Almost Like We Know What We're Doing

You don't have to spend much time at Silver Creek to know that we aren't afraid to try new things, consider different approaches to ministry or experiment with ideas that might not seem conventional. Understand we don't just guess at options, or make changes because we're bored. There's lots of prayer, reading, studying, thinking, talking and anticipating that goes into pretty much every decision we make or program we implement. Sometimes we get it right, other times it's a miss and other times it works better than we could have imagined.

Just a little over a year ago, we launched a new adventure by starting our internship program. We felt a real call by God to use the ministry experience our pastoral staff possesses, the ministry opportunities our church can provide and a house with lots of rooms on our property to invest in individuals sensing God leading them into ministry. We did our best to develop a program that fit where Silver Creek is headed as a church but it was not something anyone of our pastors has been involved with before.

As a church, we certainly benefit from the time and energy the interns put into their areas of ministry. In that regard, the program is certainly working and we got it right. Watching young adults discover where God is taking them in ministry is what's most exciting. To start with, our intern Breanna has discovered that the area of ministry she thought she'd been called to isn't actually a good fit. That might sound like a failure but it is actually exactly what the internship program is designed to do. Helping people to find their calling and sort out what the next steps will be in developing a lifetime of ministry, was one goal. Our church's investment has saved her tons of money in schooling and starting into a career that would have been frustrating and disappointing. She's still looking at ministry but not in this particular area. That's a win.

We've also seen two of our interns, Ashley and Mandy, take huge leaps in their development of planning, giving spiritual talks to students and furthering their desire to pursue God's call on their lives. Travis, our other intern, has not only grown in his knowledge of ministry within the church but has enrolled in Fuller Seminary and will be taking classes in addition to the internship. In case you're not sure, those would each be considered a win!

Plus, to continue validating this was the right decision we have two new interns that will be joining us over the next month. Mac, has just graduated from Azusa Pacific University and will be heading to Seminary in the fall. The other intern, Chelsea, recently graduated from high school in Scotland and is just beginning to discover what God might have for her. Thinking back on how God brought us to know both of these individuals and what God is doing in their lives, would be two more wins for our intern program.

God is doing lots of amazing things at Silver Creek, the internship program is clearly one of those things. Thanks for supporting this program through your finances, prayer and encouraging words to our interns.

Let's keep dreaming of all that God wants to do,

Brent