Ministry
Ministry Message
I’ve been wrestling lately. Wrestling with some key questions of life, calling, faithfulness, and trust in God. I’ve never been the one who knew what I was going to do from a very young age. Those people who did always frustrated me, because deep down I craved to know what my thing was, and it didn’t seem fair that some people just knew, and I didn’t.
It’s no surprise then, that Paul’s greeting and reminder at the beginning of his letter to the Philippians has stuck with me for many years as I’ve prayerfully pressed into my passions and interests:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6 (NIV)
We can all take comfort in the truth that it’s not actually about us! God not only chooses to work in and through us, which is a wonderful privilege, but He first chose to enter into our messy world so that we all could come near to Him. More than that, by His grace, God is glorified when we wisely use the gifts that He’s given us in order to do His work, and He will be the one to complete it!
Jess Connelly puts it this way: “The good news is that the aim of our lives isn’t being perfect, the aim of our lives is worshipping the One who is. The great news is that He is the hero and we’re just part of the rescue plan. It’s His grace that purchases our place in the kingdom and keeps us running on mission.”
Paul shows us how to work out the ‘how’ of the mission in the very next part of his letter:
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV)
When we prayerfully apply knowledge and insight of God’s Word, trusted mentors, and our own experiences wisely, we can discern what is the next best step in saying ‘yes’ to God. But it’s a hard thing to realise that sometimes, my ‘yes’ to God means stepping back from something good in order to step into a new season of growth and purpose that He’s calling me to.
And so, after almost four years of learning, laughing, and serving the wonderful students and staff of the Endeavour College community, the time has come for me to finish up in my role at the end of this year before diving into fulltime study and creative opportunities in 2020.
This hasn’t been an easy decision to make, in no small part due to the precious students we have the privilege of serving, and the incredible colleagues who’ve become close friends over the years. For me, the next faithful step on my journey is creating more space for my continued study in Ministry and potentially for some other exciting creative projects. Though it’ll be a huge change, I’m thankful that I have a faithful God who gives me the confidence to keep stepping out of my comfort zone in faith as I endeavour to wisely follow His call on my life. As well as excited, I’m feeling really sad, but I’m incredibly thankful for the growth and the relationships that have been built in this community. You can rest assured that even though I won’t be working at Endeavour in 2020, I’ll still take any opportunity to be present and support this community in the future!
I want to thank the Endeavour community for the opportunities, encouragement, prayers and support over the last 3.5 years. My heart is so full of love for you all. You’ve been foundational for my growth and pursuing my vocation, and it’s been such a privilege to serve as a part of the Endeavour College team.
Perhaps, in the preparation and waiting, you are not wasting time, but doing the hard work of finding new rhythms in a quieter, slower version of life. Though the clock ticks loudly to the left, and the world moves quickly right before you, and all you can seem to think about is all that should've been figured out by now, may you whisper,
'Be still,
Be still
my soul.
Even here
even here
I am whole'
- MHN, October 22nd 2019.
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.
Peace to you all for the school holidays and beyond.
Alex Schmocker
Youth Worker
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