Meet Emma … a ministry intern at a VMC church!
I have had the great privilege of working at Elmvale Community Church for a year. It is a small and very familiar church and we were able to learn a lot about Jesus through the people here. I have noticed here how discipleship is a new decision every day and how Jesus can really change us. Through the close community you get to know a lot about each other, share the ups and downs of life and see why spiritual community is so important.
It is also so beautiful and fills my heart with gratitude to see how the same God works in different countries and communities. The church looks a little different everywhere and yet we are all one body of Christ and God works everywhere.
The people here at the church and especially the two pastors, Steve and Charlotte, have shown me what commitment to Jesus looks like. New people and new surroundings pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to turn to Jesus and ask him for strength, rest and/or peace. God, the ECC and the people in the church who put their focus on Jesus have allowed me to grow spiritually and personally over the last four months.
In addition to learning to rely on God more, I was also able to find out a lot about life here in Canada and also about myself. The people at ECC invest in us and through that we are blessed to learn more about ourselves and grow beyond ourselves. We have more responsibility and need to invest more in people and tasks. We learn to get out of our comfort zones, to try out new things and to take a step back and prioritize others. It is very good for us to be able to serve ECC this year and to grow in faith and life through Steve and Charlotte and many other people. It is a gift from God and I see it as a great blessing from Him to have this opportunity to serve Him in this church alongside many great people.