Citylight is excited to share that Sarah Minturn officially started August 1st as the new Kids Club & Mentor Director. She joined Citylight's staff team shortly after graduating from UNO in 2019 as the Citylight Kids Intern. She's always had a passion and a love for kids. Growing up in the church she saw firsthand the importance of providing discipleship to kids. It had a huge impact on her story because it was at that age where she accepted Christ. She was discipled and heard about Jesus in the her church and at home.
Sarah has been married to Seth for about 2 and a half years and they have a mini dachshund named Suzanne. In 2020, after serving with CLK and with the Wednesday Night Kids Club, she switched her role to a residency with Kids Club.
"It was there that I saw a need for loving and reliable people to pour into and share Jesus with kids from the neighborhood," Sarah shared. "I wanted to continue to work with the kids in Club and serve the Walnut Hill Neighborhood."
With the new role, Sarah will be leading the Wednesday Night Kids Club as well as the Student Mentoring program. Wednesday night Club is a time where kids and volunteers share a meal together and have a small group Bible study. Sarah will help empower volunteers to love the students well and equip them to share Jesus. On a regular basis, Sarah will communicate with parents and help them see the importance of a relationship with Jesus for themselves and for their children. She will also continue to serve the mentors and mentees in the Student Mentoring Program by coordinating and planning events for mentors and mentees to help deepen their relationships; providing training and equipping for the mentors; and helping to onboard new mentors and students.
As Sarah considered coming on as the Director of these ministries, she came to a sweet conclusion. She described,
"As I was praying about whether or not to take on this new role, God showed me that this ministry truly belongs to Him. The work that He is going to do does not depend on me and the kids in our ministry belong to Him. He has been teaching me to rely on Him for the needs of the ministry instead of myself. I am so thankful that God has me in a place where I can serve Him, but I am constantly relying on Him to be the one at work in the lives of our students."
As Kids Club and the Mentoring Ministry steps into a new school year, volunteers are needed. For Club, small group leaders who will walk alongside a small group of kids every Wednesday evening are essential. Small group leaders eat dinner with their group and then spend the rest of the evening teaching a Bible lesson to the group and showing them what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus. Also, a few van drivers to pick up the kids who attend Club. Many of the kids do not have a way to get to church on Wednesday evenings, so the van ministry is vital. For Wednesday nights, eating dinner together is a big part of the ministry. Individuals and City Groups are needed to bring and serve the meal.
For the mentoring program, there also are opportunities to serve. More people are needed who can step in as mentors and who have a desire to walk alongside a child to disciple them, love them, help them to grow in their faith, and point them to Jesus. Mentors meet with their mentees twice a month and commit to at least one year of meeting with their mentee.
Throughout the five years that Sarah has been serving with Club, she has seen firsthand the faith of the kids grow as they continue to learn about God and what it looks like to have a relationship with Him.
"There is such a Gospel need with the students in Club and mentoring," Sarah described, "and I want to continue to play a part in their faith journey by showing them what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus. The kids in our ministry hear so many different things in the world, and it is so important for them to have a place to hear the truths of God's word. I'm grateful that Citylight is that place for so many of the kids in our ministry."
If you or your City Group are interested in serving the kids at Club, email sarahm@citylightomaha.org.
If you are interested in being a mentor, please fill out the Things to Consider form at citylightomaha.org/mentoring This will begin your process for the mentor onboarding process.