ENGAGING GOD’S WORLD: LCS GRADUATES SERVING IN MINISTRY- ABBY GIPSON ’18

by Melissa Keeley, Director of Development

For Abby Gipson, (’18) pursuing a career in ministry was a natural next step for her after graduating from Lansing Christian School. “I just knew that I loved Jesus, I loved people, and wanted to be obedient. Ministry came easy to me just because of the way that God had wired me.” Abby recently graduated from the Mount Hope Leadership School and is currently pursuing her Pastoral Credentials while working in youth ministry at Mount Hope Church. Abby is excited to be working with youth and says that post-graduation God brought amazing people into her life that helped confirm that she was called to work in this area of ministry.

Looking back at her experience as a high school student, Abby says her leadership experiences in sports, chapel, and the student council helped her develop the skills and confidence to pursue ministry as a profession. She credits those experiences with helping her “care deeply for people and learn to lead a team.” Abby’s time at LCS also helped her to develop and grow her faith. She specifically recalls that her experiences at Retreat had a real and significant impact on the formation of her personal faith. Abby also appreciates the impact of the teachers at LCS for being examples of God’s love. She gives a “major shout out to all the teachers—you have no idea what the conversations outside of the classroom did for me and my faith. You are so much more than just teachers—you really are gifts from God.”

As Abby looks towards the future she is excited to continue to engage and transform the world for Jesus Christ. When reflecting on our school theme for the year, Abby sees it as a directive for all Christians to go out and share the powerful message of Christ’s love: “This theme, [Engaging God’s World] can be summed up in a single verse- Matthew 28:19 ‘Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ To engage God’s world, we don’t need more pastors, more churches, more programs, etc. What we need is people who love Jesus and love people to go out into ALL places and make DISCIPLES. You don’t need a title or a degree to engage God’s world. You can do it right where you are, because Jesus assures us that He is WITH US, always!”