Korey has been serving at Bayside for the last 5 or 6 years in student ministry. He is beloved by so many students and other leaders who all agree on one thing—this man is nothing less than a superhero for Jesus. He makes an impact on countless lives every week through his dedicated serving, and he was kind enough to share his story on how volunteering has impacted his life.
“I became a dad, and I did my own thing, just sort of coasting along without much direction. But then I had a moment in my life where something happened—I was in a small group that changed my life 9 years ago—and I wanted to be more like those men, more involved and connected to God and my family. I was wrecked all the time but in a really good way. It was like I had nowhere to turn but to go to Jesus. I had a newfound perspective on who Jesus was in my life—I learned how to have a relationship with Him. My kids were all at that age where they were in ministry at Bayside, and they introduced me to Tyler Swaney, the high school pastor, and Colton Tucker, who is a middle school pastor, married into my family. It was like I was surrounded by ministry; God called me to stop waiting around and to serve.
As I got plugged into volunteering, my kids became more and more involved. My son Michael had an experience that changed his life in Mexico 5 years ago, and he started praying for me, and that changed how I went about my everyday life as well. My wife and I started praying more together, we started praying more as a family, and I saw my entire family transform before my eyes.
I got sick and tired of the battle of “trying to do the right thing” and just surrendered it all to God. For me to serve, it’s not my own will, it’s something I feel incredibly compelled to do. And at the end of the day, it’s just fun!
When you understand what your gifts are, be it finances, or if you’re skilled with building, or even just having extra time for a season, it’s so important to serve because you can be the supernatural force in people’s lives that carry them out of whatever earthly troubles they’re experiencing. And not only do you end up serving people, but they serve you as well. The more you surround yourself with a community of believers, the more it unifies us as a church and puts so much favor on us.
I remember hearing in last week’s sermon, “What was a glove meant for? It was meant to be filled by a hand.” So, what is a human being meant for? It is meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit and be the light of the world, so serving is a natural part of that.
Just go. You won’t regret it, because it’s what God calls us to do.”
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