Chaplain's Corner

Ministry does not often happen in the 9am to 5pm window. It happens over meals, meeting people in moments of crisis, celebrating life’s joys, and showing up for people on a consistent basis. Though all of these aspects are important, the centerpiece of ministry is the teaching of God’s word and through prayer. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” The reality is there has been some planting and some watering, but God has brought all of the growth that I have gotten to witness over the past several months.

For our youth, there has been a lot of watering and planting. This summer, we were the recipients of Impact Missions Camps. Impact Missions Camps is a missions camp conducted by the Baptist General Assembly of Virginia (BGAV). Students from various churches across the state helped with some much-needed painting in our Therapeutic Group Homes. This act of kindness left our students wondering, “Why. Why would someone give up their free time to do something like this?”

Throughout the summer, team members, volunteers from various churches, and I have tried to point our students to the “why.” Whether that was driving students to local churches to participate in Sunday worship or on Wednesday nights to youth groups, the aim was to feed the curiosity of our students.

To feed the “why,” we got creative and started a faith-based equine group. This group covered topics such as grace, grief and loss, identity, forgiveness, love, and others. Commenting on the success of the groups, Amy Carroll, Equine Therapist, said, “These groups have created a structured way for our residents to unplug from technology and experience the non-judgmental environment. These groups have created an open and safe environment for residents to talk about the various Biblical topics, to hear from scripture, and experience the power of prayer.” These groups have been and continue to be powerful tools that impact our residents and fuel the curiosity of our youth.

As we transitioned into the end of the fall, the curiosity didn’t fade; it shifted and grew. On Tuesday mornings, we’ve been getting a glimpse of the person of Jesus by looking at his miracles. For our students who come, the driving force is curiosity. They are curious about who Jesus is and why he might die for them. This curiosity has grown, and it has made its way into the hallways and around lunch tables. Students ask me many questions about faith, including the most important one, “How do I follow Jesus?”

As their curiosity has grown, I have looked for ways to water it. I am working to develop a relationship with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Through those conversations, we were blessed to have Leo Bruno, an Area Director from FCA, come to share during devotional time. When he came, we simply had even more kids show up for devotions. And that moment was a reminder, I have been doing a lot of planting and watering in our student's lives. But God has been doing something much more special. He has been growing not just numbers, but students’ curiosity about the person of Jesus.

All of it points to this truth: we plant and water, but God gives the growth. As we plant and water, may we pray for the harvest. And as God grows the harvest, may we give Him all the praise and all the honor for bringing about growth in the life of our students.

Joel ElmoreChaplain & Activities Coordinator