Ministry Dream Ordination
Ministry Dream Ordination
My name is Neil DeCook and I have received my ministry dream ordination. I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and am married to my amazing, beautiful wife, Cassidy. I work at a digital marketing company called INTO where I am primarily responsible for the training and development of our employees.
I grew up in a wonderful, God-fearing home. Both parents came from Christian families and that foundation helped me to know who God is at a young age. But when I played baseball in college, that environment slowly whittled away my walk with God to little more than a facade. Finally, God broke through and pulled me out of that dark place, where I finally saw the reality of His Grace.
After He showed me His Grace, He revealed to me His Love in the form of my wife. I like to think that is where my faith in Christ started: when I could fully see, feel, and understand the depth of His Grace and Love for me. There are so many moments that influenced me to the point where I am now. God has truly brought one blessing after another into my life since He reached out to me in my pit.
I have a heart for leading, training, coaching, and teaching. I get to use that passion often in my workplace, which is great. But I have always felt hungry to take that passion into my relationship with Christ. I feel at some point, God is going to open a door for me to pursue this calling, and I will use this ministry training to prepare for that opportunity.
As I have continued on in my courses at Christian Leaders Institute, I have realized a passion for being a “stage builder” – someone that equips and provides others with the means and opportunities to realize and accomplish their ministry dreams – and that has translated into opening a Mentor Center in Fort Wayne! I believe that is the next step in what the Lord has laid in my path for ministry.
This Deacon ministry dream Ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance will, Lord willing, enable me to partner with my local church Fellowship Missionary in Fort Wayne to open a Mentor Center here. My goal and passion is to offer the Mentor Center and it’s resources and connections to refugees, veterans, orphans, widows and the homeless (as well as anyone else who may be interested), so that they can connect with CLI and pursue the ministry dream that perhaps up until this time they had not been able to pursue.
Currently, I volunteer in our church’s children’s ministry and am also meeting bi-weekly with our lead Pastor to work out the details of this partnership for the Mentor Center. I am excited about this opportunity!
If it weren’t for CLI and the Deacon Ordination (as well as the other courses and training I have received at CLI), I would feel unprepared and ill-equipped to embark on this journey. In fact, I’m not even sure I would have attempted to start this process if it had not been possible through CLI.
Now that I am Ordained as a Deacon in the Order of Stephen, I am one step closer to my goal of opening a Mentor Center here in Fort Wayne. As this moves forward, I would be appreciative of prayers for strength and courage, as the Lord has been and will continue to push me and challenge me with new and different opportunities as the Mentor Center takes form. I would also ask for prayers for my church, as we take steps of faith in Fort Wayne.
God Bless you, and may you find your ministry dream and your ministry dream ordination!
Author: Henry Reyenga
Henry Reyenga is president of Christian Leaders Institute and Christian Leaders Alliance.
