a concept that was particularly hard for me to grab hold of, God provided the means for me to wrestle with it and the strength to continue pursuing this call. In January, my thinking about ministry was not very deliberate or significant, but because of the encouragement, lessons and conversations I had throughout the semester I am now seriously considering a commitment to ministry as a vocation.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the program is still to come, however. This summer, for 10 weeks, I will be working as an intern at Wellshire Presbyterian Church! I am very excited to learn even more about the role of church leaders in this setting. I will be working closely with children and youth, especially by leading a youth group mission trip to Texas, organizing youth group summer events, and planning VBS. My mentor has also arranged many learning opportunities in various areas of church ministry. I hope to gain experience in pastoral care, teaching and participating in worship services. The internship begins on June 7th and I will periodically post updates about what I have been doing.

I am so blessed to be a part of this program. The Lord is calling me to amazing, important, and challenging things. I would love if you would be in prayer for me over this summer! Please pray for boldness and perseverance for me to fulfill every task I am asked to do. Pray also for the ability to love the people of Wellshire with Christ's love and serve them the best I can. Pray for me to have an open heart and listening ears as I seek answers from the Lord about his plan for my future, and, for the times when His voice is not very clear, pray for me to have the ability to live joyfully in the process of an uncertain path.