At Just The Right Time…

uring the month of May, as our church journeyed through the story of Esther, another story of God’s sovereignty was playing out that would lead Jake Wieduwilt back to Bay Area as our new Student Ministry Pastor.

The book of Esther showcases God’s mighty hand at work in big and small ways to perfectly carry out His plan for the good of His people. It’s easy to see the connections as we look back at this story from thousands of years ago, and yet God has not stopped working for the good of His people, in big and small ways. He’s still the invisible artist writing stories and looking for faithful people to join Him in His work.

Community

Our story begins in 2012, when a young Coastguardsman arrived in Annapolis to work at the Coast Guard Station. Jake Wieduwilt and his wife Sarah moved into a local apartment complex, and on their first weekend in town they met neighbors Rob and Kayleigh Vaughn, also new to the area. As the Vaughns and

Wieduwilts both searched for a local church, the Vaughns invited Jake and Sarah to Bay Area and to their Missional Community (MC), where both couples were able to build community. Over the next several years, their community would grow deep in relationship, becoming a spiritual family that remains connected even today.

Mission

As Jake served in the Coast Guard, the “train your relief” ethos of the military seeped in. “You have to develop people in the military, or the job’s not going to get done. And the same is true with the gospel,” Sarah shared - echoing their joint passion for people and for Jesus. It’s this value of developing people that has shaped so much of Jake’s life: “one thing I know about myself is that I’m a developer. I’m the guy who likes showing people the things I know how to do because I want to create other leaders.”