Pauline Ebert
Youth pastor at Fusion Community Church in Cobleskill, New York
What keeps you motivated?
Little moments that some people might see as coincidence—“God winks” as my friend Mr. Bill likes to call them. It happens whenever a student engages with their faith and they see for themselves that God loves them, hears them, and provides for them in a way that is unique to each of them. Watching them light up when they see their own “God winks” always keeps me going!
What’s a funny thing that has happened in your ministry recently?
We were out playing paintball with students, and one of our youth leaders, thinking he was an invincible pro, gave all the instructions and safety tips to the students. He strongly emphasized the rule to not tag anyone in the face mask. It didn’t take long before he came off the course, chuckling as he took his mask off. His face plastered in pink, he said, “Yeah, I ate some paint!” When the students picked up on his self-assurance, they all targeted him immediately. We all had a good laugh.
What would you say to someone new to Gospel Advancing?
Gospel Advancing is a game changer. If you apply Gospel Advancing to your ministry and model it through your youth leaders, you will see students become more outward-focused. Gospel Advancing will deepen their dependence on God, and they will be mobilized and emboldened to share their faith out loud with words.
What’s a challenge in your ministry, and how did you overcome it?
One challenge is figuring out how to disciple students into diving deeper into Scripture, while simultaneously calling them to be bold in what they already know and believe. My team has found that if we help them to understand and overcome their fears and hesitations in trusting God, they grow exponentially in their boldness and willingness to know God on a much more personal level.
‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?’ Matthew 6:25-26
