Best Day in Ministry

My former youth pastor asked me to write about my “best day in youth ministry” as part of a series of posts on his blog. Of course I jumped at the chance. After all, it’s easy to write about the best days, right? …

Until I sat down at a computer, however, I had no idea how hard of a task it would be! Just one day? My best day? How can I possibly narrow it down? I have served three amazing churches – Pine Hill Friends Meeting (NC), ChristChurch Presbyterian (TX), and Herndon UMC (VA) – and at each church, God blessed me more and more.

Thus, in the spirit of a Carl Jones blog, here is a tribute to my top ten days in youth ministry, in no particular order!

10.  HUMC Louisiana Mission Trip, June 2010

“Out of Chaos, Hope.” Flying from DC to New Orleans with a group of 30+ teenagers. Sleeping in “pods” designed by the Canadian army to hold heat IN. Working with a bunch of Presbyterians on disaster relief. Performing the “Box of Sin” skit for the first time. Taking a group of teenagers to Bourbon Street. Eating beignets at Café du Monde. These are the weeks youth pastors dream about. Making memories and solidifying relationships…all while loving God and serving others.

9. Any given Monday morning at 6:30am in 2003 & 2004…

The Pine Hill kids would meet me before school in the Fellowship Hall, where I would have a homemade breakfast cooking! While we were eating, we’d write prayer requests for the week on our designated page in the Youth Group Prayer Journal. One kiddo would then take the journal home and pray over us the whole week. These mornings were priceless, and I will cherish them forever. The youth group that prays together stays together!

CCP Mission Trip, Newport, TN

8. Thursday Night of CCP Mission Trips, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008

Our group loved working with Youthworks! Every Thursday night, to end the week of serving the community, we would gather for a final worship service and footwashing. The Youthworks staff would wash the adult leaders’ feet, and the adult leaders would then wash the feet of the youth and pray over them specifically. Kiah Townsend & Todd Horst, male chaperones extraordinaire, and I did this for four consecutive summers. God worked miracles on those nights. Tears, vulnerability, closeness, love and forgiveness… He taught us so much on those nights.

HUMC "Bible Study" Meeting

7. HUMC Monday Bible Studies, 2009 & 2010

If any of my HUMC youth read this, they will immediately laugh. Rarely did the Bible get studied during these Monday afternoon session. However, for a year and a half, this was the afternoon I looked forward to every week. Sitting around the table. Playing Phase 10. Talking relationship problems. Writing letters to Moises, our Compassion-sponsored child. Sneaking out for smoothies. As Carl would say, youth ministry is all about relationships, relationships, relationships, and this was our bonding time.

6. Campfire Sunday, Pine Hill Friends Meeting, 2004

Because two of my best friends were serving as youth pastors, we often had our groups gather for various events – lock-ins, trips to Carowinds & DisneyWorld, and an occasional PIG tournament. This Sunday, we invited the groups up to Ararat, NC. The bonfire was built, a band joined us to lead outdoor worship, hot dogs were roasted & s’mores were made… God was present, and I didn’t stop smiling for days.

1st CCP Beach Retreat

5. CCP Dr. Seuss Beach Retreat, June 2007

The Sneetches. The Lorax. Yertle the Turtle. Horton Hears a Who. Who better than Dr. Seuss to turn teenagers back into children and talk about the tough issues?! Combine this with a beautiful beach house, The Seabiscuit, an Iron Chef competition with mushrooms as the theme ingredient, strategic tanning and a sandcastle building contest the likes of which you have never seen… It was a week to never forget…and one we recreated each summer and winter thereafter.

4. Goin’ Bananas For Jesus, HUMC College Mission Trip, May 2010

Words cannot adequately describe this amazing week in Costa Rica. Sure there were challenges – lost passport, key team member arriving late due to said lost passport, running out of gas on the side of a dark mountain, and more monkeys than people. But our nightly devotions were based on the Fruit of the Spirit, and God worked overtime to create a loving atmosphere and friendships that turned into family.

CCP Youth in Matamoros, Mexico

3. Mission Trip to Mexico with ChristChurch Presbyterian, June 2006

I had been going to Matamoros, Mexico for years with North Carolina Yearly Meeting. Living and serving in Houston, TX, I could not wait to take the CCP Youth to meet Pastor Jorge Reyes and lead VBS. The kids, used to assisting with VBS at their home church, planned the entire event themselves – Bible stories, songs, games, crafts. As a youth pastor, I have never been so proud of a group.

2. Interns

Is there anything better in ministry than interns? When you Google “best interns,” you will find the pictures and bios of Claire Sparks (CCP, 2007 & 2008) and Sean Devolites (HUMC, 2010). They embodied servant leadership, their hearts were full of love for the youth they empowered, and on a daily basis, they made my life easier. They were youth who turned into interns who turned into colleagues who turned into friends. Again, how lucky am I?

 Interns Claire (left) and Sean (right).

1. Phone Calls, Text Messages, Office Chats and Skype Sessions

Though I’m not in youth ministry professionally anymore, not a day goes by that I do not hear from several students. So many have grown up, graduated high school and college, and many of them I consider amongst my closest friends. I cannot tell you how much that warms my heart. God knew exactly where to place me. He fostered the relationships, and allows us to continue to grow together and grow toward Him. It really is the best JOB in the world filled with too many “best days” to count!

Interns

     First off...a note...  We FINALLY had our shutters installed yesterday! Yes, it was the best Valentine's Day to date! There was no street light coming in on my pillow last night, no early morning sunrise laser beam hitting me in the eye this morning. Ahhh.... I am so very thankful for shutters!
  
     Yesterday, while we were getting our shutters installed, I continued my trip down memory lane. Thinking of Costa Rica naturally made me think of Sean, the super intern, and as I thought of Sean, I was flooded with thoughts of the other best intern in the world, Claire.
     As a youth pastor, you have the opportunity of working with all types of kids. Some are shy, some have the personalities of a talk show host! Others are brainiacs, and some require hand-holding. There are the loud ones, the quiet ones, the athletes and the drama queens. And then there are the special kids, the ones that tug at your heart each and every day and remind you why being a youth pastor is the best job in the world.

Sean Devolites and Claire Sparks are two of those people. 

     I first met Claire in December 2004. She was a sophomore in high school then, and now she's finishing her senior year at Lewis and Clark College in Portland. During her high school years, she was quiet and ended up spending her junior year in Europe. When she returned her senior year, we really began to bond. She was always at Donuts & Devos, and Sunday afternoon youth group. She was a leader on mission trips and the historic beach retreats. One Sunday afternoon at the Texas Rock Gym, we were enjoying a snack and I asked her what her summer plans were. Nothing was firm, and I asked her to consider being my summer intern. It was the best question I had ever asked a senior in high school.

With Claire in St. Petersburg, Florida

     Claire started the summer, and I quickly realized that I didn't know how I ever did ministry without her. That first summer, I was prepping for my first ever Living Waters trip. Claire ordered all of my supplies, completely packed the bags to appropriate weight, and had me organized and ready to go. Not only that, but she had plans for the youth group while I was away, and I knew youth ministry would not stop with me out of the country. On our youth mission trip to Tennessee that summer, she was my sanity, as we had one little darling who decided not to be a "perfect" youth group member that week. (All CCP folks who are reading this will cringe with the memories!) She even took on solely teaching the Sudanese Sunday school class...as she was supposed to be teaching with another pastor, and he bailed! Claire needed no direction; she had enough initiative for the both of us. She was dependable, encouraging, creative, and I loved her so much that I begged her to intern a second summer. She agreed, and while I pushed her a bit outside of her box (think teaching the Book of Job to a group of senior citizens!), she handled it with poise! Claire even took the "Box of Sin" skit and turned it into "The Box of Sin: Remastered!"
     Claire has since become one of my best friends. We experienced Haiti for the first time together. We cried and laughed and depended on each other. She was even our first visitor in Vegas, as she spent Thanksgiving with us! As I looked through my pictures, there are so many of me and Claire together that I could hardly choose just one! However, the one above is the picture that Claire framed for me when she returned back to school after that second summer of interning. That picture frame has been placed prominently in my office and now my house, and I will never be thankful enough for the friendship of Claire.

With Sean in Raleigh, NC

     Which brings me to Sean, the super intern! Sean grew up at Herndon UMC, and I would go as far to say that he is the golden child of the church! The church family surrounds him, encourages him, and loves him like no one I have ever seen. With the flash of a smile, the young man can raise enough money to send an entire youth group on an international mission trip! My first week at HUMC was actually the Senior High Mission Trip week. Talk about being thrown into the fire...!! It was an absolute blessing-filled week. Sean jumped into my van for the ride to Maryland, and an instant bond was formed. Though he was in college, he was along as a chaperone and spiritual leader for the youth. His wisdom amazed me, and the way the youth flocked to him for advice, leadership and friendship amazed me. Throughout the rest of the summer, he was around for service projects and card games and movies. He was an inspiration and encouragement to me and made me feel immediately at home.
     We first started talking about a summer internship during the fall. I could already see that Sean will be a natural pastor; the boy can preach like none other. He came back to lead youth group several times throughout the year. When we sat down to start planning for the summer, we quickly saw that we were going to die with the amount of activities. His internship would kick off with a mission trip to Mexico, followed by a Senior High Lock-out, a Senior High Mission Trip to Louisiana would follow two days after high school graduation, and then a Summer of Service would kick-off...and Vacation Bible School. Oh wait, then the Junior High Mission Trip...and finally Upward Basketball Camp! I am getting tired just thinking about it... I don't know how in the world we survived it!
     Poor Sean took everything I threw at him with a grain of salt. He preached, he led, he organized, he lost his passport (see yesterday's post), he took the jobs that no one else wanted, and he served.  While the rest of us flew to New Orleans, he rode in a truck all the way to and from Louisiana, just to ensure our tools and luggage arrived in one piece. He even sat with me in the emergency room for hours as I tried to pass a kidney stone!
     I can still hear Sean's voice saying, "Ashleeeey!" He's a great brother, a best friend, a confidant and a ministry partner. It would not be an understatement to say the he taught me much more than I taught him.

     I am so completely blessed and thankful for Claire and Sean. My ministry is deeper because of what they taught me. I am thankful for not only their friendship, but for becoming part of my family. In their own individual ways, they are two of the best ministers I know.