Well, God works in some pretty incredible ways. I am about to tell you a story. And its the story of how I was called to youth ministry. And now, I am getting to fulfill that call, as I was just recently chosen to be the Director of Student Ministry for the BUMS at Bethel United Methodist Church in Spartanburg, SC.
It was sometime in January of 2012. It was Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend. I was chaperoning on a Ski Retreat for the BUMS. It had been a really fun weekend. I had been able to relate and connect with a lot of the students. It was our last night on the trip. We had just got done listening to the speaker at our last worship session. I remember it really touching my heart and really got me thinking about what I was doing with my life and where I was headed. I was a junior in college, studying special education. I had plans to graduate in just over a year and become a teacher. That was the plan. I was sitting outside by the bus waiting for Chad, the youth minister at the time and my youth minister growing up, to come unlock the bus. He opened the bus up and students began to pile in. I was sitting on the curb. Chad walked up to me and asked me one simple question "So Todd, tell me again, why aren't you doing this again?" And then he got on the bus. It just hit me. "Why wasn't I doing this?" I began to ask myself. I mean I loved doing youth ministry. I loved being on that trip. It truly puzzled me. It was on my mind for the rest of the trip. I remember on the drive home, me and Chad spent a lot of time talking about it. He also asked me if I was interested in being the intern for the upcoming summer, and I told him I would love to. I thought that would definitely help me decide on if youth ministry would be in my future. But this wasn't the first time I had really thought about ministry. When I went off to college, I really thought about youth ministry as a career path. But it just didn't work out, or so I thought.
So I spent the summer of 2012 at Bethel, serving as the youth intern. It was a fantastic summer. I loved every minute of it. It was the best summer of my life (up until that point.) So this really changed how I thought going into my senior year in college. It was too late to change my mind and change my major. So I stuck it out with education. I enjoyed parts of it, but I really just still felt God calling me to youth ministry. But to be honest, Teaching was the safe route. I mean it was my major, it honestly came pretty easy to me. So I decided to stick it out, even though I pretty much knew at this point God was calling me to youth ministry. Well, it came to around March of my senior year. I got a phone call that I really didn't want to hear. Chad called and said he was leaving Bethel. It broke my heart, because he was the man that really inspired me in the first place to go into youth ministry. I was sad, but I understood that God was calling him somewhere else, and it was time for him to go. I didn't know at the time, but this opened a huge door for me. I was asked if I would come back and intern for a 2nd summer. I of course said yes. I loved my 2nd summer there even more. Me and Emily Ward were called to kind of hold things together until the new youth minister got there. Well it ended up being the entire summer for us being there of just us. But it was fantastic, and it truly confirmed my call to be a youth minister. Well, the job was still open, but I had already signed a contract to teach for the fall. So I moved to Charleston. I began teaching, and I enjoyed it, but I didn't like it at the same time. It was tough, and I struggled to get through the year. But I made it. The summer rolled around, and I was looking forward to just relaxing and enjoying life.
I knew at this time the job at Bethel was open again. They had hired a guy for the year before, but things just didn't work out for him. So I began thinking, "Was this God opening a door for me?" So I began to pray. Asking God if this was him or if it was just me. I began to seek out the advice of close friends and family. Some people told me to go for it. Others, who were very close to me, told me not to take the chance. And that hurt. But ultimately, it came down to me and God. But I was still scared of taking the leap, taking the risk, and even applying for the job. I don't like being told no. So I was scared to even apply, and get rejected. But God had a plan, and it was about to be revealed to me.
It was a Saturday night, about a month ago. I was talking to one of my best friends from Bethel, who has grown up in the church just like I did. We were talking about the opening at Bethel, and he was asking if I was going to apply for the job. I told him I wanted to, but I gave him all kind of excuses "I don't know man, I've already signed my contract to teach, I am in debt. I just don't know man" And he responded by saying "Todd, why not? Just do it." I stopped, thought about it for just a second, and then said "Okay. I'll do it." So I sent in my resume, got an interview, and the rest is history now. I got the job, and I will be moving to Spartanburg this coming Friday.
I am so excited about this opportunity. I know God is going to do some incredible things through me and the students at Bethel. The BUMS were a group that meant so much to me as I came through youth, and now I get a chance to go and give back to that group again. I already got to spend two summers there, Now I get to work there full time. It is going to be a great experience.
So, to you, my readers (if I still have any left), I ask for your prayers to be with me as I start this new journey and adventure in my life. Maybe I can keep up with this blog more and write more than once every six months. I will try! I am so excited, and I can't wait to get started. And to the BUMS, I'm coming home. I can't wait to be with you guys! I will see you all August 1st!
