By Elizabeth Pfalzgraf, Assistant Director of Children and Student Ministries
Last week we said “see you soon” (not goodbye) to our fearless leader Chuck Pickrel, as he ventures forward in the journey that God has called him to take. We will miss him dearly, but I know that he will continue to spread his gifts, love and endless amount of fun games!
Whenever there is change, for anything in our lives, we sometimes are left with questions or even worries about what might be to come. Coming from someone who might be considered “A-Type” (likes everything to be well planned out, doesn’t like change, maybe even some “control” issues) I can say that I am so excited about our next chapter! Oprah Winfrey once said …. “When I look into the future, it’s so bright it burns my eyes.” Do any of my fellow optimists feel that this speaks to your soul?
Our Student Ministry has such as strong foundation, built and sustained by our lay leaders and youth themselves, that it leaves those of us (staff) to just do the fun stuff! Our new Youth Minister, Tyler Heston, came for a meet and greet during the Backyard Bash on June 13 where he had a very small taste of KC BBQ! (He will need some further exposure before he can agree that KC BBQ is the best!)
He also had the opportunity to meet with many other staff members including me! We probably could have sat for hours talking about all the great things we would like to see for our students; unfortunately, we had a time schedule and are excited to pick back up in a few weeks. One takeaway that stuck with me was that part of his “vision” for our students centers on the great things that have already been in place! He hopes to gain the voice of our youth into the planning for our Student Ministry and how the church can support them in all areas of their lives. I am so excited for him to get to experience all that I love about our students and ministry and for him to guide us as we continue to grow and strengthen our spiritual connection.
