Our Blog

Student Ministry - December 2019

Dear Church Family,

Recently the Student Ministry had its annual Disciple Now (DNow) weekend. Thirty-Eight students and around fifteen adult leaders came together to learn more about how to answer Jesus’ call to “Follow Me.” It was an absolute blast! The kids had so much fun playing games like “Gotcha” (a version of hide ’n’ seek), glow in the dark dodgeball, and even broom ball (hockey on ice, but without the skates). There were four main teaching sessions, one on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday before church. Each night the different groups of students stayed up late at host homes and played games and ate snacks. But most importantly we talked about what we were learning during our main sessions. I was with the Middle School guys, and we had some of the deepest and most relevant conversations (seriously, I was super proud of them). I know the other groups had great conversations too. If you know someone who  attended Disciple Now, you should ask them about it!

We learned that God has made everyone to be a follower… but followers of who or what? Followers of God of course. But the problem is that mankind, starting with Adam and Eve, decided to follow other things instead of God, which separates us from our loving creator. So God sent His son Jesus to come and restore us as followers of God. All we have to do is put our trust in His salvation. But we found out that Jesus has a “terms of service” for following Him (Luke 14:25-33, Mark 10:17-22). We have to let go of our life as He gives us His life. If we accept Jesus but have never let go of our life, then we are not truly restored back to God. This does not mean we have let go perfectly, but it does mean that we let go in the  major ways and we continue to grow in letting go of the control in our lives and continue to give our lives to Jesus.

Our last session on Sunday morning was all about how to start following Jesus, and, once you’ve started, what it looks like to keep following Jesus. Romans 10 tells us that if we simply confess Jesus as Lord (meaning we proclaim that Jesus is in charge of our lives now) and believe that God raised Him from the dead (meaning that we really believe that Jesus is alive in heaven and that we have an eternal home with Him) then we are saved. Continuing to follow Jesus looks like  Ephesians 4:1-3. We must practice humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, love, and unity. Do you ever struggle to practice these things? Why is that? I guarantee that it has something to do with not letting go of something in your life and giving it to Jesus. Many times we struggle with these things because we haven’t fully let go of control in a certain area of our life. When you feel prideful, or when you are angry, or when you feel alone, or when someone annoys you… think about what it is that you need to give to Jesus so that He can help you be humble, or gentle, or patient, or united in love. Are you  practicing the art of letting go of control in your life and giving it to Jesus?

But here’s the point: Parents and grandparents, you must practice this yourself. We have taught these things to your   students, but you must show them how to do it. Students need to hear God’s word at church regularly, and also at home. But if they don’t see you attempting to live it out at home, then spiritual growth will be constantly impeded. Take heart! If you are struggling to follow Jesus in your life and home, remember that I am here to help and struggle with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am here to help you as we follow Jesus and lead our students to Christ together. You can do this through the power of Christ who strengthens you!

In Christ,
Brian Van Doren

Student Ministry - November 2019

Dear Church Family,

This October has been quite the adventure. As the month began, preparations for our mission trip to Jamaica were fully underway. My plan was to go with the mission team and help minister to the students and faculty of a primary school in the mountains of Jamaica. We were going there to teach Bible studies to the kids and build them a new playground. My plan from there was to meet Kayla and Samuel in California, where she was visiting her grandparents and celebrating her uncle’s wedding. It was to be a great ministry opportunity followed by a great vacation.

However, “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9). After the flight to Jamaica, we had a good night’s rest and then made our way up the winding mountain roads to the school. As we surveyed the dilapidated state of the “playground,’ we quickly realized we would have to remove a slab of concrete to make way for the geometric dome. So 30 minutes after we arrived, a rudimentary pick-axe and
sledgehammer were acquired and put to quick use. I swung the pick-axe with vigor… too much vigor perhaps. The makeshift handle broke after the fifth or sixth swing. Someone then tried using the head of it to chisel away the concrete. Since we were limited on tools at that time, I decided to give it a try. I took it with both hands and began to swing down hard. On the fourth swing, it hit hard and slipped off the edge catching my pinky between the side of the pick-axe and the concrete, crushing the tip just beyond the joint and cutting it open along the side. Don’t worry, that’s all I’ll say about the injury.

So with that, my involvement in the mission trip was severely altered. I say altered and not ended, because I found that through all of this, I was able to meet countless people and share with them why I was in Jamaica in the first place. The “hospital” that I stayed in was full of interesting characters. There is far too much that happened in that place to tell here, but thankfully I was able to pray with several other patients and bear witness to God’s goodness in the middle of it all. At first I was fairly upset with the situation. I couldn’t believe that I was once again sitting in a hospital, unable to do anything for myself and totally dependent on other people. Only this time it was people I didn’t know in extremely unfamiliar surroundings. My team made sure I was taken care of, and visited me each morning to provide me with essentials. But they still had a job to do, and I had no desire to slow them down.

After many hours of waiting and praying, the Lord gave me peace of mind. He reminded me that while I wasn’t doing what I had planned, I was doing what He had planned. He established my footsteps in Jamaica from the beginning of creation. Once I accepted His plan for me, I was able to see the blessings in it all.

And that is one of the many lessons God taught me through this trial. Amazingly, my pinky tip was saved, I don’t require surgery, and there hasn’t been any infection. God used the tip of my finger to take me many places I would never go on my own, and I am very thankful for it all. I even was blessed enough to go on vacation and experience the beauty of God’s creation in California with my family. So if you’re going through something difficult, remember that God has established this from the very beginning. He has a plan for you, and He will bless you through it if you will accept His plan and let go of your own.

In Christ,
Brian Van Doren