In September, I received a great opportunity to work with Connexion. The timing was pretty much perfect; I had more free time on my hands than usual since I didn't have any classes this semester and wasn't in charge of leading a small group. My job title is administrator so I basically do administrative assistant type tasks for Connexion. Going into it I had certain expectations of myself and the experience and while some things turned out just how I expected, I was totally surprised by others... hence the blog post...
I'm a three, so organization and efficiency happen to be some of my strong points. Within days of beginning this job I had a new file folder, multiple spreadsheets and a shortcut on my desktop. All of that I can control; I can organize to my heart's content. But then comes the unpredictable, trying to recruit new volunteers for sound and slides was the first challenge. I began the semester with a list of 2 sound and 2 slide techs, 3/4 of whom were graduating at semester. For about a month, we announced and begged for new techs. I was beginning to become anxious to say the least... I can run a microscope like nobody's business, but if we don't have a sound tech we're going to have to go acoustic cause a sound board is totally foreign to me. It's in those moments that I had to remember to pray... isn't it ridiculous that it tends to be my last resort when I've exhausted all I can do, when it really should be my first? Anyway, after close to 6 wks of begging the volunteers came in a torrent and I have at least 5 new volunteers for each position. God comes through. Every time.
I was also excited to be working with the staff at ECC, because as much as they will deny that they're anything special, the truth is they're great and we're blessed to have them. Our pastors are real people... I don't really know how to describe this except to say that they live in the same world we live in. They're transparent about life and don't shirk tough or unpopular teaching even when it's hard to think about and come to grips with. I was expecting to enjoy being at Connexion again--another chance to worship on Sundays, great music, etc. But I wasn't expecting for the sermon series to hit me as much as it did. This semester, more than any other including undergrad, the messages at Connexion have been things that I needed to hear and be reminded of. Part of it was the message content and part, I think, was the delivery--Bob and Dan are particularly raw and honest during Connexion in a way that reaches beyond the formalities of Sunday morning services. It's refreshing, it's compelling, and it had me on the verge of tears (in a good way) at least a handful of times this semester... and I'm not typically one to cry in church. The Spirit was there.
The undergrad students have been great to be around as well. I'm not that far removed from undergrad life, but life at 25 is significantly different than it was at 18. I remember how easy it is to be totally distracted by classes, the college life, new-found independence, and to not have following Christ at the top of the priority list during undergrad, so it's just great to see their faith, their love and support for their friends, and their commitment to Christ and the church. I especially see it in the band and cgroup leaders that I've talked with more, but also in groups of students hanging around after Connexion praying for each other, etc.
So really, all that to say that I was excited about working with Connexion again and being able to use organizational skills that come naturally to me to serve the church and college students, but I completely underestimated the blessings that would come from the experience and the other people involved. It's been a great semester... definitely looking forward to the next.
