2023-2024 Interns

Hello everybody and a happy belated Easter! He is Risen!!!

I can say with certainty that this past month has been one of the most challenging and fulfilling seasons yet. For starters, as part of my internship plan, I was placed in charge of organizing and leading Findlay campus's Easter services. This included selecting a team, communicating all important information to them, walking them through rehearsal, and leading the team through our weekend services. The team was very receptive to me stepping into this leadership role and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with during this important season of our faith. They did a great job in coming prepared, hearing feedback, and putting that feedback into practice to ensure an excellent weekend experience. I feel equally blessed for the trust that our arts leaders, Noah and Michael, had in me taking charge. Knowing that they trusted and supported me was very reassuring and I hope I can continue to earn their trust as I continue to grow as a leader in our church.

Speaking of Easter services, what a great weekend that was; not just for Easter, but also for Good Friday. This year was my first experience with Good Friday services and I was blown away. Though it was presented in such a simple way, the impact that it had on the people who attended was noticeable with the somber tone and the powerful message of Christ's life and death. Not to mention how well the Good Friday service tied into the coming Easter service. Hats off to our central programming and video team, they did an amazing job of taking our church through the entire story of scripture. From the beginning of creation, to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, into the present day where lives are still being changed by this amazing story of love and mercy.

We were able to witness this life change at our own campus during Easter services with dozens of people praying to give their lives to Jesus for the first time. This is why we do what we do. To see lives change and to help people find Jesus in their lives. Truly a blessing to bear witness to God's work. This Easter weekend was also a great opportunity to meet new people as well as old friends we haven't seen in a while. I was especially happy to reconnect with Dave, one of Findlay's electric guitar player who unfortunately had to step away for an extended period so he could take care of his wife, Annette. While we praise him for his devotion to his wife and the care he is constantly offering her, it was amazing to see them both for the first time in months. We are continuously praying for both of them and for God to continue healing Annette and caring for both her and Dave through their trials.

As far as new faces, I had the pleasure to meet a young man named Elijah. Elijah is only 11 years old and expressed a strong interest in playing drums and guitar with our team, a passion I only wished I could've had at his age. After only seeing a short clip of him playing guitar, I could tell that this kid is not only talented, but passionate about music. I can't wait to walk alongside Elijah and to possibly be a part of his development.

As a last 5%, I wanted to give a special shoutout to my mentor Noah. He has been special part of my life for the past few years and is one of the main reasons that I got back into music and ministry. He has been an important role model in my development and I truly believe that I would not be where I am today without him. Noah if you are reading this, just know that I love you, you mean the world to me, and I wouldn't have taken this step into ministry without you. I wish you luck as you take a step forward into what God has in store for you. I am certain that you are going where you need to be and that God will do great things through you. You're still the boss no matter how many times you try to tell people that I'm the boss. ;)

God bless you all, and thank you for supporting me through this journey.

Greetings and salutations,

As we are approaching the final three months of the internship experience, I wanted to start by saying thank you. It is because of your support and encouragement that these past 7 months have been possible. I am truly grateful for your support and I thank God that he placed such a great group of people around me to make this experience as great as it has been. Thank you!

Regarding this past month, it has been a bit of a challenge. Unfortunately I have been dealing with pains in my right arm for the past month and it has greatly impaired my ability to play musically and operate in some everyday tasks (I would greatly appreciate prayers for that). However, I believe that this period of discomfort has also been a message from God. When we look to scripture, one of God's commands was for His people to observe the Sabbath, a day of rest, a period of time to step away from working to allow our body to recover. God did not just suggest that his people should rest, He commanded that they rest. I truly believe that God has been moving me to take a break, to rest from the constant physical exertion week-to-week, and allow my body to recover while exploring other areas of service. While I could continue to moan and groan about my discomfort, I am choosing to view it as an opportunity to take a step back and explore different avenues of service in the church. While on the topic, I thank God for people like Josiah who have been available to give me direction on how to sooth the pain and work toward healing in those regions. He has been a real blessing.

Additionally, this past week I was tasked with taking the lead for the Findlay production team while our production director, Noah, was away on a family vacation (a much needed/deserved vacation I might add, looking at you Noah). While stressful at first, Noah did a great job of getting me prepared for the week. I greatly appreciate the trust he had in me, confident that I would be fine and that I could handle the challenge. His coaching and mentorship has been such a blessing from the beginning to now and I couldn't do what I do now in the church without him there to get me started and consistently provide me feedback.

This past month we at the Findlay campus had the privilege to host the CedarCreek Legacy Team, a group of church members who are blessed with the spiritual gift of giving. It was a pleasure to gather with such generous and kind people and serve them for an evening. It was also a pleasure to serve alongside people from our central staff like Bryan, Karen, and lead pastor Ben Snyder; they really jumped in and helped out in a massive way while also encouraging our team. We are grateful for their heart of service and the constant encouragement they brought to our team, a true show of our staff's value of Better Together!

Lastly, this past month had the amazing experience of the Preach-Off. The whole experience was a smash hit: transforming the lobby into a stadium atmosphere, the competitive preaching, the half-time show, all of these factors coming together as a fun opportunity to reach people who may not always feel comfortable in a church. I truly believe that there is a benefit to showing that we in the church don't always have to be too serious or be taken too seriously. Along with this experience, I had the chance to connect with Jason, a first-time attendee from Pittsburg, PA. I could tell from the moment we locked eyes that he had greatly enjoyed the experience, and he verbally expressed his enjoyment of the preaching as well as the music experience. To hear the joy and passion he was feeling was a much-needed reminder that every part of what we do on the weekend makes a difference. You never know who is attending for the first time and how the service will affect him; so I'm reminded that every weekend we need to approach the service like it is somebody's first time attending and this may be their first encounter with God, so make it a great one. You never know how the smallest to largest elements are going to bless someone.

This past month has been a season of trusting God. As well it has been a season of stepping into the uncomfortable and welcoming what God has planned. For starters, 21 days of Prayer and fasting. Stepping into a period of time to take something that usually drives my day and set it aside for 21 days was something that I was usually hesitant to step into because it is uncomfortable; but I felt that God was calling me to step into it with open arms. It has been a challenging, but a worthwhile practice of relying upon God to drive my day. Just to add onto that, our intern class took a trip to Maumee Bay state park to practice a day-long period of silence and fasting. 

Point of vulnerability here: I am terrible when it comes to long periods of silence. Something has to be going on around me at all times, and sometimes it can be difficult to stop and focus on what the Lord might be trying to show me. So to step into a nearly 20 hour period of silence was definitely out of my comfort zone. However, I feel like it was such a beneficial period of time. I have never dedicated so much time to reflection and looking into God's word, and the ways he was speaking to me during that period was just amazing. If you haven't at any point practiced an extended period of silence and solitude, I would highly recommend giving it a try. Whether it be in an outdoor setting, in your own room, or in a church; I feel like we could all benefit from taking time to stop, listen, and focus on the Lord more often.

Keeping with the theme of stepping into uncomfortable situations, I have to give a special shoutout to my mentor Jeff. After meeting with Jeff for lunch, he encouraged me to continue improving on connecting with new people at church. To further help me with this he had me spend the weekend with him in between services where he introduced me to people he knew as well as people he didn't know. As uncomfortable as it might have been, I appreciate Jeff helping me to step out of my comfort zone and grow as a person. I hope to continue growing in this area and continue making new connections inside and outside of the church.

The Lord has also been at work here in Findlay. I had the opportunity recently to stop and talk with a man named Kyle. While our conversation did not go very deep, from what Kyle told I could tell that he has been through a lot of trials and turmoil in his life. But to hear how God has been working in Kyle, with the support of his sister and brother-in-law, was just so humbling. Nobody is too far from God's grace. As Kyle told me near the end of our conversation, "I don't know what the end destination is, but I'm trusting in what God has in store. I'm where I need to be right now. We'll just have to wait and see what's next." That was just a powerful testimony, and it was humbling how willing he was to talk with me about his past and share how God has been working in him.

This past month was nothing short of incredible. Months of work and planning finally came together for the Christmas season. Firstly came our Dream Team night at our campuses where we got the chance to gather our team together and thank them all for their service to the church. It was great to meet more team members from outside of the arts as well as to hear some of the life-change stories from around the campus. Notably we got to hear from our campus ASL interpreter, Tina, who has served with our campus for several years. She shared with us the impact that she has seen in the life of a young hard-of-hearing girl who has been attending Student nights and how welcome she has felt because of Tina and other team members despite her hearing issues. God truly does equip those he sends, and Tina is a true blessing to our church week after week.

Going into Christmas service was a daunting task with all the preparation, and believe me when I say that we had our fair share of obstacles to overcome to put everything into place. Technical difficulties, sick team members, etc. all came out to try to throw us off our rhythm, but through the grace of God and the help of our team, everything came together for an amazing weekend of life-change and fellowship. I especially wanted to note the amazing show of "Better Together" from the Findlay campus pastor, Chris. When our electric guitar player was knocked out of commission with the flu, Chris filled in the week of services and did an amazing job playing with the band. We could not have done it without him. 

What was even greater about the Christmas services was getting to see some old, yet familiar faces. We saw old friends who hadn't been to church in years, college friends who invited their family to experience our church, even past visitors who hadn't been back in a while. Even my Grandparents, who usually turn away from the lights, camera, and loud music of a church like ours, came to witness the message we had to offer. And they loved the message, saying it was "God honoring and Christ praising". All these different people came together to witness the amazing story of Christ, His birth, and truth of Stopping, Looking Up, and Believing the truth that is Jesus. So many people approached our team and shared how touching the message was and how different yet similar it was to the classic Christmas story. We saw God at work in the church, and that's what it's all about.

Romans 8:38

Greetings and salutations!!!

I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving and are enjoying the coming Christmas season. Though Thanksgiving has passed us by, never grow tired of giving thanks to the Lord for all you have and never grow tired of spreading the joy to those around you. I am personally thankful for all of you who have graciously supported me in this adventure that is the CedarCreek internship program. It has been an excellent experience thus far, and the Lord has been working all around. God has blessed me with many opportunities to build upon my knowledge and faith in the arts ministry and for that I am also thankful.

This past month we had the great experience of hosting At The Movies, and what a great time it was. It was a pleasure to serve so many new people who may not have been introduced to Jesus and see their eyes light upon entering the lobby (Pictured below). The series went very well, and seeing God's word being spoken through the movies we love was such an amazing way to communicate His message to new people. This series was big for outreach, and though it is sad to see it go, we now get to step into (and pardon the cliche) the most wonderful time of the year.

We are now stepping into the Christmas season, and it is surely going to be a hectic one. I will be stepping into my first experience of playing drums for the live set for Christmas services, and I would be lying if I said I was not nervous. However, I know that through hard work and practice, and with the advising of the team around me, it is going to be great experience that will serve to challenge me and improve upon my ability. I am constantly reminded that seasons of challenge are necessary for progress, and that I can't let myself become complacent with where I am in terms of development. The moment I become complacent and comfortable is the moment I stop improving. I am very excited to walk through this season and to see what God has in store.

Stepping into this Christmas season, I am reminded that though this season can be hectic and stressful, it is important to keep our focus on what this season is really about. It's not about the gifts, its not about the lights and music; this season is about remembering the coming of our savior and what His coming represented for all the world. His life and death for our salvation was the ultimate gift, freely given with no way for us to repay it. That in itself is a humbling reminder that this season is not about me, my needs, or wants; it is about God and His love that is freely given to us despite our trespasses and mistakes. I am encouraged to be thinking about how I can be embodying that spirit in my life and how I can be giving to others in a selfless manner. It is a challenge that I pray will be shaping my mindset during this season.

Thank you all once again, I thank God for your generosity and support.

Daniel White

Greetings and Salutations!!!

It's been another great month full of blessings and service. 

Things really go busy this month with Halloweekend and the approaching At The Movies. And with business comes the further need for reliance upon other members of the team, and further reliance upon God. This has truly been a season full of opportunities to improve upon patience and communication as often things can get overwhelming with building projects, new worship series, new songs, and meetings to be had. Through it all I believe God is working to develop me and the team I'm a part of into more well-rounded leaders.

As well, our intern class has been discussing the aspects of a good leader. It has been interesting to get a new perspective on what makes an effective leader as well as be refreshed on the aspects I may have already known but needed to be reminded of. A leader never stops learning. What has probably been the most interesting thing we have talked about was the aspect of a leader first learning to be a good follower. I think we often forget that our greatest leaders were followers themselves at one point or another, and they themselves had to learn what it meant to be a good follower in order to become a great leader. Even the disciples of Jesus began as followers and had to go through the growing pains of learning how to be a leader before they could spread the Gospel. While it can often seem long and tedious, the process of becoming a leader, it is a worthwhile process that teaches you the most important aspect (in my opinion) of leadership...PATIENCE.

Now for an update on At The Movies. This year I was given the opportunity to head up a project for our lobby design. Unfortunately I can't give away the details as it would spoil the surprise of our lobby theme. What I can say though is that it has been a great experience being given this responsibility. It showed me that the staff trusted me to get this project done on time and that they believe I am capable of contributing to this final product. Truly an honor and a privilege, and I thank the Findlay staff for granting that trust. They have made me feel like an equal part of the team and I cannot thank them enough for welcoming me into their family and getting me involved so quickly.

To conclude this update, I actually wanted to send out a general prayer request. With Fall being in full swing, and the sun going behind the clouds more and more, it can be often be difficult for some people to deal with. Emotional health can often take a major downturn. So please be praying for the world right now as we enter the cold and gloomy seasons, we all experience the doom and gloom sometimes, and only God is our true refuge and healing.

Thank you all for your continued support. God bless!

Greetings and Salutations, hope you all had an amazing September!!!

For me this past month has had a major focus of relying upon God and trusting in his provision. Needless to say a lot has happened. The Findlay campus is stepping into a busy season with the buildout of our new campus starting, so a lot has been happening and a lot of schedule changes have been occurring. Though this can result in a lot of stress, the whole team has really come together to ensure we are all on the same page and that we are keeping our focus on God and his plan for this build out. We have no idea what problems might arise, but we can trust that God has a plan and that all things will occur according to his will. That makes the whole process worth it and we are so excited to see what God has in store. Praise God for new opportunities!

Outside of the buildout a lot has been happening for me this past month. I was given the reigns to oversee the Findlay Arts for the last week of the month with my supervisor on vacation, and it was nerve racking at first, additionally so because I was getting my wisdom teeth removed (definitely do not recommend). However, I had a great support system around me to help out when I needed it. The team really came together and made the week go by seamlessly. I was especially grateful to have Gabe from Perrysburg helping us out at the Findlay Campus. His guidance and assistance with rehearsals and executing service was really reassuring and helped to make service a pleasant experience for everyone. Praise God for wise and compassionate leaders!

I have also seen God working in the lives of others this past month. In the past month we have seen many young individuals such as Chandler, Carlee, and Isaac take steps to be a part of the arts team. They have shown a passion and determination to help run cameras and the team has been amazing at taking steps to develop the skills these young boys and girls, equipping them to serve God in any way they can. We have even had a few young men and women expressing interest in playing on stage. Praise God for working in the next generation!

Lastly I wanted to share a celebration I was welcomed into by a Dream Team member. I asked them if I could share their story and they agreed but asked if I could leave their name out. This past month a lot has been on my mind regarding purpose and what I am grateful for. Sometimes it can feel like I am stuck in patterns and that nothing I do makes any sense or difference. But then I got to met a member of our Dream Team member, who we will refer to as T. T has been serving as a greeter for the Findlay campus, and we connected with each other through, oddly enough, our shared use of Cirkul water bottles (funny how God works to make connections sometimes). One week I was just having a passing conversation with T, discussing how we had been doing that week, and dear T had been going through it: they had lost a pet, they had lost their teeth, they had a fall that left them in a wrist cast; it was just a rough week for them. But then T told me that they were celebrating. "Well what could they be celebrating at a time like this with so much stuff going wrong?" I thought to myself. As if they had read my mind, T told me they were celebrating 10 years of sobriety from drugs! Praise God for all he does! Even in weeks of pain and suffering there is always something to celebrate! And I am celebrating T this week, their servants heart, and their positive spirit that they brings in each and every week! 

God is always moving, and his blessing are always present; no matter how big or small.

The beginning of this internship has been nothing short of a blessing. The ways that I have been able to see God move has made the past 4 weeks truly spectacular. For starters, with the Findlay campus merging with Stonebridge church, it has been great to see two communities come together with the same mission of spreading God's word to the greater Findlay area. We are so excited to get to work on the future Findlay location of CedarCreek church and we look forward to working alongside the Stonebridge congregation. As we took a walkthrough of the building I was blessed with the opportunity to assist with the "Pack the Bus" project that Stonebridge had been sponsoring for many years. It was great to see the impact that this community could have on families in need of school supplies and to see the look on the faces of kids getting new backpacks. As well I got to meet and connect with two Findlay DreamTeam members, Jill and Janet. The joy they had for serving the community was really inspiring. Truly a display of a servant's heart and a heart for Jesus.

In this internship I will be working specifically with the Arts/Music team at the Findlay campus, and so far the experience has been more than I could have hoped for. It has been great to work alongside and learn from Noah, our Findlay arts director. He has been a great mentor thus far and has shown a great willingness to teach me and be patient with me as I hope to learn more about working within the church. As well I've had many opportunities to work alongside the other arts directors from all campuses. The love and passion that they show for building times of worship has greatly inspired me and I hope to carry that example forward with me. Alongside these experiences I recently had the opportunity to volunteer for a youth worship event in Ada, Ohio. Alongside other musicians from the Findlay campus, we got to bear witness to a gathering of many young boys and girls who have a passion for Lord. It was an amazing thing to see so many young people with a passion for worship and the striving to be spiritual leaders in their schools and communities. The Lord was working in that place and through all those attending. 

This first month has truly been a blessing. I hope to continue working hard and diligently through this experience as I continue learning and developing. Whatever God has planned I am praying that it will be done according His will and not my own. Thank you for following me on this journey and for being a big part of it. It means more to me than you know. 

Thank you once again! And God bless!