At Heartland I serve on the Guest Services team, my kids serve on the brew team and my husband on the courtesy team. We love serving in these areas because of the people we meet. Everyone has a unique story and purpose and getting just a few minutes to interact and learn about someone else reminds me just how amazing it is to serve in a place that brings people together.

Getting to know a few people and see them in the church for the first time or the thousandth time lets me see how Jesus continues to work. He shows up in the kids running to their children’s church and laughing in the atrium. He shows up in the people coming in to sit near the fire or in the air conditioning and gives them rest. I see him in every person who walks in the door seeking to know him more.

There are so many places to give your time and talent in Heartland, but greeting people has a very special place in my heart. I came to know the Lord in my mid-20s. I did not grow up in the church so all of my youth and early adult years were not always the most wholesome. I was living in Dallas, was tired of trying so hard and feeling so empty. I heard about a church, but in Dallas churches are BIG. I spent more than 2 months driving up to the parking lot and never going in. Sometimes I would sit in my car, sometimes I would just drive through. One day, I got into an awkward situation and had to go in…I was planning to go hide in the bathroom and wait for the crowd to pass, then leave. Well it was the person in the lobby, they smiled, greeted me, started a conversation, offered to sit with me…and that was all it took. God was tired of waiting for me to be brave, he met me in a place where I needed him and showed up through a smiling greeter. If I can do that for just one person, be the smile they need, I will keep showing up.