One of the other things I learned was that when I go through a duration of time without doing some kind of ministry or being plugged in a church/christian organization makes me feel like I have a hole in my heart the size of Texas.
I grew up going to church every Sunday (no exceptions). It wasn't until I was in college that I even began wearing jeans to church. So when I was a student I became very involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. Cru was one of the largest student ministries at the University of Arkansas, and several of my friends from my freshman dorm became involved, and I just kind of fell into it. I went on mission trips, summer projects, and just about every retreat they had.
So when I graduated and moved back to Little Rock I expected to jump right in at my old church, Highland Valley United Methodist, to get that same warm fuzzy feeling. Well, that didn't exactly go as planned.
When I was 16 I became a member of HVUMC. My parents and I had visited the church and although they felt it was a little too contemporary for them, I loved it. Well, I loved the youth group. They were so awesome and so much fun and it felt just like a family.
Again, here I am, a college graduate about to begin my career and oh so very excited about attending my home church when I realized it wasn't the same as when I left for college. Not only did the church have a new minister (who was not able to give me the kind of challenge in my faith that I had become accustom to while away), but I was no longer a youth... so I didn't have the fellowship that I longed for. This lead to me spending about a year jumping from church to church in Little Rock, hoping to find that perfect fit. Then, I received a phone call...
Brock Patterson was the assistant minister at HVUMC and I adored him. His sermons were funny, relevant, and insightful. Brock called me in April 2009 and said that he has been given the responsibility of starting a new Methodist church and asked me if I would prayerfully consider being a part of his Launch Team. I immediately said that I was in. (I didn't need to pray about it. This was the answer to my prayers for so long!)
Today, FaithSpring is 18 months old. We have over 300 members and a wonderful fellowship. There aren't many young adults that attend the church, which is sometimes frustrating, but the people who are a part of this church family are amazing. Just when I think I can't say enough good things about the church I have to pause, take a breath, and then talk about the youth group.
I am so proud to be a youth leader for my church. More than that, I am so proud of the youth of FaithSpring! They are wonderful and bring so much light into my life!
Honestly, I could go on and on about them for a while, but I think I'm just going to have to leave that to another day's blog.
