In March of 2023, Erika Houser began her role as our Interim Director of Children’s Ministries, having served as a regular children’s Sunday School teacher before that for most of her college years. For the past nearly year and a half, she has led our children’s ministry so well, offering stability and care during a season filled with transition. The congregation has witnessed her thoughtfulness, confidence, and warmth while leading children’s sermons and other aspects of worship. Those who work alongside of her more closely know of her attention to detail and careful planning, her ability to communicate well, and her easy interaction with kids and adults alike. She brings others into the circle in collaboration and relationship. As her supervisor, I have been impressed by her maturity and discernment when she’s been faced with hard decisions or conversations. She exudes wisdom and compassion.
But perhaps most importantly, our children love her deeply. They have fun with her, they trust her, and they know she is their friend. Her intentionality in building relationships with them and their families shows in the way she knows each child uniquely and in their affection for her.
This Sunday, August 25, will be Erika’s last Sunday in this role. Erika has long expressed a calling to practice medicine. She’s been doing this good work at the church in addition to working full-time as a medical scribe in a local physician’s office and taking classes to prepare for the medical school admissions process. Amazingly, she’s juggled all of these responsibilities with grace and poise. The time has come for her to focus all of her energies on her next steps, and we celebrate and bless her in following this calling. While we acknowledge in her real gifts for ministry, we also know that these same gifts of thoughtfulness and compassion and care will make her an excellent physician. We are grateful that she will remain in Macon and in our church community for a least a while longer and that she will continue to be a part of our lives.
Our personnel and children’s committees have been working on creating a plan for our
children’s ministry leadership in the next season, and we’ll share more very soon! For now, let us give thanks to God for the gifts that Erika has brought to our church and our children as we celebrate and bless her for her journey.