Sometimes you can go through years of Sunday school and youth group, but it doesn’t resonate until you experience Jesus in a different way. That was the case for Seth. Church didn’t mean much to him, but once he encountered Jesus anew, he went all in. Now Seth serves as a leader for Vessels, our young adult ministry. He told us how he got there and what Vessels is like.
My parents always went to Woodland and I always went to the programs, but I never really cared about my faith until a high school friend invited me to their Karen church service. I came to know Jesus there. I saw tons of people sharing testimonies and loving one another and I realized I needed to take my faith seriously. Pretty soon, I began to listen to Father Mike Schmitz and his podcast, “The Bible in a Year,” which sent me deep into the Bible. At the time, I was part of the Woodland youth group, Echo, and it greatly inspired me to join the Catalyst youth leader team.
A year after Echo, Daniel (Emerging Generation Pastor) asked me to be a leader with Vessels. I would describe Vessels as a place where people from varying backgrounds, Christian experiences and stages in life can all join together to come closer to God.
Being on the leadership team and meeting new people drives me to want to be better and understand everyone coming into Vessels. I am studying to be a teacher now, and coming up with lessons at Vessels is one of the things that has shaped me the most, helping me grow both in knowledge and public speaking ability.
Vessels is a place for everyone. Are you an extrovert? We have a big group in the beginning. Are you an introvert? We have small groups at the end. Are you deep in your faith? Join the leadership team and help write messages. Are you new to the faith or curious? Listen to our messages and to our stories in small groups. That’s just Sunday nights. We also have outings, holiday parties, awesome conversations and fun game times. You don’t need to be a genius in theology to be at Vessels—you can still have deep conversations and learn more in the faith! If Vessels is for everybody, then it’s definitely for you too!
Seth, we’re glad you went deep with Jesus, and we appreciate you sharing your leadership gifts!
Vessels meets on Sunday evenings from 6-8pm at Woodland. If you want more info, contact Daniel at dchurchill@whchurch.org or just show up!
