[Editor's Note: This article is from the September issue of the monthly online newsletter distributed by Arborlawn Student Ministries. See the subscription link here. In our monthly newsletters, we are going to start featuring spotlights on individuals active within Student Ministries: Students, Small Group leaders, Mission Trip Volunteers, etc. This first little story goes out to John Grady.
John is a junior at Paschal High School. During the school year, John is always quick to volunteer. He is a regular help for the Audio/Visual team at both the weekly youth worship and the InSearch worship services. But this summer, we found out there are several more talents in John. Arborlawn is a pretty active place when kids are out of school. From camps to mission trips to Vacation Bible School, there was one thing in common around here – John Grady. Each time there was a call for student volunteers, John answered. By the end of the summer, heads of programs and events were seeking him out… They had seen his valuable contributions and into his serving heart.
For Karen Gossett, John Grady was a blessing in many ways this summer at Arborlawn. “We saw him drive a golf cart during Annual Conference, help during VBC and Camp Vine, and work hard on two mission trips. But my favorite memory of John happened on the last day of Camp Epic."
“John supervised the building of a slip-and-slide for the Epic campers. A group of young children gathered at the top of the slide; they were excited, but cautious about participating. A few brave souls tried to slide, but didn’t have the body weight to make it all the way down to the bottom of the slide."
“John sat down at the top of the slide and started coaxing the little children to him. ‘Come on, this will be fun, I promise!’ ‘You are going to be glad you did this.’ The first brave soul sat in front of John, and John pushed on his back with all of his might! The child screamed with laughter as he went down the slide! Now even with John’s help, the little child still needed assistance to the bottom, so youth helpers stood about halfway down the slide and grabbed ankles and gave another mighty push to the bottom! It was a spiritual lesson to those who observed. How often does God coax and encourage us to start on an exciting but scary journey? And don’t our Christian brothers and sisters come alongside and encourage when we get stuck halfway down? And when we finally make it, the entire group cheers and whoops and hollers and celebrates!”
Karen thanks John and sends a big kudos to him, “who gave of his time, his imagination, his creativity, and his strong back to make a difference in the lives of so many!”
Kim Cordell says, “I appreciate John's willingness to do whatever is asked of him. When I asked him to come up Sunday evening before VBC started to run through all of the sound checks for me, John was there. When I asked if he could be in the Worship Center early every morning to start the music as the kids arrived, John was there. He was a technician, a shepherd, a leader, and so much more during VBC. John is a wonderful role model for the young children of Arborlawn, and I am proud to have him serve beside me!”
We are thankful for John and his willingness to sacrifice his time and energy and serve others. From the organizers of Annual Conference, Mission Trips, Camp Vine, Camp Epic, and VBC… we thank you, John Grady!
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