2025-2026 Interns

Hello and welcome to February’s blog! I am so excited to share what I have been up to this month!

To start, at the beginning of this month, I started shadowing Brian Dario in Students at South Toledo. Since my time is split between Students at South Toledo with Brian and DreamTeam at Perrysburg with Cindy, it has been fun to see the banter between them about which campus I like more. The picture above is one Cindy and I sent Brian to show how much fun I have at Perrysburg (I have fun at South Toledo too!).

My experience with Brian has been so much fun so far, and I have loved getting to know the South Toledo staff and community. I have spent my Tuesdays in student director meetings, learning about all the planning that goes into student events, going out to lunch with different CedarCreek staff members to continue to build relationships, and attending intern class. I have been spending my Wednesdays at the South Toledo campus helping Brian prepare for the upcoming weekend and sitting in at the South Toledo staff meeting. The South Toledo Students team is truly amazing, and I have enjoyed getting to know them and learning alongside them. I have learned a lot about what it means to be a student director at CedarCreek and am excited to continue growing.

This month, to go along with the Super Bowl, CedarCreek had their Preach Off. This is a fun way CedarCreek brings competitive energy to the stage while still sharing the Gospel. I was able to watch the service live on Saturday night, and on Sunday I spent the day with students in the student section. It was super fun to have tailgate games in the lobby and encourage students to join in. Everyone wore their favorite jerseys and had a blast. My favorite part of this weekend was throwing a football around in the lobby and connecting with students in a way that felt natural and fun for them.

On February 22nd, five out of six of the campuses gathered at the Perrysburg campus (Findlay remained at their campus) for a night of worship. It was so much fun to see everyone from all the different campuses. That evening, I was able to serve alongside some amazing members helping welcome our guests. Being part of the team that created a warm and inviting atmosphere made the experience even more meaningful for me. We had 890 people attend our night of worship. The room felt full not just physically, but spiritually too. I loved seeing everyone praising God together. It was such a special night, and I am grateful I got to experience with everyone.

Also to go with the vibe of worship, at the end of the month, my friend Debbie and I went to the Elevation Nights 2026 concert in Indianapolis. The night featured powerful worship led by Elevation Rhythm and Elevation Worship with a message from Steven Furtick. Gathering with more than 15,000 people in one space, all united in worship, was an incredible and humbling experience. There was a strong sense of community and faith in the room that was unmatched. After the concert, Debbie and I spent some time downtown eating dinner and getting ice cream before making our way back to our hotel. It was a simple way to end the night, but it gave us time to reflect on the experience together and appreciate the joy that worship brings to both of us.

Thank you so much for your continued support and I can’t wait to tell you more next month! 

Hello and welcome back, everyone! This month has been filled with many fun and new experiences and I can't wait to tell you all about them.

To start the month, I took a trip to Arlington, Texas, for an event called Passion. I went with a group of 9 other young adults from CedarCreek. If you haven't heard of Passion before, it is a conference for people ages 18-25 where we spend time listening to great speakers and worshiping. There were 45,000+ young adults packed into Globe Life Field to be a part of this movement to make Heaven crowded. It was truly inspiring to see that many people together to worship our one God. I kept saying to myself "if this is what worship looks like in a world that is so broken, I can't imagine what it looks like in Heaven" and I truly mean that. To be able to worship at that level with that many people is a true testament to how good our God is. I was honestly so nervous going into this trip, knowing I don't do well in crowds and the days were going to be long, but I am so glad I went. This is usually something I would have a lot of anxiety at but I felt at peace the whole time. I even went out of my comfort zone and met some new people from all over the world. This was really the best way to start 2026 and I am very grateful to have been invited to come on this trip. Here is a link to photos from the trip. It was so much fun I couldn't pick just one! https://photos.app.goo.gl/vGYXM9oqwbC8sHae8 (Hopefully it works, I've never done something like this before!)

Back in November, I had my 90 day review for my internship. You may be asking yourself, why does this matter now? Well in that meeting I expressed that I wasn't sure if being a DreamTeam intern was 100% the best fit for me. While I do enjoy what I'm doing in DreamTeam and I am good at it, I also have a heart for students. After that meeting, Cindy, Lauren, and I started brainstorming some possible opportunities to shadow a different ministry. I am excited to say that for the next two months I will be spending time with Brian Dario at the South Toledo Campus learning all about student ministries. Cindy will still remain my supervisor and I will still be a DreamTeam intern, but I will also be spending some time at South Toledo to hopefully get a clear understanding of where God wants me. 

Also this month, Cindy took the intern class to Maumee Bay Lodge for an overnight spiritual retreat. Before going on this retreat the only information we were given was that we were going to be asked to fast from food, disconnect from our phones; we weren't allowed to talk to anyone else, and we were going to have lots of free time. I was anxious going into this because I didn't know what I was going to do with myself for 24 hours, no phone, no social contact, and no food. Once we got there though, Cindy gave us a list of tasks to complete that included reading the book of James, writing out a prayer to God, listing 40 things we are grateful for, listing three things we like about ourselves, listing two goals we have for the year, memorizing Jeremiah 29:12-13, and writing cards of encouragement to our fellow interns, supervisors, and mentors. I am so glad Cindy gave us the list of tasks to complete because it kept me busy the whole time. I am so glad we were able to have this time to spend with God. It made me realize that I don't spend enough one on one time with Him and that creating spaces to do so should be a higher priority for me. It was nice to be able to step away from the stress of everyday life and spend intentional time in prayer. At the end of the retreat, we read our cards of encouragement to each other and shared about our experiences from the retreat. This was a very impactful retreat and I am glad I was able to be a part of it. 

This month, I also got to make a prayer board with my mentor. We spent our time talking about how my internship is going, listen to worship music, and decorating our prayer boards. This board will be used to write down my prayers for the year and at the end of the year, I will be able to look back at prayers that are answered and be reminded of how great our God is. I am super excited to see what this year brings and can't wait to see all of the promises God fulfills this year. 

Lastly, to wrap up this month, my college classes started back up. At first, I was very overwhelmed with all of my classes and learning new rhythms for the semester, but honestly it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I was able to quickly nail down a routine for my classes and am doing well in them so far. This is my last semester at Owens and I will be graduating with my Associate's in Social Work this spring. I will then be transferring to University of Toledo in the fall to continue my degree in Social Work. 

Thank you all for following along on my internship journey and I can't wait to share with you next month!

Welcome to the December blog! This month was filled with so much fun, and I am excited to tell you all about it!

This month we had our December DreamTeam Night. We used this time to celebrate Christmas with our DreamTeam. We had a nice dinner and fun games. It was really inspiring to see all of our DreamTeam come together to celebrate the Christmas season together and watch them walk down the Cedarville hallway in our kids ministry area to read life change stories from over the year. I am super glad we were able to create a fun experience for them to enjoy and I can't wait to see how our DreamTeam grows in 2026.

December means Christmas! This year, here at the Perrysburg campus, we had 10 Christmas services. Across all 6 campuses, we saw over 15,000 people and 356 people dedicated their lives to Jesus! How amazing is that! Although the Christmas services were tiring at times, I really enjoyed seeing all of our DreamTeam members show up to serve and getting to spend time with them during services. We were able to enjoy meals together and connect with each other more than we typically would. I am super grateful for all our DreamTeam members and am excited to see how God continues to work through them. 

After Christmas, my friend Debbie and I took a trip to Gatlinburg, TN. While we were there we went zip lining, a helicopter ride, experienced two different sky parks, and also rode two roller rails through the mountains. When we returned home on the 31st, we had a few hours to relax before we ran a midnight special 5k. It was a super fun experience to run into the New Year. 

As I look back on the year I have a feeling of gratitude for all the opportunities I have been given. This was a year of travel, friends, and growth. God moved in my life in so many ways I didn't know were possible this year and I can not wait to take on a year of YES with Him in 2026. 

Thank you all for your continued support. 

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I can't wait to share with you all that I learned this month. 

To start, during the month of November, CedarCreek does a series called At the Movies. This is where we choose a movie and relate it to a biblical teaching. Each campus also chooses a movie to dedicate their campus to. This year, Perrysburg did Wizard of Oz. We decorated our south atrium based on sets from the movie and each weekend we had different characters from the movie. I got to dress up as Dorothy for the first weekend (pictured). It was super fun to interact with the kids and see their faces light up when they saw all the different characters dressed up. Now, At the Movies is over and we are setting up for Christmas services.

While doing At the Movies, we also still had baptisms at the beginning of the month. This month was special because my sister's boyfriend, Jay took his next step of faith through baptism. It has been super cool to see how God has been working through my sister to help him grow his relationship with Jesus. I can't wiat to continue to see how God moves in both of their lives!

Also this month, I got to shadow the safety team. I got to learn all the ins and outs of what being a safety team member consists of. I got to shadow Harley and he showed me what it means to "sweep" the building. We walked the whole perimeter of the building checking the doors and our storage bins we have out there to make sure everything is locked and that there is nothing suspicious placed outside. We also "swept" the kids area to make sure nothing was out of place. There were other safety team members who "swept" backstage and the upstairs offices. Doing the building "sweep" ensures safety for all of our guests. Throughout the service, we have safety team members around the church in different spots. In the auditorium, we have "contact" and "cover" positions. These positions ensure that if anything happens in the auditorium, we have someone there to handle it, and they have backup if needed. We also always have a safety team member outside of Cedarville at all times. This member ensures that anyone who enters Cedarville is supposed to be entering. That member is also there to ensure the safety of anyone in Cedarville if there is an emergency. After shadowing the safety team, I have grown to appreciate it much more as I now know how important they are and how much they do for our church. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to shadow Harley and be able to learn from him. 

Lastly to wrap up the month, my sister Jenna and I took a trip to New York for Thanksgiving. We decided the Friday before Thanksgiving that we wanted to go see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person, so we decided to book a hotel and plan a trip. I was super nervous to navigate a new city but with the help of a co-worker and friend I felt prepared to take on New York. Jenna and I arrived on Wednesday around 5:30pm. Once we checked into the hotel and got settled, we decided to do some shopping and explore the city. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and ended our night by taking the subway back to the hotel for some dinner and a good night's rest before the parade. On Thursday morning, we woke up at 5:30am to go watch the parade. We watched the parade on the steps of a church between 65th and 66th Street off of W Central Ave. It was such a fun experience! After the parade, we took a walk through Central Park then went back to our hotel for a nap. During the evening, we went to the 9/11 Memorial and went to an outdoor skating rink. After that, we walked across the Manhattan Bridge and made our way back to Times Square. We decided to end our night by getting dinner from Joe's Pizza. This was some of the best pizza we have ever had! On Friday morning we had a short shopping trip then left for home. Jenna and I had so much fun while we were there and are so happy that we got to go!

Thank you all so much for reading this month's blog post and I can't wait to share with you again next month!

Hello and thank you for returning to my blog for another month! I am excited to share everything from this month with you. This month has gone by quick but a lot has happened. 

To start the month, CedarCreek had their 30 year celebration. This was a busy yet impactful weekend. CedarCreek was able to highlight the growth they have made over the past 30 years. The service consisted of a 15 minute documentary highlighting key points of CedarCreek history followed by a brief message from Head Pastor Ben Snyder. The service then ended with worship and baptisms. This month, we had two baptism tubs and baptisms were held at the end of the service. The Perrysburg location celebrated 43 baptisms during this weekend. Because the baptisms happened at the end of service, during worship, it was powerful to watch people come out of the water and immediately worship alongside others who had also just been baptized. The auditorium felt so alive and I am so grateful to be a small part of the movement God is making in the lives of those at CedarCreek. God is moving in incredible ways and I can't wait to continue to see firsthand how God transforms lives. 

This month, I also got to shadow the GrowthTrack team. Here at CedarCreek, we have a program called GrowthTrack that our DreamTeam members have to go through before stepping onto a team to serve. At GrowthTrack, people get to learn about their God given purpose. I got to shadow weeks 2, 3, and part of 4 during the 4 week course. During week 2, participants took a DISC assessment. This assessment is designed for people to learn more about their personality and behavioral strengths and weaknesses. During week 3, participants took a Spiritual Gifts assessment. This assessment consists of 95 questions, broken down into 19 different categories. By taking this assessment, people are able to learn more about how God has wired them, and how they can best use their gifts. During week 4, we give participants a tour of the church. This month, I got to lead the tour alongside my supervisor. Here, I gave information about various different ministries that they could serve in. GrowthTrack is a great experience that prepares people to use the gifts God has given them in the best way possible. I am so happy that I was able to be a part of this experience. 

There was also a weekend this month where Cindy was out of town and I got the opportunity to step up and lead the team. On Saturday night, I came in early to prepare everything in the auditorium and lead huddle for our first impressions team. On Sunday morning, our team coordinator, coaches, and leads helped me to prepare the auditorium and equip the team. Although Cindy was gone, I felt prepared and grateful to have such a great team that is willing to help out when needed. I feel that Cindy equipped me very well for the weekend to run smoothly while she was gone and I am so glad to have her as my supervisor. 

Lastly, this month we celebrated Halloweekend. This weekend was full of so much fun. Families came dressed in costumes, we played a "choose your own adventure" game, and explored a spooky story from the Bible, Daniel 5. On Saturday night, we had a trick-or-treat activity set up for kids, where Cindy and I got to pass out candy. It was super fun to see all of the costumes and interact with the kids. This weekend was a fun way we got to celebrate Halloween but also relate it to the Bible and learn from it. 

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me and make sure to come back next month to hear about my At the Movies experience!

Hello and welcome to this month's blog post!

This month was filled with many new experiences for me and I have fully immersed myself into the internship and have gotten used to the weekly schedule. 

Wrapping up the end of last month, the church held an event called DreamTeam Launch. This is an event where DreamTeam members across all campuses came together at the Perrysburg campus to celebrate the progress the church has made, and cast vision for what is to come. We spent time playing games, eating, worshiping, and listening to a brief but impactful message. This was a great event that set the tone for what the rest of the year will look like for the church. 

At the beginning of every month at CedarCreek we celebrate baptisms. This month, during the Saturday night service, I got the privilege of stepping into the tub to help baptize people. This was an opportunity that I never imagined I would experience and I am super grateful to have opportunities like this through my internship. Watching how God has moved in people's lives and seeing them take their next step in faith through baptism was truly inspiring. I can't wait to see how He continues to write their story and I feel so blessed to have played even a small role in their spiritual journey. On Sunday morning, I got to serve alongside the baptism team as a baptism buddy for those taking their next step in faith through baptism. Through this experience, I got to meet several new people and hear their stories. It was deeply touching that they were willing to share their testimonies with me and allow me to stand alongside them on such a special day. I am excited to see where God leads them on their journey and look forward to watching their continued growth. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity this month and to see firsthand how God is transforming lives through baptism. 

During the month, I have also had the opportunity to serve alongside the guest services team and prayer team. This experience has shown me how these ministries relate to the mission of the church, introduce people to Jesus and the life changing adventure with Him. At guest services, I learned all about how to welcome new guests. If a new guest comes to the guest services desk, we give them an "I Am New" bag that has a notebook, pen, and water bottle in it. We also have them register in our app and create an account. Lastly, if they don't already have a Bible, we offer them a Bible that they can keep as their own. These are just a few simple ways we help to make new guests feel welcome and comfortable, encouraging them to take next steps and return the following week. Also at the guest services desk, we offer paper copies of our "Living It Out" for the series. This is offered for those who would prefer a paper copy and encourages next steps beyond just attending weekend services. Another ministry I got to shadow one weekend was the prayer team. This is a team of volunteers who stand at the prayer cross at the end of service offering prayer to those who want or need it. This ministry helps people feel cared for and heard. The goal of this team is to provide prayer and help people continue their spiritual journey and grow in their faith. 

Lastly, this month ended with a trip to Chicago. The intern class along with some CedarCreek staff spent the past weekend in Chicago. Here, we went to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, went to the Lego store, tried Chicago style pizza, visited Willow Creek Church, visited Jackie, a friend of CedarCreek's, to work through our Working Genius assessment, and just mainly spent time getting to know each other and having great discussions. I had never been to any church besides CedarCreek, so it was really nice to be able to experience Willow Creek and see how a different church operates. While at Willow Creek, I got to spend time with their student ministries. While this is not the ministry my internship is in, I do serve with students on Wednesday nights at CedarCreek, so I do have a connection with them. I enjoyed seeing how Willow Creek runs their student ministries compared to CedarCreek. Throughout the trip, I enjoyed learning more about my fellow interns and creating better friendships with them. I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings our group. 

Thank you so much for following along on this journey with me and I can't wait to continue sharing my progress with you in the upcoming months. 

Hello everyone!

I am so glad you are all here following along on this journey with me.

This past month has consisted of a lot of learning and adapting. I have been following a new schedule and meeting lots of new people. The first day was spent onboarding and learning all of the systems the church uses. Now that I know the systems, I have been using them hands on to help develop DreamTeams and create an enjoyable weekend experience. I have been blessed to have an amazing supervisor, Cindy Casey. She has been wonderful at teaching me the ins and outs of the systems and helping me to learn and grow as an intern and in my faith. 

During the second week of the internship, I got to attend Global Leadership Summit alongside the other interns and local leaders. Something that stuck out to me during the Global Leadership Summit was when Tasha Eurich talked about how the times that break us, can uniquely remake us. This reminds me that even if something doesn't go as planned, it could open up an opportunity to something better. I also got to attend my first All-Staff meeting this month. This is where all of the CedarCreek staff get together and talk about successes within the church and look at what we have coming up. At the meeting, interns were welcomed on stage to introduce ourselves. Also during this month, I got to be a part of a staff hangout day at Coldwater Lake in Michigan. That is where the attached picture was taken. Here, the Perrysburg staff spent time together playing games, enjoying a meal together, and tubing on the lake. I am so grateful to be apart of these experiences. Lastly, this month Cindy and I hosted a Sunday/Sundae celebration with our greeter and usher coordinator, coaches, and team leads. We got them all together to celebrate the new services coming up on Sunday and help prepare them and get them excited for the change that is coming. While here we also went over what is looks like to be a good usher and how we can help equip our team to serve others as an usher. 

What exactly does a DreamTeam intern do? As the Perrysburg Campus DreamTeam intern, I work alongside Cindy Casey to help build and develop adult DreamTeams. I use systems like Rock to onboard people into the system and Planning Services Online to send out invitations to serve. Throughout the next 9 months, I will shadow 14 different ministries. These include baptism team, greeters, ushers, brew crew, growthtrack, safety, medical, parking lot, sparkle, prayer team, care team, lobby host, special events, and guest services. I will gain knowledge in how each ministry works and how they play an important role in weekend experiences. 

I am so happy to have you here with me and can't wait to share more with you as I continue my internship! Without you, this wouldn't be possible. Thank you.