A repeated theme of my life when it comes to my plans is that, well, something else usually happens.
Friends, I’m excited to let you know I’ve been given a bit of a new opportunity at The Austin Stone. Back in August when I began, the staff was looking to fill role of the Downtown Service Teams Director as he has recently stepped into different position on staff overseeing the small groups. A couple weeks ago I was asked by my supervisor if I’d be interested and willing to step into this interim role while they sought out a full-time director. And I gladly accepted! Although this is different than what I thought I’d be doing, it’s a huge honor to be entrusted with such responsibilities.
I spent almost two weeks in this role before I headed to Brazil for my friend’s wedding (hence the photo) and now I’m jumping back into it! The current plan is for me to fill this interim position until Jan 1, 2020 until they can hire a full time director and I will hop back in with our Connections ministry (what started with in Aug).
So what will I be doing?
Basically I will be overseeing the army of volunteers that help make the high school in which we meet every week into an environment where God’s people can engage in pure and authentic worship. This can look a like a lot of different things (as I’m learning) but with my background with The Unaltered Tour live events, logistics and small details are a muscle I’m use to flexing! Every Sunday presents a new challenge (especially when you shove a couple thousand people in a high school gym in middle of an active downtown) but I’m beyond excited to learn and grow in this new position!
Does this affect my residency?
One thing I have admired is how much care and attention to my personal well-being as well as my spiritual grow my supervisors on staff have prioritized. As we are working out the logistics of what this will look like for my development (seminary courses, small groups, added workload, etc) I’ve felt very loved and cared for on a personal level. I still get to be working alongside the downtown team although who/how I interact with is slightly different. But again, as I shared in my last update, this is an incredible environment I get to work in!
If you have more questions about what this looks like please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Again and again God has confirmed that this is where I’m suppose to be. The fact that I’ve been given this opportunity points to that as well. It’s been a ride, and definitely different than planned, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!
I'd ask for prayer in:
• the new role learning curve.…again
• for my small group as I learn how to balance new responsibilities at work and how to lead well
• intentional rest: my schedule and weekends are pretty crazy but learning how to rest and Sabbath well is essential in the midst of it
Thank you for the love, support and prayers I've received this past month (especially in the uncertainly with my brother and his injury oversees). I cannot explain the comfort I've felt knowing that God's people were praying for our family- thank you!
ZACH