Teen Ministry Leader Finds Ministry Training at CLI

Ashley Huffman is called to be a teen ministry leader. She relates especially well to teenagers, which can be difficult to do in today’s world of Social Media, smart phones, and other distractions. But it is precisely these things that make teen ministry so important.

Ashley is the only one of her siblings to have retained a strong devotion to God through her teen years and young adult life. Perhaps this is part of the reason that she is so drawn to teen ministry. Because she knows God can use her to help other young people stay on track.

My name is Ashley Huffman, I’m 29 and I am single living in Pennsylvania, USA. I have two siblings, a mother and a father. My brother and sister are named Amy and Adam, and they are both older than I. My siblings and I grew up in the church, but currently I’m the only one who still has a relationship with God. I was baptized at the age of nine, and when I became a teenager I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at a youth convention, with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I went to a Christian college part time for about 6 years, majoring in church music. Sadly, I didn’t have the money to continue my studies. At the moment, I work with physically and mentally disabled individuals. Even though my clients and I don’t always understand each other, I put my all into providing them with new skills, serving them and being a person in whom they can rely on.

I have always been determined in my pursuit of God, and that’s why I want to take the next step which is pursuing my credentials and being ordained. When I’m not working shifts for my job, I am actively volunteering, participating and leading in church activities at a one-and-a-half-year-old church plant. There we are trying to bridge the generational gap in our society and are actively bringing the church to our community. At church, I am a drummer and keyboardist on the worship team. I am one of the leaders in our Growth Track team, which is a four-week program to get newcomers plugged in and serving our church and community. If I’m not on worship team on Sunday morning, then I’m usually on our tech team most likely running sound. I was a leader in two of our women’s groups. First was Kingdom Women and more recently our ladies just got through an eight-week program called Victory in Spiritual Warfare by Tony Evans. Plus, for our community Easter outreach, I served the serve team. I made sure they weren’t going hungry, thirsty or needed anything like a helping hand, when I wasn’t actually serving food and drinks to our community members. Since I was the only person that saw that need, my church already has me scheduled for next Easter as the leader of my own hospitality team to make sure everything is going smoothly and no one is in dire need of anything.

I believe that having this scholarship and ministry training will help me to accomplish what God wants for my life, especially because I have a heart for our teen ministry. I have helped with various teen ministries since I was a co-worship leader as a youth student myself. Since then I have been a leader in four youth groups. I’m meeting kids where they are and showing them Jesus’ love by trying my best to be a strong, Godly example. I love spending time with them, whether it’s having real and honest God based conversations, spending time playing video games, grabbing a bite to eat, or helping them learn worship songs they haven’t heard yet. God is doing great things in my small town, and with my certificate from Christian Leaders Institute I’ll be a readily available leader wherever the Holy Spirit guides me. The Spirit and your training will be the empowering force behind me as I lead.

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