Addie Emery’s Introspections: An Unexpected Blessing

I have always worked with children. From the moment I entered the workforce and began the journey of serving in different ways, there has always been the involvement of children.

So, how does a Youth Director end up leading a prayer group of women on Monday mornings?

When Fred asked me to be his substitute for days when he was out of the country and lead the women for an hour every Monday, I thought, “Well, a couple of Mondays I will hang out with them and it’ll be okay!”

And then I met them.

The most wonderful group of ladies, all of them unique and special and so full of grace and love. I sat in for a group meeting, covered for Fred for another, and then... Fred asked me to take on the responsibility of sitting with these ladies every Monday and praying with them.

I do not take this task lightly. Anything I am involved in is getting my full effort and attention, and I was moved to do my very best to be the person they need.

The thing is, every single time I am with them, I learn more about myself and about the community I am now a part of. I learn about how women, especially, are the quiet beating hearts of church ministry. I learned how we adapt through grief, and the way having the opportunity to sit in a room with others can be healing in itself.  I learned that all our stories have the potential to tell the story of God’s loving grace and presence in our everyday lives.

We talk about all sorts of things, from how the squirrels in our back yard won’t leave our things alone to how they often grieve silently with prayerful hands. Or, from what their aches, pains, and feelings are on a 1-10 scale to how powerfully scripture can shape how we look at the world.

But what does this have to do with Youth Ministry, the work I was hired to take on?

It means everything.

What I take from every Monday is the realization that we are all just children of God. All of us, no matter what stage of change our bodies might be in, are just the children of an ever-loving, everlasting God.

I take the wisdom from these women and can apply it to Youth, because we aren’t all that different. Our bodies may be different, and our ages varied, but the love of God is with us all.

Through shared wisdom and listening, together we can connect in the most meaningful ways. And these relationships with women who have lived varied lives make me a better person.

To the ladies who attend the group, please know you are the best part of my Monday. On a scale of 1-10, this group gets a 10… always.

Blessings,
Addie Emery
Director of Youth Ministries