WOW! What a whirlwind it has been since coming back from maternity leave! So much happening.. so much excitement.. so many changes!
You guys are killing it. No, Really! Because of your faithfulness and commitment to doing what you do to serve God in the Greenhouse at Freedom, you are making the dream come to life!
It's been a while since my last Tuesday with Tiff blog post so I wanted to give you some updates and share my heart with you.
I'm so proud of our elementary age kids! They worked so hard this month memorizing their memory verse about friendship "a friend loves at all times. He is there to help when trouble comes." Proverbs 17:17 and because they all did that, we were able to celebrate!
First Service on Sunday got to celebrate by seeing Luke get a pie in the face---it. was. AWESOME. :)
2nd Service Sunday got to celebrate by seeing ME get a pie in the face. I think the kids were way too excited about seeing this happen to me... :)
And at our Saturday service they got to come at me with silly string. IT. WAS. EVERYWHERE! It's 3 days later and I'm still finding some on me! :)
Great things are also happening in the Pre-K area! We have 3 strong leaders who are taking this age group to greatness and I'm PUMPED! It's awesome hearing how our preschoolers are memorizing their memory verse and their "bottom line" for the day and month!
There's so much buzz happening about the Parent Cue app! I love that parents and kids are excited about bringing God into so many aspects of their daily lives outside of the church walls!
And many new parents are feeling comfortable and leaving their babies with us for the first time--YAY!!!!! And now, as a parent, I must say, I'm honored to have my baby girl be loved on by such a great team! :)
Pastor Josh Homan (kids pastor from Next Level Church in Ft. Myers, Florida) visited a few weeks ago and it was so great having him here! He was able to give me and some of you some great insight and direction and that paired with prayer has given me more confidence and clear direction in our next step as a kids ministry!
He gave lots of good feedback on things we can improve but also what we're doing well! He loves how welcoming we are at the check in area and also when parents pick up their kiddos. He loves that we are launching this new curriculum and really embracing it. He loves that there's such great attendance in preservice huddles. He loves that the nursery takes their roles seriously and makes it a priority to worship and share Gods Word with the kids. He was so proud of all of you and believes that we are on to great things! He also gave some input on ways we can improve.
A few of the things that he shared with us and challenged us on were these 4 things:
1) Sharp dress code: We have our dress code of wearing WE SERVE shirts, pants below the knee, and our new name badges. He encouraged us to look more "sharp." Parents are trusting us with their kids and so they want to know that we personally have it all together so we can give security that we can effectively love on their kiddos. It was mentioned to make sure our hair is brushed and we are freshly showered or have on fresh body spray. Also, ladies, to have good supportive bras--with the type of shirts we have, it's very apparent to notice if we don't have bras that fit us well. Also, ladies, to have fresh face--smiles and a fresh glow!. He challenged us on making sure our pants look nice (no holes, stains and that fit well) and that they are clean. *PS. I absolutely looooove finding stylish clothes that fit well for minimal costs so if you need help with any of these things, PLEASE contact me. I WOULD LOVE TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU AND TO ALSO HELP US LOOK SHARP!*
2) Holy discontent: He challenged us on our environments. I'm guilty of seeing what's not done with excellence but brushing it off and not putting any effort or importance on it. WELL, not any more! My eyes have been opened and there are so many things that are bugging me.. for instance, paint needs touched up BADLY in the nursery, holes need repaired, baseboards cleaned, carpets cleaned, better storage and much more but those are the biggies. So we have a list of things that need completed by either the team or the facilities team (such as doors being put in place, light bulbs changed, etc). This is God's house... it's our house... it's where we are inviting people in and hosting families and we need to prepare the place to be ready to serve with excellence. So you will be hearing a lot more of ways that we can continually do our part to keep improving our environments!
3) Strong leadership structure: We now have a strong structure put in place to build on and to grow from. I still have a few more people to talk to and present opportunities with but once that happens, be looking for more info on these changes and who you report to and what our new team meetings look like! I'm VERY excited by this!!
4) Auditorium: WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE AUDITORIUM! We are going to kick it off Sept 6/7 and it will have a "portable" feel and we can't wait to host our elementary aged students!
I'm excited to tell you more and cast some vision at our next ALL TEAM MEETING: The 3rd Thursday of August--AUGUST 21 at 6:30-8pm. Childcare and snacks will be provided!
And then DON'T FORGET--- August 23 is our All Team (with families and pets invited) Turkey Run Outing!!! YAY! So excited to spend some time with all of you! Meet at the church to carpool at 8am and we will be back by 2pm. Bring a picnic lunch, $5 entry cost to the park, sunscreen, blanket, change of clothes if you get wet or dirty, swimsuit and towel if you plan on getting in the water, and a Frisbee!
God is moving! He is doing incredible things in our midst.. and even on a personal level.. I'm humbled by how many talents and strengths all of you have to help get us to the next level on our journey. There's so many things that I don't know and that I'm still learning and that I have to work on to keep growing and I love and appreciate all of you and your patience as we have been in a transition period. God is doing a work in me and stretching and growing me like NEVER before and I'm honored that He chose me.. that He hasn't given up on me and that He sees enough in me to trust me and to give me more and to continue to chisel away at me.. and that He has blessed me with YOU.
There are great things just around the riverbend... amazing things on the horizon.. be encouraged. Don't stop. Don't give up. Keep going and keep allowing God to use you!
I'm so glad that we are in this together!
-Pastor Tiffany
