When Todd and John first started getting together outside of Sunday mornings to hold a weekly Bible study for Safety Team servers, they were sometimes the only two who came.
"We just kept asking God to do this, and we saw the flood gates begin to open," Todd said. "It’s been amazing to watch the pieces being brought together."
Todd began serving in safety about four years ago, and John three years ago. While Todd had a background in safety and security, John didn’t. "Everything I’ve seen God do for me has been in community. I had no idea why I was pursued to be on this team. There was just this prompting all the time."
While John didn’t bring any security experience, he offered something else, said Todd. "John has been the guy who has most promoted the team being a group of followers and not just a group that protects the church."
Our Safety Team serves quietly throughout the building on Sundays to make sure our services are safe places for our children and adults. Many of its members have military and police experience. It would be easy to focus on the tasks around safety and security, but Todd and John knew they also needed relationships.
Todd and John began offering their Wednesday night gatherings about a year ago. And though it was a "rough start," "We began to see the soil upturned and the seeds being planted," John said.
Todd said he was confident to keep going, because he knew that’s what God wanted.
"What we were asking for is something God could supply. I didn’t feel like I was going to walk away from it," Todd said. "Like Woody says, whether we’re baking biscuits or securing the church, we need to be making disciples."
"We went from a group haphazardly getting together to a community that communicates all week long … The greatest part is it has nothing to do with us," Todd said.
Today, the team sometimes runs out of space for everyone — a good problem to have.
"This is what God does when we lean into it," John said.