5th Anniversary with SOY

Yesterday marked five years that I have been on staff with Serve Our Youth Network. I celebrated by preaching at the Salvation Army - Temple Corps in Des Moines. I've been preaching every Sunday since May 6th (with the exception of Mothers' Day where I taught in my own adult Bible fellowship at Valley Church). That may not seem like a big deal to some, but it has been my busiest speaking season so far (since I don't have my own pulpit), I preach next Sunday in two different churches. I preach the last Sunday in June, and then I am speaking at a Christian music fest in Ankeny and preach once more that same weekend - the third weekend in July. I'm loving it, but I am looking forward to a Sunday off.

If you told me five years ago that I now would be the "senior" (as far as time on staff, not age, so save the wisecracks) person on staff I wouldn't have believed you. Today I had lunch with Stewart Vander Velden, who was our former executive director. He was the only one before me to have been on staff with SOY for five years. He is now the pastor of Open Arms Fellowship in Toronto, Canada That church is unique in that it is a English-speaking church plant from an ethnically Brazilian Reformed Church that held services in Portuguese and most of his congregation is made up of high school students and college students - so he has phenomenal ministry up there. It was great to be able to catch up with him.

Joining us was another former staff member, Laurie Vos who is now working with the Iowa Department of Human Services in Oskaloosa. She was our volunteer coordinator in Pella, and also did some work helping us get our Winterset ministry started. It was great to see her again.

Anyway, just some random stuff thoughts going through my head this afternoon.