It’s been 3 months since I started in the position of Associate Pastor of Spiritual Life at Engage and I continue to be thankful for and challenged by this new role. I wanted to invite you to take a few minutes to celebrate and pray with me as we grow together as a church. Below you’ll find some snapshots from the past 3 months, as well as a glimpse of plans for the months ahead.
Looking Back: Celebrating
Story Core: Story Core began long before my actual position did, and continues to be a big part of my ministry at Engage. This spring, with Kevin Barr’s help, we led two Story Core Groups. About 10 people completed the 8 week experience. The participants brought amazing questions and really engaged with the content. One participant said, “The bible finally makes sense to me, I get it now.” For two participants, Story Core represented the first time they’d ever felt part of a welcoming community and, for one, this experience was so moving that he decided to be baptized in June, as a way of affirming his need for and commitment to the Christian community at Engage.
Women’s Retreat: One of my passions is to see people go deeper and grow in faith. This spring I was joined by seven women to plan our first women’s retreat. Eleven women attended the half day retreat which was themed around “Identity.” It was a great mix of new and old faces and even included a first time visitor (she was so excited to be part of community at Engage that she dove right in!). One attendee said that she was amazed and impressed by the level of depth shared in just a few short hours. She expressed gratitude that the retreat spoke to issues beyond “role” to address how faith in God impacts our vision of ourselves and others.
Digging Deeper: Our first Digging Deeper Event, Experiencing God through Scripture, was held in June. This event provided an opportunity to invest in those actively serving at Engage. During planning we decided that if 8-10 people came we would consider it a success. Boy were we surprised when 26 people showed up! I’m so thankful for Terry and Deb Brensinger’s involvement in this ministry over the summer. It was exciting to see the mix of people who came and I really enjoyed listening to us all working together, laughing and looking for significance in God’s word. We were inspired and challenged by the relevance of God’s word for today – one person commented that understanding how God works in the story we studied “gives me insight into how I can make better use of my power as a parent.”
Healing Hurts: In case you hadn’t noticed – I’m not a man. This has proven to be an asset to ministry at Engage as I’ve had the opportunity to have some great conversations with women who’re struggling with faith and other issues. One woman said, “Wow, having a woman pastor has its perks – I can’t imagine talking to Jon like this, I’d start crying and he’d get all weirded out, but I can talk to another woman.” This is one of my favorite parts of my job and I look forward to seeing it grow.
Looking Ahead: Praying
So what’s next, you ask? Three things come to mind . . .
Preaching: I’ll be preaching three times over the summer. I really enjoy sermon preparation (ok, ok, except for the actual writing part). Pray for me that I’ll be able to enjoy it. Pray for Jon Hand and his family that they would be refreshed during their vacation.
Community Groups: In August I’ll begin helping community groups plan for the fall. We’re hoping to start at least one new community group and also run Story Core again in the fall. Please pray for God to provide leaders and co-leaders for these groups.
Life2Life: This summer I’m beginning work on a Life2Life partnering program that will pair those starting out on their faith journey one-on-one with more mature Christians. This process will be a follow-up to Story Core. Please pray for wisdom and insight for me as I create this pathway and for people to hear and respond to God’s call to “make disciples.” From the beginning of Engage we’ve had the vision of equipping people to spread the gospel. These Life2Life partnerships are foundational to our long-term vision of multiplication.
If you read all of this, then you’re invested. I want to thank you for your dedication to Engage and hope that you’re encouraged with the ways God is using your financial and personal investment to impact Carlisle. As you pray for me real needs are being met in people’s lives. One person put it well in a recent Facebook post when she said, “Engage changed me.” God is always at work restoring and renewing people and places in his world. Thank you for allowing me to play a small but significant role in this ongoing work of Christ.
Contact me: I work most Mondays and Wednesdays and other days by appointment. Please feel free to contact me by phone (243-2286) or email kchripczuk@yahoo.com.
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