5 Questions with Eric Ebbinghaus, Student Ministries Director, Greeley Wesleyan Church
1. How long have you been at Greeley and how did God open that door for you?
We’ve been in Greeley for approximately 1 year this November. Hard to believe it’s already been that long with the way the church has opened up to us and accepted us as one of their own.
God’s grace is amazing. Brandi (my wife) and I found ourselves talking to Pastor Steve Wilson about the position here at a point in our lives where we had just endured 3 years of trying to understand where my exact place in ministry needed to be.
Did I still belong in youth ministry?
Did I still belong in ANY ministry?
Should I take some time away and try some other things?
10 weeks after resignation and finding it nearly impossible to find work of any kind, Pastor Steve made contact again to ask if we might still be interested in making Greeley our home. He flew out to meet us, offered the job and gave us the weekend to think and pray about it. We didn’t need the whole weekend! In fact, after a restless night of sleep, we barely even needed 24 hours! Something Brandi had said earlier in the summer kept coming back to us. She had expressed during the summer that we would make our permanent home here but didn’t know when, and didn’t think it would be right then. Sure enough, she was right. After 11 weeks with no work and 13 weeks without pay, we watched God provide for our family. One year later, we’re more excited about being here than we were when we arrived. If that’s possible :).
2. You were in Missouri for several years. What are some differences between Missouri and Colorado?
The differences are few but they are evident. One such difference is the sheer number of schools we have to work with. In a smaller community and different school system style I had approximately 3 schools with middle school and high school programs to work with. Here I have over a dozen including some separate middle and high schools. Aside from the numerical difference in schools, we’ve got a broader category of schools to choose from. Along with your run of the mill public school system, we have charter schools, which could briefly be described as an experimental public school, prep schools, private schools and a large home-schooled group. While these may not necessarily be MO vs. CO differences, they are certainly identified as differences from one community to the next.
Another is population diversity. Semi-rural/metro St. Louis, Missouri area was predominantly white, with some black and a sprinkling of Latino/Hispanic groups. Greeley is roughly 60% white, 35% Spanish speaking, and a 5% mixture of others. Simply put, the cultural differences are drastically contrasting here, making blending in our programs more of a challenge. Socioeconomic differences are more severe, and while both areas have been hit hard, Greeley’s recession decline has been a bit more hostile than Eastern MO with 45% of homes bought between 2005 and 2009 resulting in foreclosure.
Lastly, and possibly the hardest to swallow as a Christian pastor is, there is no “need” for church here. Confusing? This is the furthest I’ve ever lived from “Bible-belt” (sorry if that sterotype offends) areas. Despite the differences in attitude from Midwestern VS. Western personalities, lie the differences in the influence of the church. Being that this area of the US hasn’t been established as long as those areas further east means the impact of the church has had less time to saturate the area and the church itself wasn’t around when “American Christianity” was at its peak of influence. This could be viewed as both an extreme challenge and a blessing as well. While people’s answer to struggles and depravity is less commonly, “I need to get myself back into church,” the answers more usually revolve around finding ways to get things done on their own or with the help of others rather than enlist in God’s help. We less often see people looking to God for help when they find struggles or are in need, even the needy. It’s not natural, or in the back of the mind. It definitely rings true though that the harvest is plentiful and the workers INDEED are few.
It’s amazing to think that people who live within view of some of the most incredible mountains in North America fail to recognize the existence of the Creative Starter of it all. Oh, did I mention Colorado has mountains? THE mountains?! Living at almost 5,000 feet has definitely been quite a change, more than just geographically.
Parts 2 and 3 to this interview will be up later today.
Eric Ebbinghaus is the Director of Student Ministries at Greeley Wesleyan Church in Greeley, CO.
He blogs at www.ericebbinghaus.com.
Follow him on Twitter.
Check out the church website.