Arek is a CA native who currently serves as an ordained high school and young adult youth pastor at Hillside Community Church in Grand Rapids, MI where he lives with his wife Jamie and daughter Kaia. Arek holds an M. Div. from Western Theological Seminary, but is still just a big kid at heart. Arek loves spending time with family and friends and will talk to you about football, specifically the Raiders, for hours if you want to.
The only thing that will bring a skeptical teenager to saving faith in Jesus is God’s own resurrecting power and his gospel.
A primary reason I attend church is to learn from, listen to, and partner with parents as we disciple their students together.
There is a temptation among youth workers to be all things to all students. We need to resist that temptation and keep pointing our students toward Christ and his church.
May we never cease to lead our students to the only one who is able to truly meet their deepest needs with transformative grace.
Gimmicks and games aren’t going to address the grief we’re all collectively feeling, but the gospel can and will.
While we may repeatedly tell our students that their identity is found first and foremost in Christ, perhaps right now they are in a better place to listen and believe.
