Power House Student Ministry

The name of our Student Ministry is Power House. I actually wish I could take credit for it, but I can’t, First Baptist Winter Park’s children’s minister Mary Peters came up with it along with some of the students. As soon as I first saw the name and the logo, I fell in love with it. It’s not only a perfect name for any student ministry, it’s unbelievably perfect for our student ministry. The word in the New Testament that get translated to Power is actually “dynamis” which is the same word we get dynamite from. This is such a perfect illustration of this group because right now they are small but incredibly mighty, something Mary had actually told me early on. They are small but I know they will accomplish unbelievable things as our ministry grows and as they become the leaders that usher in the age of growth for Power House and ultimately First Baptist Winter Park.

The first time I met them I was still in the process of being interviewed. I went up to the rooms they call the Power House to meet with the students they call Power House for their Wednesday night meeting time that they also call Power House. I kind of love the fact that I can say “Power House, go to Power House, it’s time for Power House and it makes perfect sense. It’s kind of like how “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” is a complete sentence in the English language, if you don’t believe me, google it. Anyway, the first time I met with them I was blown away by their energy, their excitement, and their clear love for one another. They were like dynamite, small but ready to explode. It was also exciting because they were all 7-9^th graders, which means we would get the privilege to walk with them through all of high school.

I have been in contact with so many other Student Pastors and they have been discouraged because their numbers have dropped in their online meetings, we have done the opposite. As surprising as it was to even me, our online meetings have increased in number since we started. We meet as a group three times a week. Sunday mornings at 11 for church, Wednesday night at 6pm for Power House and again on Friday afternoon at 4 for a game. We have one on ones and other stuff going on throughout the week as well including a girls zoom workout with Bronwyn. These students have been so faithful and they are so fun! Leaving Kenya was unbelievably difficult even though I knew this was exactly what God was calling us to do, but the minute I met these students I knew the transition was going to be so much easier. I can’t imagine not having these young men and women in our lives.

Before the pandemic sent us into our homes and we had to stop meeting together, we decided that our groups verse would be 2 Timothy 1:7. The words power and love describe this group so well. In fact, all of the verse describes this group so well. I have no idea what we will look like as Power House in two years, or four but I know we have a core group of powerful students just waiting to explode.