I’m a Hero!

I’m a Hero!

Turns out that in my church, I’m considered something of a hero! My assistant pastor wrote a very nice little post on his blog about me and the wife, calling us “Big Creek Hero of the Week”! Thanks Bill! It’s been a blessing to work alongside you to get this started. I hope you won’t mind, but I’ve put the text of your post below.

Actually this week is a Hero couple (two Heroes). John and Valerie Ottinger.
This Sunday they started a new Life Group with young, married couples. At Big Creek we currently have 26 Life Groups and we have many dedicated and committed leaders within every Life Group. But why I wanted to single out John and Valerie is because I have appreciated their initiative and willingness to serve. John and Valerie didn’t wait for something to get started, they stepped out in faith and took the initiative. It has been a challenge connecting young adults at Big Creek. We have tried a couple of times to get young couples together for small groups, and those attempts didn’t end in success. John and Valerie didn’t let that discourage them, they took the initiative and thought outside the box. Thinking outside of the box for Big Creek is deciding to have the small group on Sunday mornings. We don’t have Sunday school (we are a small group driven church), and so having a Life Group on a Sunday morning before church would be a new thing at Big Creek. But why it can work with young couples, is that Sunday morning can accommodate child care and nursery needs. It’s new, its outside of the box…it’s a step of faith.
John and Valerie are Big Creek heroes because they are committed to use their gifts within the body of Big Creek, and they don’t hesitate to step out and serve. It is so cool when people come to the church and they just dive right in, and John and Valerie are those kind of people. You guys rock and I, and Big Creek, appreciate your willingness to go for it!