Greg discovered his picture this afternoon (see the post below)…he told me to get a good laugh over it and that he’s going to get me back. I think this is the first official war between a board member and the senior pastor’s wife at North Creek. I’ve seen some church conflict in my day, but nothing quite like this. Stay tuned…
Someone recently suggested that I include my own bio on the list of staff that I’ve been compiling for the last couple of weeks. Where do I start?
As a kid, I played fastpitch softball. (Softball is for sissies, but fastpitch is the real thing!) It was in those seven years that I believe God was preparing me for my role as a pastor’s wife. Being a catcher is like playing all the positions at the same time, but staying in one place. You get foul balls, pop flies, you’re a baseman, there are line drives, you make the pitcher better if you make the right calls, you keep the ump happy, and with the right padding, you can get hit pretty hard and still be OK. A great catcher is very fast and can throw all the way to second base with a surprising speed and accuracy. If something gets past you, it could very well cost you the game and there’s no one around to rescue you. Although a catcher is part of the team, they are also very clearly playing their own game just outside the bounds of the field.
And that pretty much sums up my life in ministry. I love my role, although it includes such a variety of jobs that it can leave me reeling. I’m definitely on the team, but just slightly outside of the bounds. I do my best to make the pitcher look good, I can take a hit better than most, and not too many things get by me.
I try very hard to hide my fierce determination because when it comes out, it tends to scare small children. I can easily accept someone elses failure, but I can’t tolerate my own. I need people around me to do what they are great at because that is when I’m most comfortable. Whiners and those who spend more time complaining than working absolutely drive me nuts.
I am blessed to have a church that doesn’t make me feel like I have to be something I’m not. I’m never going to be on the worship team, play the piano, bake cookies for the women’s bazaar, or wear a broach. Nor am I good at saying all of the right things. No comments necessary on that one…
The thing that gets me up in the morning is to watch people’s dreams come true. I want you to be incredible and if I can help, I’ll pretty much bleed to make it happen. I love people…a lot. I spend my extra thought time trying to figure out how to get you involved in the bigger picture of doing something great for God. I ask for updated church directories frequently so that I can go through each name and take inventory of where you are fitting in. If you’re not, I want to know about it, but don’t tell me unless you want a new ministry.
Most importantly I love God. I love His Bible. I love the job that He’s given me. I’m doing my best to please Him and “catch” as many people as I can for the kingdom of God.
And behind all of the amazing leaders that I’ve spent the last week telling you about stands an amazing man. Our lead pastor is a phenomenal man. I have the privilege of sharing my life with him, so I know him well.
Mark was a youth pastor for over a dozen years, which took us on an incredibe journey that molded and shaped our lives into who we are now. For at least ten of those years Mark never dreamed of starting a church. In fact, I’m pretty sure that would have been the job that he wanted the least…ironically it has become his greatest joy in ministry.
Several years ago, Mark knew his days in youth ministry were coming to a close. It was bittersweet because we both really loved that era of our lives. However, when God begins to tug at your heart, you are never quite comfortable. After much research, prayer, and counsel, his path was obvious. He would join the ranks of those who have sacrificed and stepped out in faith to start a church from scratch.
Mark is dripping with optimism and faith. I’m not sure the thought ever crossed his mind that this might not work. I believe that is because God whispers to a pastor’s heart differently than the rest of us. The mantle of ministry is a heavy one…one that I would not wish for on anybody. I think God is gracious to those that have a pastor’s heart. A common thread for those in ministry is a strong determination mixed with a sensitivity that can easily break a man.
Mark is a leader that allows other people to be their best. He is so deeply confident in who God made him that he has no problem letting others be better in the giftings that God has given to them. He is an enabler in ministry. He will use people far before they are “perfect” and “ready” because he so deeply believes in the using the gifts God has given us…at the level that they currently are.
He strives for excellence in everything he does and suffers deeply when he lets someone down. He has an insane attention to detail, which is famous for being labeled as “intense”. We are blessed to be following a man of integrity. What you see is what you get. He has no ability to be guarded or pretentious.
Mark loves to laugh, which is probably his favorite part of being a dad. He enjoys the small moments of life. He lives for your stories of changed lives and bursts with excitement when you grow in your life. His intentions are pure and his reason for being a leader has nothing to do with titles and egos. He is called by God to preach the Word and that humbles him daily. It’s what I admire about him the most.
North Creek Church has an abundance of 2-5 year olds! It’s been this crazy area that consistently pulls in kid after kid after kid….We structured ourselves from the very beginning to cater to families with toddlers. Our youngest learners get worship, Bible stories, they memorize scripture, do crafts, coloring, and games – all in one hour! We have an excellent program that I am very proud to put my own kids into with quality teachers that love them.
My dear friend, Rachael Yonko, took over this area of ministry when we launched. At first I think it was out of necessity in her mind, but once again, as God moved the chess pieces, Rachael became an integral part of the heart behind this ministry.
A good leader hires people around them that think in a similar way to themselves. A great leader hires people who think quite differently. Rachael would be that piece of the puzzle that thinks differently. Where our grace would end, Rachael’s love and compassion is just getting started. She doesn’t give up on people easily and still has the innocence in her heart to be completely shocked by betrayal. She is a constant reminder on our staff that we always need to error on the side of grace.
She is kind, generous, and filled with a sensitivity that I often see well up in her eyes. Tell her a story of a changed life and she will melt into tears. Then she will throw her arms up and say in a chirping voice, “I just LOVE the way God works!”
Rachael’s future will be a busy one in ministry. I know that the preschool ministry, under her caring leadership, will grow beyond imagination. She will grow into the role of faciliator and director of many, many leaders. And through the example of her love, they will better understand how to love the children that God has brought to North Creek.
One of the most important resources needed for World War II war production was rubber. The government decided to ask companies to invent a synthetic rubber that could be made with non-restricted ingredients. In 1943, engineer James Wright was attempting that when he discovered something unusual. Wright had combined boric acid and silicone oil, producing an interesting gob of goo.
Wright conducted a multitude of tests on the substance and discovered it could bounce when dropped, stretch farther than regular rubber, didn’t collect mold, and had a very high melting temperature.
Though perhaps not practical as rubber, the substance continued to be entertaining. In 1949, the goo found its way to Ruth Fallgatter, an owner of a toy store. Her company put globs of the goo in plastic cases and added it to her catalog. Selling for $2 each, the “bouncing putty” outsold everything else in the catalog except for a set Crayola crayons. After a year of strong sales, Fallgatter decided to drop the bouncing putty from her catalog.
Advertising consultant Peter Hodgson saw an opportunity. Hodgson borrowed $147 and bought a large quantity of the putty in 1950. He separated the putty into one-ounce balls and place them inside red plastic eggs. He decided to name the goo “Silly Putty” and to sell each egg for $1.
Hodgson got the Silly Putty stocked at both Nieman-Marcus and Doubleday bookstores. Orders for Silly Putty started pouring in. From there, there was no end to the popularity of Silly Putty. (http://history1900s.about.com/cs/inventdiscover/a/aa122103a_2.htm)
If you’re wondering why I am telling you the story of silly putty, it’s because it relates perfectly to how we arrived at hiring Kim Goodrich as our children’s pastor.
After our first attempt at hiring a children’s pastor failed, we looked around and said, “Now what?” Well, sometimes diamonds are hiding in plain sight. While our first children’s pastor was at school, we had some volunteers doing the leg work to establish a foundation for what would become our children’s department. Kim had been instrumental in the development of the theme, the name, the decorations, the curriculum…you get the picture. She was already doing the work of a children’s pastor, but didn’t have the title.
We didn’t know Kim at all when she jumped on our church planting team. She had been attending Glad Tidings and working in their kids department when she heard about a church starting in her neighborhood. Looking to cut down the commute time, she introduced herself. It would take several months for us to discover what we had just gotten.
Mark, myself, and Kris Gray sat in the office after receiving the phone call from our “former children’s pastor”. We talked about our options and one thing was very clear…Titles are easy to give, but ownership of a ministry comes much differently. It was clear that God was giving Kim a mantle of leadership in our church…ready or not, here it comes.
We called her that day and asked her to jump on board officially.
Kim is out of the park when it comes to her artistic talent and imagination. She is a chameleon in ministry, able to adjust to whatever the situation calls for. Kim is probably the most moldable and teachable person I have ever met. I would probably say that when she began this journey, she knew that she had to learn a lot of leadership lessons very quickly. She spent time listening, thinking, and applying principles that she needed to be the best leader possible.
Just like silly putty, Kim can bounce when dropped, stretch farther than regular people, doesn’t collect mold, and has a very high melting temperature. In other words, she is strong, flexible, energetic, and resilient. She will be amazing in ministry.
I’m still in awe at Kim’s arrival on the scene of North Creek. We didn’t know the magnitude of what was in our “test tube”. However, when God took ahold of the situation, Kim became the bestseller we were looking for. We got an unexpected and brilliant surprise when we were in the midst of mixing up our team. I’m thankful that God gave us the opportunity and the wisdom to see the gold mine in front of us.
