Hello,
This last month has been an exciting one, thank-you for your prayers. Here’s a quick update on what has be going on. The church plant in Spring Hill has met twice and has changed its name to ‘Trinity Church’. At the meetings we have aimed to communicate our vision and values. That is, the desire for a community of compassion, a place of stability and purposeful connections, and an inclusive culture of inviting. Secondly, we are beginning to establish a network of responsibility, in the form of a launch team that will meet weekly to work on various areas of ministry. I’m continuing to serve at the ‘mother-church’ in Brentwood, to learn all that I can. I will be at BUMC for the next month and dividing my time between doing a little bit of teaching for the 7th and 8th graders and trying to meet more and more kids in Spring Hill by going to school lunches and possibly arranging informal, friendly-type events. Please continue to pray that Trinity Church will be blessed in these early stages of growth. Remember me as I try and meet more and more kids whose families are not yet connected with any church in the area. Pray for boldness in reaching-out!
I have loved my Theology classes at Vanderbilt so far, they are inspiring me to think of the Christian faith and the authority of God’s authorship of the Bible more deeply. I’ve really appreciated the fact that CYMT gives me the chance to still be a student in combination with on-the-job Youth Ministry training. Truly, thank God for giving Dietrich Kirk (Director of CYMT) the vision for starting such a program of graduate-level training for young youth ministers. May God continue to have his hand on this unique incubator for personal spiritual development. Please pray that this learning experience would be blessed by God, that His will is done and that I would count it as a privilege to be here.
Personally, I am making a conscious effort to make friends outside work and CYMT. I think this is a really important part of the settling-in process. I’ve started to help coach an U12 YMCA girls soccer team on a Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. Then, I’ve also joined a Co-ed Flag Football team organised by ‘Kairos’ (a young adult ministry run by Brentwood Baptist Church) which play in an immediate sports league in Nashville. On other matters that could be brought to God in prayer, my visa is being worked on by people that know more than I do, so please continue to pray for that. All in all, I have truly felt your prayers with me, thank-you for your lovely letters and emails of support, I really appreciate them.
I have loved my Theology classes at Vanderbilt so far, they are inspiring me to think of the Christian faith and the authority of God’s authorship of the Bible more deeply. I’ve really appreciated the fact that CYMT gives me the chance to still be a student in combination with on-the-job Youth Ministry training. Truly, thank God for giving Dietrich Kirk (Director of CYMT) the vision for starting such a program of graduate-level training for young youth ministers. May God continue to have his hand on this unique incubator for personal spiritual development. Please pray that this learning experience would be blessed by God, that His will is done and that I would count it as a privilege to be here.
Personally, I am making a conscious effort to make friends outside work and CYMT. I think this is a really important part of the settling-in process. I’ve started to help coach an U12 YMCA girls soccer team on a Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning. Then, I’ve also joined a Co-ed Flag Football team organised by ‘Kairos’ (a young adult ministry run by Brentwood Baptist Church) which play in an immediate sports league in Nashville. On other matters that could be brought to God in prayer, my visa is being worked on by people that know more than I do, so please continue to pray for that. All in all, I have truly felt your prayers with me, thank-you for your lovely letters and emails of support, I really appreciate them.
Thank-you,
Emma
