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Today I’m celebrating 4 years of ministry at Brookwood Church. It’s crazy to me to think that I’ve been here for four years already. This post might be a long one so bear with me.

Brookwood Church is now the place that I have been employed at longer than any other place. That may seem like a short time for you ministry veterans, but I’m 25 years old. I worked at UPS for over 3.5 years while I was in college. It seems like ages ago.

There are things that you are only able to see in a long term stay at a place that are impossible to see in a short stint. I’ve seen students grow up before my eyes. The students that are now 6th graders in my ministry were 2nd graders when I arrived at Brookwood!

• I’ve seen runny noses turn into ruthless lacrosse players.
• I’ve seen High School Musical notebooks turn into Justin Beiber iPod mixes and now into Hunger Games shirts.
• I’ve seen students experience life in Christ.
• I’ve seen students hurt by families, students, and schools.
• I’ve seen families transformed by the power of Christ.
• I’ve seen students take on leadership
• I’ve been loved on by adults
• I’ve been hated on by adults (some justifiably)

It’s been a glorious 4 years. I’m thankful for what God has done in and through me and what God has allowed me to see happen in the life of Brookwood Church and it’s people. As I’m looking back, it’s hard not to look forward. I believe the most exciting days are ahead for Brookwood Church and more specifically Switch.

As we’ve been talking about where we are going over the last 2 months, a few things have become clear. Switch is a growing ministry with positive momentum, but in order to take another step forward I need more help. It may shock you that there is only one Switch staff person at Brookwood Church. However, that is the case. In order to take steps forward I will need to lean into families more and more than ever before. We will need more volunteer leadership and more volunteers.

Over the past months we’ve been developing new structures for Switch that we are praying will help us move into a place where we continue to grow rather than become a stagnant ministry.

Ephesians 4 has stuck out in my mind as an emphasis for the next few years of ministry for me. Here are a few key points:

• to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (Ephesians 4:12 ESV) 
• from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:16 ESV)
• And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (Ephesians 4:11 ESV) 

This new structure will allow people to operate more in their area of strength and gifting and will allow us the structure to invest in new volunteers as they invest in students!

I also just want to take some time to talk to Parents and Volunteers.

Parents

I have a few challenges and thank you’s to issue to you. First the Thank You’s.

• Thank you for giving me permission to do ministry with your students. I don’t say it enough, if you don’t bring your kids, we can’t minister to them.
• Thanks for your prayers. Without your prayers for blessings and growth, we wouldn’t have it.
• Thanks for your support. Your smiling faces, Your comments about the growth of your student(s), and your overwhelming excitement about your child help me to press forward and more diligently.

Here’s some things I’d like to just throw out there as a challenge:

• Invest in your student’s faith. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21. For some this may mean you being a volunteer, or maybe more intentional conversations about faith, or maybe even paying for camp to give your child a chance to create memories that will last forever, whatever it is make sure that you invest in it. I would want to get to the point where I look back and can’t count the investments I made in my child following Christ.
• Talk with us. If something doesn’t go well or you have questions, stay connected to us. We get better by encouragement and criticism that is meant to help.
• Come see our services. We have an open door policy in our services. We will ask you who you are and why you are there, but know that is because we want your kids to be safe.
• Pray for our Small Group Ministry. The one thing that I am more excited about than anything else is our small group ministry in Students. Imagine that your child is invested in a small group that meets in a home from 5th – 12th grade!! 8 years of small group before they get to college. Imagine the relationships, the conversations, the connections, the memories that your student will leave with by the time they graduate High School!! Pray, sign them up, volunteer to host a group in your home, or even volunteer to lead one.

Once again parents, thanks for all that you’ve allowed me to take part of in the lives of your students. I’m blessed.

Volunteers

Leaders, I can not and will not ever be able to thank you enough for your investment into our students. The things that I have seen volunteers accomplish in the ministry at Brookwood Church is ridiculous to say the least. We love people like nobodies’ business. Here are some things I’d like to tell you:

• Thank you. For the double shifts, the long hours, the times you didn’t hear thank you, the times you missed an email, the times you didn’t get the food you wanted at a volunteer meeting. For all the things that go unnoticed and all the things that do, I cannot do ministry without you. You are the lifeblood of Student Ministry.
• Keep going. Ministry is tough. Remember the good, move on from the bad, and most important stay connected to Jesus.
• Work with God, not for Him. Work under his leadership and discern where the Spirit is moving. Give Him everything
• Relationships, Relationships, Relationships. This is how God operates. This how people operate. Let’s operate this way in Student Ministry
• Think about ways that you can step up your ministry. Maybe you need to become more of a recruiter of leaders, maybe you need a more intense role to love on students, maybe you need to change areas. Heed the call of God and look for opportunities to grow in your ministry.
• Pray, we may forget, but we can talk to the Creator of the World and he encourages us to. Please make it a point to talk to him about the students that you are trying to invest in.
• Connect with Parents. This is a step to gain trust and more understanding of a child. This is what it will take to make more strides towards growth.
• Thanks for treating us like a part of your family. You mean the world to us.

Volunteers I need you more than ever to take more steps towards making Switch better and continuing to have a ministry that makes a difference in the lives of students. Pray about what God is doing in your life. Pray that you know where to put your feet in the sand and push. It’s time to move, it’s time to grow, it’s time to make a difference.

I couldn’t imagine a more gifted, incredible group of people to do this with!!

Staff of Brookwood. Thanks for all you’ve shown me about ministry through relationship, example, and prayer. I’m a part of a team that loves people and wants them to love God and place all of themselves into His care.

Perry Duggar thank you.

Mike Hepola thank you.

Laurie Sinkele thank you

Patti Jo Mackey thank you.

Jenni Bowman thank you.

Jared Patrick thank you.

Brian Schwanbeck thank you.

Melinda Barth thank you.

Josh Bradley thank you. Even though you went off and planted a church!! Love you man.

Thank you for those not on the list, too many to name.

Can’t wait for the next 4 years.