Within our youth ministry, perhaps the greatest challenge of this extra-challenging year was the frustrating loss of small groups meeting together in-person on a weekly basis. We have often said that Small Group Leaders are the lifeblood of our ministry and the “new normal” of the pandemic has caused some of our leaders, like Jan Hudgins, to look for unique ways to stay connected to students. Jan has a long history of volunteering within CCYM, but she most recently returned as a volunteer in fall of 2019 to work with the 8th grade girls. Jan has a contagious energy and joy for living that is an inspiration to many. Our girls loved her (how could they not!), and she busied herself with building relationships with her new group, exhibiting the same enthusiasm she has shown with many other students over the years. Even after the pandemic changed life-as-we-knew-it, Jan continued to look for ways to connect with her girls. Meeting inperson was especially difficult, but on numerous occasions Jan has been able to recruit a squad of girls to go shopping with her or grab a meal for some conversation and mentoring. Recently, Jan was able to meet with Sophie Hadfield (9th) and Kinsley Childs (8th) for an after church lunch. Regarding Jan’s influence, Sophie had this to say: “She tries to include everybody, and it always ends up being a lot of fun. I love hanging out with Jan because she really tries to connect and make time for us. And it really means a lot. She gives the best advice; she’s SO much fun. She’s hilarious, and loves us.” Sophie’s parents, Paul and Amy, have this to add: “Jan has found a way to bridge the gap between their generations in the most meaningful way. She reminds us of adults who invested in us, and we realize how important that mentorship is now. It also inspires us to reach out and do similar work ourselves.” Thank you, Jan, for your example of tireless enthusiasm, your mentoring of young people, and the way you inspire others to make a difference.

“Discipleship” has been one of the key words used at Clear Creek for some time now. Being disciples who make disciples is something we have chosen to base our identity and our motives largely after. However, sometimes we can experience a gap between hearing those words and seeing them lived out. The high school ministry and youth group as a whole was given a real-world example of being a disciple who makes disciples in our very own Hannah Window. Hannah is a junior at Soddy Daisy high school and wants nothing more than for her friends who don’t know Jesus to come to know him. Through much prayer and seeking, God opened her eyes to a friend, Lily Guerra. Lily was not raised to know Christ and has a complicated background. But she was open. Hannah knew that Lily was open to Jesus and sought out opportunities to engage with her regularly in this regard. Eventually she boldly took the plunge to invite her to a youth group gathering. Little by little, Lily became more plugged in, more open to share her struggles, and more open to the redeeming love of Jesus. On October 7th, she chose to give her life to him and be baptized. She has since been actively engaged in every youth group related activity she can possibly attend and is constantly seeking growth, depth, and community in Jesus. God is good. There were many victories in this story: a new sister has been gained in Christ, new bonds have been formed between life-time-church-kids and a new believer. But potentially most importantly, Hannah Window, along with her sister Maya, showed an entire group of teenagers that if we boldly step out in faith, God moves. We need only to be open to his call, and he will lead us where he is calling. This is when disciples are truly made

Have you ever felt like extreme circumstances keep affecting your family and there is no light at the end of the tunnel? We all go through hard times, and sometimes we see others go through things that we hope we never have to encounter in our lifetime. In moments like that, sometimes we think “Why is God allowing this to happen?” It was brought to our attention that a member of our church family knew someone dealing with severe hardships. This family had been through very serious health and financial issues, each day uncertain how they would make ends meet. They expressed they never imagined they would be in the situation they were in, and their pride prevented them from asking for help. Through their friendship and connection, their friend (CC member) was able to share God’s love with them by working with the church in providing financial resources and essentials for them to keep going. While we are so grateful that we could play a small role in helping, the impressive nature of this story is not what we were able to help but instead what God was able to do through our obedience. The family wrote a letter of gratitude to the church, and here is a little bit of what it said… “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:16) What an amazing scripture and resounding representation of the congregation at Clear Creek Church of Christ... We have felt your prayers. We have felt your love. We have felt your positivity. We have seen Christ in you. We know without a shadow of a doubt that you’ve “got our backs” as we hurdle this mountain. We feel like you have opened your arms and welcomed us with a warm embrace… Once again, with great humility, we thank you. You are a blessing and beautiful reminder of how wonderful Christ and His congregation are.” We aren’t sure there are words to accurately express the goodness of God and what He can do, but we do know that trust in Him to provide is well-placed.

A lot of times in ministry you make plans, work hard, do your best and hope God makes something good happen. Then other times you discover God already doing something amazing and you get to go along for the ride! That’s been the case with our friend, Sai. He’s a graduate student from India who’s been in the US for one year. A few days after arriving in Chattanooga, he met a couple people from UCM who invited him to a welcome dinner for international students. He went to the dinner, met even more UCM people, worshipped for the first time and promised to come back. That first semester, Sai quickly became a regular at UCM’s weekly meetings and also was a part of our Friendspeak program, practicing English using the Bible. One of his friends back in India asked Sai, "Have you found any friends there?" He said, "No, I've found a family in UCM." A community of people welcomed Sai into their family. They ate together, carpooled together, studied together and more. God was obviously working. In the fall, Sai joined a Roots Group, one of UCM’s small groups based on Discovery Bible Study. One of his first “I will…” statements was “I will start reading the Bible every week with a friend.”

Since then, Sai has been going through major passages of the Old & New Testament each week with Tyler, a leader in UCM. Sai grew up in Hindu culture, but is now learning who the God of the Bible is and is hearing the call of God for his own life. Sai visited Clear Creek for the first time for Friends & Family Day. He was amazed at how the passages he had been reading in the Bible were the same things talked about that day. He loved worshipping and being with his community again on Sunday. He’s been a regular at Clear Creek since then. In fact, Sai tells everyone how he has rearranged his work and school schedules to be with his UCM family. He tells other people how important it is to focus on the important things and plan your life accordingly. Through all of this, Sai keeps pointing to God saying things like, “It was God that let me find UCM,” “God has me here for a reason,” “God is teaching me so much through my Bible study,” “We have to figure out how to introduce more people to God and UCM.” Next semester Sai is going to be one our student leaders in UCM. He’s committed to living a Christlike lifestyle, growing as a disciple and leading others. It’s been an amazing year of growth as God quickly and clearly pulls Sai towards the ultimate purpose.

For nearly four decades, Carol Golden and Dawn Marlin have served other families by hosting people in their homes, delivering meals, and teaching the smallest children that come to church in the beloved class called Cradle Roll. They each have their list of families with infants they pour into up to 18 months and longer, if subsequent siblings follow. Both ladies have a heart for mothers and a passion for laying the foundation of children growing in their faith from the earliest age possible. The curriculum for this particular area is centered on basic truths of who God is and what He has made. All presented in song and play. Their team of ladies are loyal and loving, which aides in it being one of the most welcoming and loving areas of our church. The past nine months and counting stopped all traditional Bible classes abruptly. For two months, the ladies hosted a Zoom for babies and mommas to join. They check in with each other and then sing the songs with the toy props as the mommas rocked and babies watched. It was one of the most precious zooms ever to see! Then, like most of us three, four, five months into this pandemic, we got weary, especially of zoom! It was time to switch gears and create another way to partner with families in teaching their children about God. Mid-summer and on, Carol and Dawn hit the road along with other teachers’ help to deliver goodies and baby gifts for new births…. 17 and counting! They drove miles upon miles across Hamilton County and North Georgia. Recently, Carol and her husband even went to a funeral nearly two hours away to support one young family. She and her daughter, Julie, also recorded all the Cradle Roll units on DVD and delivered them to families personally or by mail. An extra resource for parents to have in teaching their smallest child about God at home. They are committed to the Lord, the church, and the next generation knowing about the love of God. Until the class doors open again and after such, they’ll continue to call, send cards, and go the extra mile. The love of Christ is unending as described in Ephesians 3:18, and these two servants along with their families and teaching teams are an extension of it. Thank you for going the extra mile ushering infants into the fold of God’s BIG love!

On the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, the Cannon and the Halstead small groups decided to join forces to serve some of our older, less mobile members by showing Jesus’ love to them through Christmas caroling. This proved to be the perfect activity for the current situation since it could easily be accomplished while keeping everyone involved safe. The caroling ensemble consisted of children from age 5 up to adults age 60+. We are all on our unique walk with Jesus but had the same goal in mind that day – to bring a smile and show love to our audience (both on earth and in heaven). The young parents in the group remember caroling for shut ins as a teen and how serving them made them feel. They are making the decision to continue the tradition with their own children. In doing so the parents are modeling taking next steps with Jesus by teaching their children to serve and put others’ needs and happiness ahead of their own. Us older carolers realize the years these older members have invested in the lives of many of us and in His Kingdom here at Clear Creek. We want to let them know they are not forgotten. We also realize that we will be standing in their shoes in the not-too-distant future and hope we will be remembered as well.

The sheer joy and expectation on the faces of our audience was priceless and gave everyone a warm feeling inside. They all eagerly came outside onto their porches and some had even alerted their neighbors so they could also enjoy the concert. All the familiar tunes were sung and everyone sang along – songs like Silent Night, Joy to the World, Jingle Bells and Rudolph. With a huge grin on his face, Waymon even conducted the group while we were at their house. While there were huge grins on most faces, there were also some tears. Mrs. Betty started out grinning, but could not contain the tears as her emotions overwhelmed her. She said that she never imagined so many people would care enough to come sing for her. But why wouldn’t we? After the hard year we and our older members have endured, it is the least we younger family members can do! Knowing that some of their church family sacrificed their time one Sunday afternoon to show them some love was the best gift some of our older members got for Christmas 2020 and was just what they needed. And for us carolers, getting to be with friends and family, serving together and seeing the look of love on all these faces was the most perfect gift we received as well. Both of these groups want to mark their calendars for caroling again in December 2021 to continue the tradition.

As isolation because of quarantine seemed to be at its peak, a group of college students in Austin, Texas wanted to create a solution. Having grown up in a world where communication over great distances was literally at your fingertips, the group wanted to solve two problems at once: decrease loneliness caused by the pandemic and bridge the ever-growing generational divide that our world is facing. Their solution was a program called Big & Mini that takes someone from a younger generation, matches them with someone from an older generation, and connects them so that they can begin a virtual friendship.

When Nancy Tallman saw the story air on the Today Show, she had no idea that God had already begun to work in the life of a seventeen-year-old high school senior from Pflugerville, Texas who just so happened to be watching the same story. They both signed up, waited for a match, and soon found themselves starring at each other for the first time on the computer screen. From the very beginning, Nancy wanted this to be an opportunity to share God’s love and allow Him room to work in the life of her “mini.”

Through the months that followed, their relationship grew. They learned about each other’s dreams and plans, got to meet each other’s family, and even exchanged Christmas gifts. Through their friendship, Nancy heard an increasingly familiar story about her “mini’s” spiritual background. She went to church when she and her sister were younger, as they got older sports took the priority, and now they haven’t been to church in years. But even with that, Nancy wanted to make sure that one aspect of her Christian life somehow wove its way into every interaction they had: prayer.

Nancy would ask her “mini” if there was anything she wanted prayers for. She would ask her “mini” to pray for things on her behalf regardless of whether or not she thought she might do it. And most importantly, Nancy constantly prayed that God would work in the life of her “mini.” And as always, He delivered.

At one of her practices, Nancy’s “mini” was exposed to COVID-19. She shared it with Nancy who immediately told her she would be praying about it. A few days later, her “mini” got the news that her test had come back negative. She was very excited to share the news with Nancy. When she did, she told her, “Thank you so much for praying for me. God answered those prayers, and my test came back negative.” As subtle a shift as it might seem, she went from simply being thankful her test was negative to being thankful to God that her test was negative. This is the first step in changing her entire worldview from one that just accepts that good and bad things happen to one that accepts there is a loving God in control of it all.

It’s impossible to not feel joy in the presence of Phil Cannon. Phil has been with our church family since 2004. We've been so blessed to have him serve on our ministry staff and in those years Phil served as Youth Minister, Servant Leadership Minister, and Children's Minister.

As Phil retires from the roles he has generously served in at our church, we pause to reflect on the ways he has shared Jesus with all of us and many others. Phil was called into Youth Ministry in 1982. He was literally called. Prior to that his ambitions were to be a christian counselor, but instead of taking the next step into that path, a door was shut. As he and Jana prayed for guidance on the next move, the phone rang offering Phil one of the only youth ministry jobs in the state. Not sure what the future would hold, he accepted. Over the years he has served in churches located in Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. Just like Phil, the list of his accomplishments and milestones in ministry are anything but boring.

He started Celebration Youth Conference in Kentucky which still occurs each fall. He was on the ground floor and on the board for UPLIFT at Harding University, as well as helping start IMPACT at Lipscomb University.  He started and led Teen Work Camps and Summer Youth Camps. He was on the board of Spiritual Growth Workshop and Sonquest in Florida. He began Master and the Mountains, a week-long hiking trip in the Smokies, while serving in Kentucky and continued the tradition with youth groups Georgia, Florida and Tennessee churches, one of which was Clear Creek.

Phil has facilitated discipleship in many ways, cities and states. Yes, his resume is impressive, and from the looks of it, he has earned his graduation into retirement, but more importantly he has built a legacy that is respected and that we all look up to. More than the accomplishments listed, he has touched the lives of many people and continues to do so.

As much as he has led, he has also served. He doesn’t just teach us how to be like Jesus, he has modeled that in every role he’s taken. We thank God for men like Phil who continually point us to Jesus, model His love, and bring adventure and joy to our family here at Clear Creek.

“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25

I have a family member who used to attend Clear Creek. For whatever reason or life circumstances, she stopped attending several years ago. She is de-churched as we sometimes call it. I see her at family gatherings and wonder where her heart is with Jesus. I have seen her posts on Facebook seem angry and dismissive of the gospel. When tough times arise, I’ve tried to reach out and be supportive, but you can tell she keeps a distance not wanting anyone to remind her that ‘God’s got this’.

When our church provided a gift card to our small group to bless whoever we felt God laying on our heart, she was heavy on mine. In this current season of life, she has been in a tough living situation and a custody battle, amidst other personal struggles. She opened up to me about how much the custody battle was costing her, but she knew it was worth it. She knew it had to be fought for the betterment of her son’s life.

When I approached our group about giving her the gift card, many came forward saying that they had special memories with her, knew her, and of course wanted to bless her. I sent it with a card in the mail (who doesn’t love surprise fun mail?!) and a few days later received a text message and a card soon after that read, “Thank you so much. You have no idea how touched I am by such an amazing gesture, and to have people (some of whom I don’t even know) reach out to help and encourage me at this time in my life. This year has been a really tough year, financially, emotionally and really in every regard — and this act of kindness is truly humbling and so special. I can’t thank each of you enough. You’ve been a blessing from afar in the most difficult time. “

Our whole group rejoiced knowing that it touched her heart and shared the love of Jesus with her.

Silver Lining: (noun)  something that the most optimistic people look for during a stressful time.

Most people tend to focus their attention on the issues that are causing the stress. That’s me, I’m most people. This year has definitely brought on more than its share of challenges. But I love how God takes what we consider challenges and creates opportunities for Christians to remind us of his love and his promises.

As the world was shutting down due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, my life was changing with a recent medical diagnosis. Adjusting to managing a new lifestyle, adapting to working and teaching from home, all while not having the physical connection with friends was enough to put my anxiety levels on high alert.

As an adult, we sort of just roll with the punches and complain about the obstacles, as we are overcoming them. But as a parent, it made me realize this was a change for my son as well. I was so focused on myself and my own struggles, I didn’t realize that my son was struggling alone. It took him having a complete breakdown with fear over all of the recent and sudden changes for me to see that this was my opportunity to remind him of God’s love for him. I reminded him that we have nothing to be afraid of, because of the promise in Jeremiah 29:11.

This was an opportunity to gravitate towards Christ and not toward our fears or our obstacles. Reading scripture together gave us hope and peace knowing that we serve a God greater than our fears. Peace consumed us both with the reassurance that God will bring us through this difficult time. We then became like the optimistic people, recognizing the things we can be grateful for.

Would you believe it? Me reminding my son of God’s promise, helped ease my fears because it made me set an example, as a disciple maker of Christ.

This would have been the 15th annual trip and rite of passage to be together one final time just us before we venture into the youth group. It’s usually not an event missed by many.  However, 2020 had different plans and our trip turned into a day outside in the heat with a much smaller number than usual.

The day started with wonder of which of our church friends would be coming.  The anticipation was exciting as most of us had yet to see each other in-person in over four months.  What could have been another time cancelled, God used instead to draw us back together and remind us of his love..

We gathered because…

We wanted to see our friends, give our time, and serve others.

We connected with others by….

Talking with friends, writing cards to people, having fun swimming, and praying together.

We witnessed God in …

How our children’s ministers shared God’s truth and encouraged us, seeing our friend Maddie well after an accident, hearing the good update about Mr. Dan, and seeing the smiles when we visited people.

Our day eventually came to a close as did our time in children’s ministry.  We were each given a devotional book and encouraged to deepen our personal faith in God as we move to the youth group.  We walked away grateful for our years in children’s ministry.  All the teachers and volunteers have loved us, mentored us, and taught us a lot about God and the Bible.  They have also made it a lot of fun to praise God and serve others.

Thank you to our church family for helping us spiritually grow as we have physically grown from babies to preteens!

Contributors:  Wyatt Beasley, Hannah Johnston, Scout Jolley, and Rory Oleksik

Cry for the Broken has ministered to many women on the streets of Chattanooga. They all touch our hearts in different ways. There is one woman in particular, we will call her Sarah, who we always knew could transition off the streets more easily that many other women because of her character, her conversation, and her brilliant mind. Sarah had a rough childhood. She experienced abuse from a young age and was introduced to the streets early on.
Sarah called us many times over the years but never for herself. She always called letting us know that another lady needed our help and she would tell us firmly, “I’m not going anywhere with y’all but I will wait with her til you get here.” We always respected Sarah’s boundaries and was grateful that she was there to help.

Then one day we received a call from Sarah letting us know that she had just gotten out of jail and wanted to stay sober. She came to church with us one Sunday and shared her testimony with Gary Carson. She then began coming to Bible study each Tuesday.

Sarah loves sharing her story with others, telling them how much Jesus has done for her. Tonight at Bible study she said, “God had His heart and His hand on me the whole time. I thank God every day for being in my life. There is just a peace inside of me now. I didn’t have that before.”
Sarah is looking forward to the day she feels strong enough to go back to the streets to minister to others. For now, she ministers to us each day through phone calls, messages, and study. We saw Sarah’s call back when she discipled to women by referring them to us. Now she does so with Jesus in her heart!

With summer only weeks away and pandemic-related uncertainty riding high, four college students waited for the phone call telling them whether or not to pack their things and head to Chattanooga for two months of hands-on disciple-making. When the green light came, High School interns Andy White, and Anica Gilbert, and Middle School interns Carissa (CJ) Conley and Evan Lancaster quickly began preparing for what we all knew would be a unique and unforgettable summer experience.

For the Youth Ministry, this summer was… different. No dorm hijinks, no long van rides, no plane flights to Haiti, and no running around the church building at 3:00am with Nerf guns. We didn’t blob at summer camp, team-up with other churches to paint a house, or run a VBS for kids in the inner city.



But for all the things we knew we couldn’t do, there was one thing – the most important thing – that was non-negotiable: discipling students. A lot of the magic of the summer occurs outside of the officially scheduled meetings. Andy and Anica wasted no time arranging get-togethers with High School students, and CJ and Evan did the same for the younger students. There was laughter, there were tears. Struggles were brought to light, and kids were prayed for and encouraged in their faith. Andy and Anica pressed hard to encourage leadership and initiative from the older students, and CJ and Evan paid special attention to helping our younger friends feel that youth group is a place where they can connect and grow.

Each intern shared their inspiring personal testimony with our group, which led to many valuable follow-up conversations with students. While all four brought something very unique to our group, together they were the perfect team for an imperfect summer, and we were very blessed to have them.

Our win at Clear Creek is to help someone take their next step to become more like Jesus.  Though everyone’s next step is completely dependent on where they are (and will therefore look different) this is the metric we use to evaluate everything we do in our church family.   But what is even better than helping someone take their next step?   Creating an environment where helping someone take their next step means showing them how they can help other people take their next step. Then they can show others…who can show others…and on it goes.  So with that in mind, I would like for you to meet…

Gavin and Deidre.

Gavin and Deidra loved their small group.  It was challenging.  It was safe.  It provided care.  It’s the only group they have ever been a part of in all their time at Clear Creek, and the relationships that were created made it feel less like friends and more like family.

Gavin and Deidre decided to leave their small group.  It challenged them to find and take their next step to be more like Jesus. It provided a safety and care that they realized others didn’t have but that they could help provide. They realized that there are many people who, in all their time at Clear Creek, need relationships that make others feel less like friends and more like family.

Gavin and Deidre are starting a new small group.  They want it to challenge others to find their next step to be more like Jesus.  They will make sure it provides safety and care for those who are in the group.  They will use it as a place to launch out future leaders to go and find people who, in all their time at Clear Creek, haven’t been able to form relationships that make others feel less like friends and more like family.
Be like Gavin and Deidre.

Each year on the day before school starts, Clear Creek hosts a “Teacher Luncheon” for 5 of our Hixson Community Schools. We do our best to present a cheerful atmosphere by decorating the tables in the gym and provide a delicious meal to show our appreciation for these teachers. We have our Clear Creek kids that attend these schools come to help serve drinks and desserts to these teachers.

When time rolled around to begin the planning of this event we knew that our usual way of showing love to these teachers would look a little different. We had to think outside the box. We knew that many teachers would not feel comfortable coming into our building, much less eating out during this time. So, we began to brain storm a way that we could reach every teacher in these 5 community schools.

It was finally decided that we would give each teacher a back to school cookie. We ordered cookies from 2 local bakeries. A few of our students that attend these schools met at the building (with masks on) to help place a label on each cookie wrapper. The labels had a little note letting the teachers know that Clear Creek Church is praying for them.

Once we had finished placing labels and counting out the number of cookies, we all gathered together to pray over these cookies. Each person that prayed had their own unique prayer for these schools, teachers and students. After we prayed I thought to myself, “How cool is it that our God hears every one of these prayers. He knows all of our worries and He loves us enough to listen to each of our prayers.”

It was not 2 hours before I started receiving text messages from teachers saying how much they needed that encouragement and would love the continued prayers from us. The level of anxiety and stress these teachers were experiencing was difficult to hear. I know that God used those cookies to try to calm these teachers. He used those cookies to let them know they are appreciated and loved. He used them to reassure these teachers that He is with them and offers them comfort and rest.

If even for 5 minutes while these teachers ate their cookie, each one of them knew that someone thought of them and was praying for them as they start this school year.
This year looked very different for our annual “Teacher Luncheon”, but instead of providing a meal for just some of the teachers in our community, Clear Creek was able to give every teacher in the Hixson Community a treat to show them God’s love (close to 400 teachers). It is a great to know that God has blessed Clear Creek with resources so we can show our community teachers they are appreciated and loved. We serve a mighty God!

The teachers of our Pre-School and Elementary never cease to amaze me. Their passion for teaching, creativity, and love for the kids shines through constantly. It could be the Toddlers learning to appreciate Jesus’ birth in a stable with the animals looking on or them having a Clear Creek “church building” in which to play. Or maybe it’s a scientist demonstrating a Tesla coil to the Elementary as he illuminates a light bulb wirelessly to emphasize that just as the light bulb cannot achieve its purpose without power, we cannot achieve our purpose without God’s power. It could be an Entomologist with cases of mounted insects displaying the diversity of God’s creation. Whatever effort it involves or brain storming it takes, our teachers go to great lengths to share the ultimate lesson, God’s love for mankind and how to become one of his disciples.

It was a hot day in Athens and Malekah* was tired from her journey. “Yes, Malekah,” she said to herself, “you are getting old.” As a refugee from Afghanistan, she pondered how her entire life seemed like one long, arduous walk. For the past year, she had traveled almost an hour each way to get to the ministry center in Greece several times a week. During her visits, they would tell her about a man named Jesus, but each time she refused to listen. All she wanted was a hot meal and for people to leave her alone.

On this particular day, Malekah, pulled on the handle to go inside, but the door was locked. Familiar with the frustration of closed door after closed door, she wearily sat down on the sidewalk, leaned against the side of the building in the cool shade, and drifted off to sleep.

While she was dozing, she had a dream. In the dream, a man dressed in dazzling white appeared to her. She gasped when she saw him. He smiled at her and said, “The door is open.” She protested, “I tried it. The door is locked.” The man in all white said to her, “Malekah, I AM the door, and it is open.”

Startled from the dream, she woke up and tried the door again. This time, it was open. Bewildered and excited, she shuffled through the door, bypassed the hot meal and immediately found one of the ministry leaders and said, “Please tell me about the man who just appeared to me in my dreams.”

On that day, Malekah heard the story of Jesus for the first time with a receptive heart. Afterwards, she decided she wanted to be baptized and follow “the man in white” who introduced himself as “the open door.”

The door is open in the Mediterranean Rim and God is on the move. Weekly we are hearing stories just like the one above – Muslims who are having dreams of Jesus and then searching for people who can help them discover the God who is pursuing them. And we want to be there when they come knocking!

Our vision at Missions Resource Network is to join what God is doing among Muslim people in a region of our world where faith in Jesus has not existed for thousands of years. More Muslim people have come to faith in Jesus in the last 20 years than in the previous 1400 years combined. So many people are waiting to hear. The time to act is now. We are looking for both prayer partners and workers to join us on this journey.

Clear Creek partners with MRN to share Jesus in the Mediterranean Rim. Clear Creek also partners with a family working near this area with Muslims that are experiencing similar experiences!  Please continue to pray for these efforts!

*Name changed for security reasons

Every so often, there’s a moment in which I (Mitchell) see evidence of what we already know and claim as truth – that adult volunteers investing in students’ lives over time makes a lasting impact. Most recently, I was reminded of this fact through an interaction with long-time youth volunteer Victor Steen. Victor and I ran into each other while entering a funeral home to attend a visitation following the death of 9th grader Caleb Kelley’s grandfather. As we waited in line to greet the family, we chatted about his years of experience with the Kelley family, particularly through his involvement with youth-league basketball. Caleb, and several others from our youth group, have been coached by Victor for several seasons, and he has developed a special bond with the boys over the course of that time.

Being involved in the lives of students enables interactions with their families, so Victor has also formed relationships with many parents and even indirectly influenced grandparents. This was evident during the visitation by his interaction with Caleb’s grandmother, who had attended countless sporting events and knew the role Victor has played in Caleb’s life. On this day, Victor reminded me that when adults invest “time-over-time” with children and students, the impact they have will be significant.

Over the years Victor has been heavily involved in many sports, both as a coach and volunteer. His clear and profound love for young people manifests in many ways as he seeks out opportunities to provide healthy and positive environments for kids to learn the value of teamwork, self-control, perseverance, and grit.

But Victor doesn’t limit himself to the wide world of sports. He is dedicated to an even higher calling – the body of Christ. Victor has been a small group leader in the youth ministry for several years. When he began volunteering, he requested to work with our Middle School boys, many of whom he coached. For much of his time working with our MS, I witnessed the intentional way he ministered to the guys of his group. He was always concerned that they “get something out” of being part of a spiritual community. Back in August, as his group of boys was aging up into 9th grade, he requested to shift into the role of a High School volunteer and continue his work. Time-over-time.

One final note of appreciation has to be mentioned regarding his status as our most prolific inviter of guests. Using his existing network and influence through sports and his sons’ school, Victor is always looking for ways to reach out to young people who are not connected to a church home. He clearly considers his involvement in youth sports to be his mission field.

Victor will hate the fact that this article is written entirely about him, but we hold him up as an example of someone who is not looking for the spotlight, but simply wants to invest time-over-time with people to gain influence and further the work of making disciples.