Children's pastor- David Stephens
My family and I are blessed to call Lakewood home. My wife and I are honored to serve you and your family with passion. It is my heart to serve the needs of our families here at Lakewood and our community. We must be diligent in our discipleship of our children in our homes and in our church. We are training missions ambassadors who pray and serve. (M.A.P.S) It is to this end that we work in all our activities. It’s not about the processing of activities. It’s about the hearts of our children. It’s about our homes being on fire for Jesus. It’s about reaching our community our world with the Gospel.
Cliff notes on me. I was born in 1980 in a small town outside of Peoria, Illinois. I grew up in a small Nazarene church that my father helped found. It was during junior high summer camp when I gave my life to Jesus, and was baptized the following year. My wife Lesley and I met our senior year at Illinois State University, and where married 1 year later. God has blessed us with four children; Rebekah is 18, Micah is 16, Caleb is 14 and Eli is 12. After Rebekah was born, I was a stay-at-home dad for 2 years. Yes, I was one of those dudes with all the other moms walking around Target with my daughter on my chest, buying groceries. This was when God directed me to return to school. I ended up with two listening degrees; Human Services MA degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Liberty University, and a MA in Pastoral Counseling from the Baptist Theological Seminary at Liberty. It was during this season when God placed it on my heart to begin to prepare for transitioning into full-time ministry. Upon completion of school; I interned at Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona. This is where I really saw the need for family ministry in our local church, and my heart for our next generation took root. I then served by-vocational as a Children’s Pastor/Director at Passages Christian Fellowship in Laveen, Arizona for 3 years.
God has now moved us from the Desert to the forest. Our children have no concept yet of the rain, the green, and the changing seasons. We all are falling in love with this place, this church, and you. I am an open person. My ministry office is open and available for you to enter, for counseling, to talk, to dream, and to work together for God’s Kingdom. It is all for his glory.
Cliff notes on me. I was born in 1980 in a small town outside of Peoria, Illinois. I grew up in a small Nazarene church that my father helped found. It was during junior high summer camp when I gave my life to Jesus, and was baptized the following year. My wife Lesley and I met our senior year at Illinois State University, and where married 1 year later. God has blessed us with four children; Rebekah is 18, Micah is 16, Caleb is 14 and Eli is 12. After Rebekah was born, I was a stay-at-home dad for 2 years. Yes, I was one of those dudes with all the other moms walking around Target with my daughter on my chest, buying groceries. This was when God directed me to return to school. I ended up with two listening degrees; Human Services MA degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from Liberty University, and a MA in Pastoral Counseling from the Baptist Theological Seminary at Liberty. It was during this season when God placed it on my heart to begin to prepare for transitioning into full-time ministry. Upon completion of school; I interned at Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona. This is where I really saw the need for family ministry in our local church, and my heart for our next generation took root. I then served by-vocational as a Children’s Pastor/Director at Passages Christian Fellowship in Laveen, Arizona for 3 years.
God has now moved us from the Desert to the forest. Our children have no concept yet of the rain, the green, and the changing seasons. We all are falling in love with this place, this church, and you. I am an open person. My ministry office is open and available for you to enter, for counseling, to talk, to dream, and to work together for God’s Kingdom. It is all for his glory.