Question:
So, I'm a freshman youth ministry major at Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, Tennessee. I am from the area of Cookeville, Tennessee...live about an hour and a half from the college, and my church when I'm at home is about an hour and ten minutes from the college.
My first semester at school was wonderful. I pulled a 4.0 and things just ran smooth for me. But, I only came home like 5 times the entire semester...which I know that may seem like a lot to some people, but when you think about a 90 minute drive home...that's really not very much at all for as close as I live. So this brings me to my point.
Obviously, since my college is Christian, it requires students to attend a church. I am currently attending a small FWB church about 15 mins from the college. There I play guitar during worship. It's a small former missions church that just became self-supporting in the past month...usually running about 50-75 on a good Sunday. I love the people at the church and have thoroughly enjoyed the services, yet I feel like I'm still missing something. My passion is youth, and the church has about 5 little kids, and they don't need help in that area. I love playing guitar, but I would much rather work with youth.
This semester I am considering coming home each weekend. Some people now are going, "And he needs advice on this????" Well, yes...it's just hard for me to figure out. I am being used in my church in Nashville, but with limitations. My church at home, I have been able to work in children's church for the past year and have developed wonderful friendships with the midgets...(my personal name for them). I would also be able to play guitar some at my church in Cookeville if I were to return. In addition, there is no place like home...no matter what I said in high school about wanting to get away from home, whenever I return, there's no greater feeling than just sleeping in my own bed and being yelled at by my parents. But at the same time, my personality type is the type that hates to miss things...so leaving school each weekend I would feel left out of certain things...
So my next point, many people have said this could cost me extra money every week and I must factor that in...so if you were going to argue that case...read. It costs me about half a tank of gas to get home and back to school. Approximately $10. Each weekend, I do my laundry at school...I must pay to do my laundry and it usually costs me approximately $7-$7.50. So the expenses there would be no different. Plus, I usually go through a tank of gas a week at school, and it would be about the same coming home, so that sets that aside.
In addition to working with the youth and whatnot at my home church, the college ministry has gone ka-put. When I come home, I go into the youth group because there are two college students attending Sunday School, and the teacher (quite boring) can't be there a lot because he is an undercover detective who gets called out at all hours of the night. So, with 2 students, we lose almost all of our graduated seniors. So this has become a big burden to me, just knowing once the youth group has "grown up", they really have nowhere to turn. There is really no one there to push a college ministry at my church, so nothing has come of it. If I were to come back, I would really like to see a college ministry started and have talked to my mom about how I would be willing to head up something to get a good one started. Cookeville, my church town, is the hometown of Tennessee Technological University...a decent sized University, so there are plenty of students in town, it's just a matter of getting them there.
Yeah, I know exactly what I want to do...but for some reason, it's just a matter of doing it all. I want to make sure this would be what God would want in my life. It may seem like a minute problem to most people, but for some reason, I just have a burden for my church at home and feel I am needed there.
I don't really know what advice I am asking...I might just be typing this to vent or to get people to ask me questions I haven't considered. I am also asking for prayer in guidance in this area.
Thank you all in advance and God bless.
Answer:
You can not fail, unless you try!
Answer:
Yeah, I know, but I'm still having a hard time of securing whether or not this is what I need to do. I know what I wanna do. I wanna stay there, I wanna come home. It's a matter of seeking out God's will though.
Answer:
What are you afraid of losing out on, if you go home every weekend?