Am I Leaving FBC Stanleyville?:

This week word has traveled in my little corner of Winston Salem that a youth pastor from a church down the road from the church I serve at is leaving. My students came into CREW last night after talking to their friends who attend the other church and they wanted to know if I was planning on "abandoning" them as well.

Last week, I went out to lunch with a church from a city close to Winston Salem and the people I went to lunch with wanted to pick my brain about youth ministry and at the end of the lunch they wanted to know if I would be open to coming on staff with them to be there youth pastor.

Two questions along the same line in less than a week. Below is what I told my students and the other church and also how I feel as Student Minister/Associate Pastor of FBC Stanleyville.

Short answer to the question am I leaving FBC Stanleyville is no. I am filled with a love for my church and a love for my students. I sit at my desk typing and I am looking at different pictures of the CREW and I am overcome with love for my students. I don't just love them, I actually like spending time with them. I have no desire to leave them or abandon them.

Every day I disappear into the church and pray for my students by name. I lift up there prayer requests and I ask God to mold them into His image. Over the three years I have been on staff at FBC Stanleyville I have watched God do an incredible work in the lives of my students. I have watched God grow them into young men and young women who love God and want to serve others. I have seen God do a work in their lives and I am excited to continue to see God do a work in their lives.

I want to see where God takes my students to college, I want to be there when they get there first "real" "adult" job, I want to be there at the front of the church when they get married and I want to be there to hold their child when the time comes for them to have babies.

In order to do these things I need to invest my life at FBC Stanleyville. I have planted my stake in the ground and I don't plan on picking it up anytime soon. Which means that when things get tough I will not abandon the church. When a meeting doesn't go my way I don't begin to throw out resumes to other churches. When I receive anonymous letters filled with criticism and asking for my resignation I do not give in. I continue to put one foot in front of the other and continue to do the next thing.

I told my students I am not planning on leaving CREW anytime soon because I love them and I can't imagine working with another group of students.

I told the other church wanting to hire me that I was not leaving FBC Stanleyville because I love my church, I love my students and me and my family are very happy at Stanleyville.