Denise Trok

How I got here 

I started here as a volunteer when my children were young.  I had helped at VBS for several years when Cathy Stratton asked me if I would be interested in starting a new program on Thursday Nights.  I did that for over 13 years.  When Cathy had the opportunity to move to Wisconsin, I ended up filling her position as Children's Ministry Director, and had the pleasure of  working alongside my friend, Deena Stirling, for the next eight years.  This job has been a special calling for me and a way to use my gifts for the Lord.  I love the kids and I enjoy watching them grow into amazing men and women of God!

What I do here

I teach on Sundays, but my job is much more than that.  During the week I am planning the weekend curriculum, answering questions from parents, planning special events like the Talent Show, Drive-in Movie Nights, Summer VBS and Indian Village.  I work alongside the other ministries here at church as well supporting one another.  My favorite part is spending time studying God's word in preparation to teach, and I do a lot of research and bible study to make it fresh each time for the kids and for myself.  We teach through the Bible every three years so I have gone through it about five times now.  It is God's living, breathing word so I am always learning something new to share with the kids.  It might surprise people how much time I spend coming up with special crafts and activities.  We sometimes look like Santa's Workshop in my office preparing materials and supplies for the weekend.  I love my job and the creativity it requires.  

Why I do what I do

I feel that my job is a calling on my heart. I don't think you could do children's ministry if you didn'tt love it.  I love the kids, I love the teachers, I love the parents.  What I realized last summer is that I have taught a generation of kids here at this church. When I started in 1999, my daughter was three years old.  This fall she will be a senior in high school and eighteen in January.  I  received an amazing revelation last summer when I looked at my high school volunteers at Indian Village and I realized that many of the juniors and seniors now serving in Indian Village had been in my three and four year old class when I first began.  What an amazing opportunity to be a part of these kids' lives and to have been part of their spiritual growth.  Now I'lll see them go off to college, become parents and raise kids of their own someday.  There isn't another job like it!