Venn Diagram of Discipleship - Getting to Know Rebekah Wilson
Rebekah and Jonathan Wilson joined Elmhurst CRC in 2018 with their four children and have been “all in” from the jump. Rebekah is trained as a substitute teaching leader with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF), and after years of working as a nurse at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, has joined our church staff as our part-time Discipleship Coordinator. Elmhurst CRC has a vision to grow “Up” in worship, “Out” in service and evangelism, and “In” in terms of community connections and spiritual depth. Rebekah’s work focuses on the overlap of these three areas (the Venn diagram) as we desire to make disciples of Jesus who are devoted to worship, growing spiritually, and sharing our faith.
Pastor Gregg: How did you find yourself serving at a Church? Is this where you expected to find yourself working?
Rebekah: I never expected to find myself working for a church or in ministry in general. I have worked as a nurse for 16 years and had even started a Master’s degree in Midwifery 10 years ago. Working at a church was never on my radar until this position was presented to me.
I have always enjoyed reading the Bible, even as a young child. I have especially loved my time participating in and serving in Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). When I took on the role as substitute teaching leader, which involves training the small group leaders and giving 30-minute lectures based on the passage that we’re studying for the week, I found that at last, this was where my gifts could be used. I discovered that I had a conviction and gift to encourage others. God gave and continues to give me words to speak into people’s lives regarding their faith.
After this, God started opening other doors for me to use my gifts. I started serving on the Missions team at ECRC in 2019, which then led to being asked to serve on the Discipleship Team, which then led to being involved on the Alpha Team. I found each of these teams connected to one another. We are called to make disciples of all nations. This starts with people hearing about what Jesus has accomplished for us. It then moves to a trust in God and the direction He has for our lives. The Holy Spirit then transforms us and moves us towards maturity as Jesus followers.
Pastor Gregg: What does it mean to be the Discipleship Coordinator at Elmhurst CRC these days? How do you spend your time?
Rebekah: The Discipleship Coordinator works alongside the Pastor of Outreach to establish disciple-making pathways for our church. I help to manage the small groups/life groups and assist new members in getting plugged in to ECRC. I also serve on the Discipleship Team (D squad) where we are working to start a new initiative called Haverims. A Haverim is a small group of friends that come around the Bible to read, discuss their questions, pray for and with one another, and keep each other accountable as a follower of Jesus.
I have spent most of my time these past three months meeting with church members and listening, learning, and praying about where God wants to take us and how He wants to grow us as a church.
Pastor Gregg: What are your main hopes for spiritual fruit this year? How can we pray for and support you in this?
Rebekah: I hope to see the Christ followers of ECRC grow in their love for the Bible, God’s holy Word. I hope to see us overflow with joy in following the Lord. Jesus says in the Beatitudes, the peacemakers are blessed so I hope to see us reconcile our differences with each other and with our communities outside of church. I hope that we can be patient with and show kindness and goodness to one another; that we clothe ourselves in gentleness each morning as we get dressed; and finally, that we pray for protection from the evil one and examine our self-control.
I would appreciate prayers for wisdom and guidance in this new position.
Pastor Gregg: Anything else you’d like us to know?
Rebekah: Now that we’ve been introduced, feel free to call me Reba, or Wreck-it Reba, as I was known at my former position. If we haven’t met in person, feel free to introduce yourself when you see us walking around. Otherwise, my email box is always open if you want to talk about discipleship or your love for Jesus.