Greetings of grace and peace to you with the warmth of Christ in these sometimes frigid winter days!
My name is Robbie, and in loving and daring confidence in God's grace, I am filled with joy to take on the vocation of Director of Youth Ministries for Grades 6-12 at St. Luke's! I am also humbled by the guidance, grace, and prayers many of you have given me, as I navigate moving from Green Bay to Madison's west side during winter and learn a new ministry role in the midst of pastoral transitions. To those I have not met: I am eager and energized to meet you in the months ahead! As the Spirit moves you, please introduce yourself, send me an email, or call the office to get connected with me at any time.
As I prepare to formally commit myself to the life and ministry of this congregation as a new member on March 9th, I am reminded of our unifying vocation to "touch the lives of others with God's surpassing grace" (We All Are One in Mission, ELW 576). In a fluctuating world with global and personal effects, the unifying commitments we make in our baptismal vows to support each other keep us resilient.
Now tasked with helping this congregation fulfill those commitments to our youth in the months and years ahead, I seek to lead them to:
Connect with each other, with our faith, and with God, by living a life centered in worship of the Lord...
Serve our neighbors, near and far, by demonstrating servant leadership in the example of Jesus...
Grow in faith by learning about God's Word and the life and ministry of the Church in order to make room for the Holy Spirit to work through us...
...and doing so in the assurance of Christ's Love for all.
I am actively preparing exciting opportunities for our youth to become even more engaged this summer and coming school year. As we begin the season of Lent this month, I also am reminded of the value of intentional preparation from a hymn I discovered last year:
What is the world like when God's will is done?
Ready for feasting, we watch through the night,
tending our lamps till the new day's begun.
This is how God readies us for the light.
(What is the World Like, vs. 4, ACS 1047)
I am filled with great anticipation to see what the Holy Spirit will inspire us to do! In joy of our shared mission and journey ahead, together.
Robbie Spofford
Director of Youth Ministries
Commentaires