Important Note from me (Harrison)

Hello all, hope you’re having a wonderful evening. Super fun hanging with your kiddos tonight. We covered some really impactful scripture in our time together and it was noticeable how intentional they all engaged in discussion with it, as we broke into our smaller age-based groups. We focused mainly on Psalm 139, it would be awesome if you tackled this together this week as a family and shared your thoughts together!

For those of you who were unable to make tonight’s meeting I shared something very important with this evening’s group that I would have liked to have said to everyone in the moment personally. If you’d allow me a minute I will share with you now.

It has been a privilege and blessing, more than I could ever truly say, to have been in ministry here at Oak Ridge since November of 2018. It has singularly been the greatest group of students and parents that I’ve worked with yet (and I’ve been working in youth ministry since 2005)! I am consistently encouraged and affirmed by both parents and students, and invited into your lives. You’ve trusted me in directions we sensed led to go, bought in to new ways of doing things, and been intentional about reinforcing your kids discipleship journey at home. All this has worked together to also make this the most fruitful season I’ve been able to witness in student ministry. You have no idea how proud and excited I am of your kids’ openness to the Lord, deep understanding of their relationship with Him, and the steps they’ve taken in living more in-tune with the way of life He modeled for us. Their hunger for the Word, their willingness to seek the good of others. I could go on and on. It’s been real in every sense of the word!

It is therefore with an emotional struggle that I share a significant change that will be coming in July: I will be stepping down from the role of Director of Student Ministries at ORMC. My last day in this position will be Wednesday July 3. We will have a lot more opportunities to catch up and celebrate the work Jesus is doing in the lives of your students and in your homes between now and then, but it was important for me to get this in front of you now. 

Though this was difficult to decide and to share, it’s also a direction that comes with a great bit of hope. I plan to take a much needed break so as to focus on the spiritual growth of my family, and eventually in the future to develop resources and training for any student ministry to use based on how God has led our work with students here at “The Ridge.” It will also begin a new season where you as students and parents can re-vision what it is you’d like to see and how to get there. It will help you affirm and continue what has worked, and move on from what may no longer seem to fit. It will give you the opportunity to continue the vision and speak to what God has been up to and where He has been leading! So, you see, the Spirit of God is going to continue the work he’s been up to, in ALL of us (Philippians 1:6)!! It’s all been worth it, and it is not going to stop.

We’ve got many things on the schedule to enjoy together and I’m looking forward to these next couple months-plus being some of our best yet. If ever we needed all hands on deck, I think now is that time, so that we can keep solid momentum going into the summer and positivity for next school year.  We have a solid plan but will need a lot of support to carry it through the back end of the summer, including a very important organized opportunity before the new school year starts for parents/students to share their vision and hopes for the future of the youth ministry.

For now, see www.oakridgemc.org/youth , and “save” the calendar/newsletter sheet for all our dates through July 3. We’ll post what we’ll have scheduled beyond that soon!

Signups and registrations for important upcoming things are also at that link. We, of course, need these commitments too. There are also still Sundays for students to read scripture in the services, and other ways ORMC will need your involvement.

This is not a “goodbye” letter, I will save the more “sappy” things I may have to say, relive memories and celebrate our friendships in other ways at another date/setting closer to my last day, or along the way when we can. For now, however, I appreciate so very much your time in reading this, your prayers and your support. I am also praying for each of you, fully understanding if this is not easy news to bear. You are all a joy to me, but now even more so as we walk alongside and bear this transition together. Thank you, truly.

Much Love in Christ,

Harrison