Please join us in celebrating Lindsey Gorveatte, our youth worker for the month of November!
Lindsey had just graduated high school and was planning on pursuing a career other than ministry. While she was alone in her room one day, she was reading a Jesus Calling devotional that was focused on the topic of faith and risk. One quote that stuck out to her was, “Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief.” She then realized that her current plans were “safe” and that she instead needed to choose His plan, which was the right path to take. She says that she has never felt such a strong pull to do something as she did in that moment. Just two weeks before leaving for school, she applied to Kingswood University and pursued what God had for her.
While at Kingswood she interned in a couple of different youth groups through the years of 2010-2014 and since then has been in full time ministry working with students.
When the idea of working with students was presented to Lindsey, she thought it was crazy at first. She realized that thought was fear driven and realized she was trying to live in the “safe” comfort zone again. She says that in the deep moments of confusion, that it is “Important to take time to reflect on who you gravitate towards in a crowd, where you spend your time, and where you find your joy. There is meaning and purpose in all of that, and it can be extremely clarifying for your future.” She expresses how she is thankful for the leaders in her life that have seen qualities and strengths in her that she could not see within herself.
During her first week as a youth pastor, she took 67 students to Cedar Point with just two other leaders. She was certain that she would lose someone yet that did not happen and from then on she was confident she could do this. Even though she is not a youth pastor now, she is currently working for Never the Same Camp and is a small group leader in her own church. Lindsey describes how it is a privilege to see thousands of students experience life change every summer at NTS Camp and to be able to walk alongside the 10-15 students in her youth group every week. At times she feels inadequate, yet she has learned that “safe” is lame and that “right” is where she wants to dwell.
Her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 61:2
She loves to run and bake…exactly in that order too!
The Detroit Red Wings and the NJ Devils are her favorite hockey teams and she enjoys watching The Office and MasterChef.
A fun fact about Lindsey is that she just got back from spending two weeks in Europe and wishes she could do her job remotely from the French Alps…so let her know is you have any tips for that!