// Miss Jenny

by Sarah Hunnicutt on February 18, 2011

Sometimes the best conversations are accompanied by background music, pizza, and eclectic décor (You know, The Wedge in Deep Deuce!) And that’s where I found myself meeting with this month’s highlighted volunteer, Jenny Brewer. When I ended my conversation with Jenny, she said that the interview made her feel like she needs to get out and have more fun. That’s not how I felt at all! From what Jenny told me, her interests are fantastically diverse and she definitely knows how to have fun. Read on to learn more about a great green team leader, Miss Jenny!

When Jenny’s not at Bible Club on Fridays, she’s busy being creative at her job as an instructional designer at Prescription Solutions. She went to college at the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a degree in journalism. During our conversation, between bites of pizza and salad, I learned that Jenny’s creative side has always been there – from her younger days of playing clarinet and piano to her high school days of rock stardom. Okay, maybe just one day, but she was in a band for a day and played the electric guitar at a party with a Union Jack shirt, Dickies, and Chuck Taylors to complete her stage persona.

Besides playing music, Jenny loves listening to it and even used to travel all over to go to music festivals during her college days. “I’ll listen to anything from Jack Johnson to Bruno Mars to Jars of Clay to Jason Mraz. I really like Switchfoot.” In fact, music is what brought Jenny to Novo. “We had a series at church about serving and I felt like I need to do something outside of church, something with kids. About that same time, I started hearing that song (“If We are the Body”) by Casting Crowns. Then I head a PSA on Air1 and that’s how I got connected with you. I thought ‘This is probably meant to be.’”

Jenny has always enjoyed teaching kids and ever since high school has either worked at or volunteered with children’s programming. “I actually started working with kids at the summer camp for my mom’s child development center. I worked the camp during the summer in high school. During college I’d teach an enrichment class on Fridays. When I graduated, I worked there full-time for a while. I taught three year olds for about a year, and then I started running the camp and did that for about three summers – until 2006.”

Now that Jenny works for Prescription Solutions, she channels her gift of working with children into volunteering at LifeChurch.tv’s Oklahoma City campus and investing her Fridays at Bible Club. When she’s not volunteering or working, she likes to travel with her husband, Nik. They love to hike in Colorado and New Mexico and sometimes go skiing. “Nik and I like to take trips instead of buying big gifts.” And every year for their anniversary, they make the trek to Sante Fe, New Mexico and spend time together.

If Jenny isn’t traveling or hiking, you might find her cooking, catching up with an old friend over sushi or at a Japanese steak house, dancing in front of the Wii with her husband, or working on her hobby / side business of making stacked crosses, jewelry, and picture frames. If you’re interested in looking at some of Jenny’s gift items, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you taking a peek at her website!

Even though Jenny’s green team might not know some of these interesting tidbits about her, Jenny works hard to help the kids connect with her on a personal level and recently had some great conversations with the kids when she introduced them to her Beagle named Bagel. Even just showing the kids a picture of her dog really gave Jenny the opportunity to connect with them. This is what Jenny has to say to anyone who’s thinking of making this connection, too:

“Just this weekend at church, we were talking about 2 Corinthians 5:19, which talks about being ambassadors and how we’re actually privileged to do that. All of God’s people are part of His family and our job is to find those who don’t know and bring them back. . . . Obviously. It’s what we should be trying to do. . . . I think [Bible Club is] a perfect opportunity to be the ambassadors we are called to be.”

Thanks, Miss Jenny, for being an ambassador on Friday afternoons. You are making a difference and we appreciate you!

// Mr. Marcus

by Sarah Hunnicutt on January 21, 2011

If you were to spend a few minutes with Marcus Wilson, you would quickly learn that he is passionate about at least three things: sports, relationships, and sharing Jesus. (Oh, make that four – he loves books, too!) Keep reading to learn more about this month’s highlighted volunteer – Mr. Marcus!

Marcus was born and raised in “the middle of nowhere, also known as Morse, Texas.” Despite his Texas pride, Marcus has learned to love his home for now, Shawnee, Oklahoma. Marcus is a senior Education major at Oklahoma Baptist University and hopes to teach and coach basketball when he graduates. Marcus says that even if he doesn’t end up teaching, “I want to help people and do what God wants me to do and that’s going to involve people whether on the mission field, in a classroom, at Bible Club – I want him to use me wherever He leads.”

And that’s why Marcus makes the drive two days a week from Shawnee to Oklahoma City’s inner city. “For three years at school, I tried to get involved, but didn’t really find anything that I felt that’s where God wanted me to be. I really started praying about it. I want God to use me in whatever way He sees best and be a servant wherever He leads and Bible Club was the direction He wanted me to go,” says Marcus.

When Marcus isn’t at Bible Club, working, or at school, you will probably find him playing basketball or hanging out with friends. In fact, Marcus describes his perfect weekend like this: “Obviously, Friday night – hanging out with friends. Saturday – hanging out with friends and playing basketball. Sunday – church, friends family, basketball, and church on Sunday night!”

And if the weather keeps Marcus and his friends indoors, you might find them eating his mom’s homemade enchiladas (with rice and beans, of course) and watching one of Marcus’ favorite movies – Remember the Titans or Hoosiers or anything with some action!

But Marcus isn’t just a sports guy – he loves to read. “One day I just went to Mardel and bought seven books.” Some of his favorites are written by Ted Dekker, especially The Circle Series and The Lost Books. Maybe Marcus likes to read so much because when a person reads, he can travel just about anywhere! And from what Marcus told me, he’s on his way to being a world traveler.

In fact, 21-year-old Marcus has already been to Nepal, Russia, and Kenya for mission trips. He hopes to someday visit Rome, Italy. “There’s just all the history there. Obviously you have the Romans, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Christianity – Paul went to Rome. I would also love to go to South America or any Spanish-speaking country.” But would they be able to match up to mom’s enchiladas? Hmmm…

Maybe Marcus could combine his passion for travel and his passion for Jesus – actually, he’s already thought about it. “My dream job would be working as a missionary overseas.” But Marcus would be content at home, too – “Or just working for some kind of ministry; getting to go to work everyday and the sole purpose is that you want to tell people about Christ, to just share the love of God – that would be awesome.”

Marcus, I have a feeling that wherever you end up, you’ll make your job to share the love of God. Thanks for sharing it right where you are (even though you don’t get paid!) with the boys and girls you reach every week. You are making a difference and we appreciate you!

// Miss April

by Sarah Hunnicutt on December 16, 2010

Miss April would probably surprise her Bible Club kids a lot if they found out that she is “pretty good” at both ping pong and bowling, was a star athlete in high school on the volleyball, softball, and track teams, and that she likes to sleep in on Saturday mornings. She admits, “I should probably clean my house [instead of sleeping in].” But we won’t hold that against her. Read on to learn more about one of our great volunteers, April Swang!

April probably likes to sleep in because “I just like to stay up late. I don’t do anything. I just like it.”

When April’s staying up late (even though she says she’s not doing anything), I think you might find her watching her favorite film, The Sound of Music, or reading a Francine Rivers book or perusing a travel guide for Alaskan cruises. “I love to travel. My husband doesn’t. I think it would be fun to go on a cruise to Alaska.” April – we think you have what it takes to convince him a cruise would be a good idea!

Once April wakes up on Saturdays, she catches her sister for lunch. They eat at Taco Bueno and then go grocery shopping or fun shopping. It’s a tradition they’ve had every Saturday since their kids were little and one they plan to keep going for many more years.

Speaking of kids, April loves them. Her two grown sons will always be her kids and she’s very excited that they’ll be making a trip home for Christmas! April says that she and her husband of 31 years are very proud of both their sons – one wants to be a missionary and the other is in graduate school, preparing to be a math professor.

April loves other kids, too – from the kids she teaches at Cherokee Hills Christian Church on Sundays and Wednesdays at her full time job as Children’s Minister, to the kids she reaches every Thursday afternoon. She “loves photography and to do scrapbooking” and “wants to make a book [of the kids from Bible Club]” sometime soon.

When April does make her Bible Club scrapbook, maybe she could include this fond memory: “Last year [at Bible Club], a little girl started coming to my group. It was only my second time [to teach]. When I went to Bible Club the next week, she said ‘Miss April, I wish I could have Bible Club everyday.’ And I thought I wasn’t even getting through to them!”

For April, teaching at a Bible Club “was an answer to prayer. . . . I love to work with kids. . . . I really love it.”

Thanks for sharing your gifts with the kids you reach on Thursday afternoons, Miss April! Thanks for making a difference!