I’ll never forget the call I received from Pastor Frank in December 2011. The first thing he asked me was, “Are you up for a good challenge and willing to reach this generation? Are you willing to be pushed to your fullest potential?” He was quoting my resume description and I knew I was hired. It was an easy decision for me. At the time I was working as an assistant to a CEO of a small company and before that I worked as a security guard. Needless to say I was desperate to get back into the ministry. I had been a youth pastor in two other youth groups before this, but none could prepare me for Unity.
I arrived on January 1, 2012 with open arms. A lot of people were glad to see a new youth pastor and it was great to feel welcomed and appreciated. However, since I never served in a Presbyterian setting before, there were plenty of struggles. They say it takes about 3 years to adjust to the culture of a church and for that church to understand you. I am definitely sad that I wasn’t able to fulfill that original commitment of three years, but I’m hopeful that God is in control.
It was tough for me that first couple of months. I was taking 4 graduate classes (some cross-referenced with doctoral students), plus I moved into my new apartment by myself and then I had to adjust to the culture of the church and try to get to know the students and parents. But I pushed through. I knew that God had called me here and I wasn’t going to backdown from a good challenge.
And then came Summer Blast. For a Youth Pastor, Summer Blast is a love/hate relationship. You are handed over 100 students weekly on a silver platter. It’s a great opportunity for any youth pastor to get to know the students. But it’s also extremely exhausting and restricts what you can and cannot do with the students during the summer months. Because I had never been apart of summer blast before and because I already had a trip to Rome and Israel planned before I was hired, it was difficult for me. I didn’t know what to expect and I knew people were expecting a lot from me. And this is where I’m going to divert.
Being at Unity taught me a lot of things. I know forevermore that wherever I go, God is sending me. But there are a couple of things I wanted to share with you during my time here that I’ve learned about myself.
- God created me to be me.
a. There’s a pastor in South Carolina named Artie Davis. He posted this list of 16 things he would want his son to know about leading. Number 15 is one of the most important ones for me. It says, “Don’t ever try to be someone else. God put you there to be you. God likes you just as you are!” This was really difficult for me to accept. For so long I thought well maybe if I’m more like Rob Gage I’ll have better success. Or maybe if I’m more like my old Youth Pastor I’ll see more kids in the ministry. Now this doesn’t mean God doesn’t want me to grow and learn from my mistakes; rather if I’m to be effective where he puts me, I have to be Justin Boothby.
b. One of the other things Artie says in number 11 is, “Never seek to please people. That is a merry go round that never stops.” It was difficult for me to do that. I’m the kind of person who wants everyone to be happy. But if I am supposed to be Justin Boothby, that just doesn’t always happen. My personality will attract some and it will turn some away. But both I and people around me have to realize it’s all about Jesus, not about me.
c. So remember, wherever you are, God wants you to be you. He wants you to grow and become more like Him, but with your own unique qualities and dreams that make You, You. - Persevere.
a. There will always be bad times in the Christian life. No one is exempt from bad things happening to them. Last summer right before our Denver missions trip and 2 of my best friends weddings, I got a phone call that some really bad things happened to my family and it will change my life forever. It wasn’t an easy thing to take in after it happened. That whole week felt like a whirlwind and I felt like I was drowning. But the Holy Spirit gave me strength. I kept writing the Hebrew word Co’ach on my wrist from Isaiah 40:30-31 which means strength. Don’t ever give up in the midst of your trials! When we tour Israel, my professor always teaches on the storm that rose up when the disciples were with Jesus on the sea of Galilee. He always says, “Remember, Jesus is always in the boat with you.”
b. Now let’s shift gears to the other side of perseverance, mistakes! I made A LOT of mistakes during my time here. Some things I just let slip out of my mind. Some things I just didn’t know better. And some things I wish I could just take back. But this is all part of the learning process. It can be easy for me to shut down when I hear criticism. But God calls us to push through, learn from our mistakes and move on. Don’t let mistakes keep you back from fulfilling your God-given dreams.
c. Romans 5:3-5 says that we persevere because it produces character and character produces hope and that Hope will not disappoint us because it is given to us from the Holy Spirit. So persevere, even when you don’t feel like it! - Accountability will save you.
a. For me, there is nothing more important than my group of friends who I’m accountable too. Each one is unique, different and godly. They give me the harsh word when I’m wrong and give me encouragement when I’m feeling down. They pray for me and I for them. I can’t imagine where I would be right now if I didn’t have accountability in my life. Obviously I encourage you being in a small group. But if not a small group, make sure you have godly men and women at your side keeping you accountable, praying for you, and encouraging you. If you don’t have any, pray for them. I had to pray for them in High School and one after another after another came. They will save your life!
I have shared a video on my Youtube Page sharing my appreciation and love for the students, parents and leaders so feel free to check it out. (You can also keep up with me on my social media sites or my own website JNBoothby.com) I could literally stand up here for hours and talk about all of the great things we’ve done. But I want to leave you with the most important thing I’ve learned while being here. About 2 months ago I was talking with my friend Brad Chandler. I was sharing with him my fears of leaving the youth here and what I can do to make sure things are good for when I leave. I shared with him all of the things I wanted to accomplish. And he said, “Boothby, those things are great. But when you leave, what are these kids going to remember most about you? Are they going to remember how you changed the service? Are they going to remember your sermons? Or are they going to remember the person you are. You need to focus on who YOU are as a follower of Jesus. The things you do are great, but who you are is not only important to Jesus, but it’s important for the people around you that you love.” So as I leave here I hope that I am remembered as someone who loved Jesus, who loved the students of Unity Church, and someone who shared hope and love in a dark world.
I don’t know what God has in store for me. I’m not sure how long I’ll be in Washington, Pa. I would love to study in Israel, but I don’t know if that will happen. I don’t know anything. It’s scary and humbling at the same time. It’s caused me to focus more on Jesus and rely on Him. As I leave here, I ask that you pray for me, yes; but I also ask that you pray for the students, leaders, and in particular Suellen and Pastor Frank as they transition into this new season of Youth Ministry and pray about the direction that God has for it. All ministries are important, but it is in Youth Ministry where kids begin understanding their identity and it’s also where they could make the decision to follow Jesus the rest of their life of turn from Him. So pray for the youth ministry here! They need your support. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your prayers and support these last two years. They mean more to me than you can ever know. Thank you.
***A quick change. As of 4:40 am on Sunday morning I was accepted into Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and I will begin my second Master’s program in the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East on August 7th. I will be writing a blog post about it soon.
