Teddy Became A Full-Time Pastor!
Teddy was born in Venezuela. When he was ten years old, he immigrated to the United States.
I met Teddy in 2017. He was 30 years old and had a passion for discipleship and church ministry, especially in regards to college students. Teddy’s enthusiasm was and is infectious. He’s very warm, authentic, and likeable.
Back in 2017, in his desire to passionately follow God’s calling on his life, Teddy quit his full-time job in accounting to work part-time in his church’s college ministry. His wife was very supportive and worked full-time as a nurse to help make it possible. They were in this ministry together.
With soaring enthusiasm, Teddy dove right in to the new job, meeting one-on-one and in groups with college students. Teddy became influential in the lives of many young men, one of them was named Luke.
Teddy and I met for about a year, and I witnessed incredible transformation in his life and in the lives of the young leaders around him. Then Teddy and his wife were blessed with their first child. Teddy decided to go back to working full-time in accounting to provide for his expanding family. He and I took a break from meeting, but we kept in touch.
Fast forward… At the end of 2023, Teddy reached out to me because he wanted to start meeting again. He and his wife felt strongly that he needed to pursue full-time ministry again. The problem was, his resume didn’t have much ministry leadership experience on it. He was doubtful that any churches would consider him. He was prepared to start at the bottom, doing an unpaid apprenticeship if necessary, to get more church experience on his resume, and to go back to school to pursue his Masters in Biblical Studies.
I often recommend to the people I meet with: Just start doing what you feel led by the Spirit to do and see what happens. Start small. It doesn’t have to be your full-time job. If God’s in it, opportunities will open up. You’ll learn so much and be fulfilled along the way. And if God really wants it to happen as your full-time job, He’ll fund it. You won’t know until you try. Teddy did just that – he started to do what he felt led by the Spirit to do. He met with church leaders, explained his situation, and started attending some college-age ministry gatherings and events.
Doors began to open. Teddy reconnected with Luke, one of the young men he mentored previously, and discovered that Luke had completed college and was now a youth pastor at a church. Teddy started attending that church’s college age community gatherings on Wednesday nights with Luke, followed by playing basketball. He began having great post-game conversations with the young men. While there, he met the new head pastor of the church. Teddy and the pastor decided to get together to talk and encourage one another. They hit it off and began meeting regularly. Eventually the pastor brought up the topic of Teddy possibly working at the church. Teddy says, “Only God!”, when referring to how this all unfolded.
Teddy is now the Discipleship Pastor at that church. He became full-time in April. Only God! As part of his role, he works with college students. It’s been a dream come true. So many years of waiting and searching and wondering. Now he’s being paid to do what he’d be willing to do for free! (But don’t tell the church that!)
Fun Fact: A financial contributor to Legacy Shepherding Ministries attends the church where Teddy now works. I attended a church service there the morning Teddy was introduced to the congregation. This contributor saw me with Teddy and told me that she had been praying for years that God would send one of the men who was trained through Legacy Shepherding Ministries to join the staff at this church. It gave me goosebumps. Yay God! Yay Teddy!
Maurice Is Starting A Non-Profit!
Maurice is a full-time licensed counselor and a part-time minister of music at his church in Philadelphia. He has a vision and passion for helping young men grow. This vision is gradually becoming a reality. Maurice is currently in the process of starting a non-profit organization named JourneyMen, Inc. aimed at helping inner-city boys grow to become mature Christian men. This fall Maurice is starting a pilot group with young men meeting at a school in Philly.
Maurice is also on the Board of Directors for The Way Club – a faith-based social club for teenagers in high school. The club just completed their first Summer Entrepreneurship Academy. This 6-week program allows Philadelphia teenagers the opportunity to build their own business from scratch! They do everything, from conception to marketing. This summer’s group created an online and pop-up retail store. Way to go, Maurice!
Aaron Started Doing Full-Time Ministry! And Became a Market Place Chaplain!
Aaron has been blessed with some major ministry opportunities this year:
- He became the Chief Innovation Officer at Generation Distinct, a non-profit organization helping young leaders discover their purpose – discover the wrong they were born to make right in the world – through a 6-month cohort. Aaron makes sure the organization is on the cutting edge of next-gen ministries.
- Aaron launched the Generation Distinct Leadership Development Program, an 8-week leadership training program for people from 18-30 years old who have previously gone through a Generation Distinct cohort and desire to continue their growth and take on more leadership opportunities within the organization. Aaron has found coaching very life-giving. It lights him up.
- He became the Director of Liminal, a new endeavor of Generation Distinct to organize and hold evangelistic gatherings to unite Chicago’s young people to “live, love, and lead like Jesus”. Aaron meets with 20 young leaders every three weeks to prepare for the launch of evangelistic events in Chicago, which start this fall.
- Aaron became a marketplace chaplain, sharing God’s love and providing chaplain care for employees of two companies in Chicago.
Your Help Is Needed:
This year we intentionally invested in 31 influential leaders like Teddy, Maurice, and Aaron.
The leaders we’ve been investing in are giving away and passing on what the Lord has given them through this ministry, and they’re doing it in their own unique and beautiful ways. None of this impact happens without you. Your help is needed.
Would you please join my financial support team and join me in praying regularly for these influential leaders? Your generosity and prayers are what makes this all possible.
Contributions are tax deductible and life-changing.
Every penny will help!
In His Love,
Randy
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