This is Us (30th Anniversary Edition)

We’re celebrating our church’s 30th throughout the month of November, so we’re focusing the “This is Us” posts on folks that have been around a good part of that time.

Today’s story is from Stephanie Kiel, our Communications Director and long-term member of Five Oaks. (Stephanie is third from the left in the picture on the right. More pics below.)

For as long as I can remember, Five Oaks has been my church home: one of my favorite places, filled with people and memories that have made me into the person I am today. 

My family first moved to Woodbury in the fall of 1993, when I was 2 years old, and started attending Five Oaks in the spring of 1994. While I have countless memories from my 25+ years here, my years in the youth group have been some of the most impactful. The relationships I built during those years are people that, to this day, are some of the most important and influential friends in my life. My faith was made stronger due to the teaching and conversations I had at youth group, my small group, and on all the various retreats and missions trips I was able to be a part of. It built a strong foundation for my faith and life as I went off to college and started to ask harder questions about life and God. It’s because of the impact of that time, the devoted volunteers, and influential friendships that I now serve on Wednesday nights in hopes that this next generation can experience some of the same encouragement and support that I did.

I am forever grateful that my parents found and engaged with the community here at Five Oaks. My life would certainly not look the same without the years of love, support, and relationships and teaching that have continually pointed me to Christ. It’s a blessing now to give further to this community and God’s mission by serving on staff and volunteering with the ministries that once made such an important impact on me.