It's What We Do

Many people have asked me lately about how our church works. It can get a little confusing with the two branches.

For those who may be new to my world, Seth (my husband) is a youth pastor. We are on staff for a large church in Southern Illinois. Although we work for the church as a whole, we focus much of our energy on what we the "Centralia Branch" which is a satellite video venue of the main branch which is about 30 minutes away. The video venue just basically means that everything is live but the sermon. After I lead worship, a 20 foot screen comes down over the stage and the church watches our pastor on a screen rather than in person. This is done obviously so that our pastor can be at both branches at the same time. We have two Sunday morning services at the Centralia Branch and at the Main Branch. Between both branches we run about 12oo. When this branch was launched on April 6, we had about 8 students come with us from the main branch to this branch. In about 4 months, the youth group has grown from 8 students to 90 students and is still growing like crazy. Seth is the youth pastor at this branch and Bobby is the youth pastor at the main branch. (Bobby and his wife Erin are also great friends of ours and have a very different, but just as amazing "how they met" story.) So anyways, one message that we are always trying to get across is that the church is "one church, with two locations". Every ministry works closely together and once a week all staff members from both branches meet in one location. Because I do a lot with the media departments (from music, to writing, to design) I spend two full days at each branch. Monday and Tuesday are spent out at the Main Branch, where as Wednesday and Thursdays are spent at the Centralia Branch (which is about 1/8 of a mile from our house!) So that's how it works.

As far as leading worship, since April, me and Ryan have led EVERY service and Seth plays the drums every week as well. The main branch has 3 teams that alternate weekly. Right now at the Centralia Branch we have one team of instrumentalists and two sets of background vocalists and then me and Ryan leading. Me and Ryan trade off leading the bulk of sets each week. (One week he will lead the bulk and I will lead one song and the next week I will lead the bulk and he will lead one song.) Having only the two of us to lead we are always switching it up and trying to keep it fresh. We have practice on Thursday nights for Sunday morning services. When you count the two Sunday services, the practice, and the sound checks and run-throughs before services, I am singing full sets, 6 times a week. If you add in the fact that I also do the worship for the youth service on Sunday nights, that brings it to 8, sometimes 9. And then on top of that now that school is starting back, I am starting to teach voice lessons again, and have SIX students lined up! I'll let you know how THAT goes! yikes!

Recently the finance team has asked that staff members begin logging their hours. Like how much time is spent on anything church related throughout the entire week... not just during the Monday - Thursday, 8-4 work days. It has REALLY been eye opening to me and Seth to see how much of our life outside of the church building is devoted to the ministry. Some days my (and Seth's) time log goes until 10:30 p.m. I LOVE my job... and our full-time ministry lifestyle... but I have also just been made aware of why I'm always so tired! We do our best to set boundaries and then go from there. God has been faithful to lead us through the enormous response and rapid growth without any major hiccups and the adjustment has really just been a natural thing. It's not even close to being over or even slowing down, but we are honored that God placed us where he has. To be as young as we are, newly married and in full time ministry is not something we take for granted. We know that it's only by the grace of God that we are even alive, much less that we are even blessed enough to work for such an amazing church and ministry. Daily we are seeing lives being changed, and a community that most had given up on, find hope and restoration.

So... that's what we do... and are doing... and will be doing.

My transition from administrative work to the graphic design and creative arts dept. is incredible! I am loving it!

I meant to post this a while ago. This is a video that was done at our youth camp this summer by the camp pastor's(Seth and Bobby), the camp pastor's wives(Me and Erin), emcee , and media director. Their ages range from 23 to 30. Some of the not so professional quality video work was done by myself... before I sprained my ankle of course. This is what happens when you are at youth camp, have had ZERO sleep and are running on caffeine and gummy worms. The point was to get across to students to use the schedule that was on the back of their lanyards rather than asking us a million questions a day about what's next. Think what you want, but the students LOVED this video! =) (for those who are not quite as culturally informed, this was taken from this past summer's hit "Umbrella" by Rihanna) I apologize in advance for the lack of musical ability in the group. Haha... Seth was the only one with any vocal talent! =) WE didn't have time for a voice lesson... even if we did we wouldn't have made it through without laughing till we cried. What they lack in musical ability, they make up for in comedic value.