Insights & Information

Ministry moves bring new opportunities

Rodney and Deanna May in Alaska

In recent years, Triad has played a role in sending people to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to Argentina, Brazil, Mozambique, and Papua New Guinea.

Rodney May will soon join that group and add Alaska, “The Last Frontier,” to the list.

That’s because the congregation of Shannon Baptist Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, has called May as their pastor.

The decision came after his visit in October, and the family plans to move so he can begin April 1.

The position will be part-time until the church can grow back to where it can fully support May. Due to Alaska’s high cost of living, May and his wife Deanna will require another $4,000 a month for expenses.

While May leads the church and works part-time in Fairbanks, Deanna will finish the rest of this school year home schooling the couple’s children, Laike, 8, and River, 10. Visit May’s website at www.reachingalaska.com to learn how you can help.

He’s excited about the opportunity to work with a core leadership group of about 25 people at Shannon Park who, after nearly a decade at a church with a slow exodus of members, are ready to reach out to the community again — including service members at a nearby airbase — to make the name of Jesus Christ known.

Shannon Park Baptist Church in Fairbanks Alaska

“They’ve been like sheep without a shepherd, and are eager to grow and want to share the gospel,” he said. “I’ll be teaching and training them in discipleship, sharing the gospel, and community outreach.”

Graduating from Liberty University this spring with a master’s degree in pastoral counseling — in addition to an associate degree in biblical studies from New Tribes Bible Institute, and bachelor’s degree in bible from Piedmont Baptist International University — May had been applying for (and already received offers from) several churches as he considered full-time ministry positions.

Despite its small size and budget, May said he kept coming back to the pastorate at Shannon Park. “It was the only one that literally kept me awake at night,” he said. “I thought about it so much that I couldn’t sleep and I'd be woken up and think, ‘Shannon Park.’

“The second time I went up there, when I landed in Fairbanks and saw the snow and was driving through town, a peace came over me. I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.”

Throughout his search, May said he kept in close touch with Lead Pastor Rob Decker.

“I know I’m supposed to teach, preach, disciple, evangelize, and counsel and when I told Pastor Rob about the five things he said, ‘Rodney, that’s a pastor!’ ” May said.

New leader for Life Support Counseling

With May’s pending move to Shannon Park in Alaska, Triad named Shannon Warden to take over leadership of Life Support Counseling. May had led the ministry for nearly four years after joining the church in 2011. During his time at Triad, he’s also helped teach two Sunday School classes.

Shannon Warden

Warden became Triad’s first director of women’s ministries last June, when she also joined the Life Support Counseling ministry staff. She has a doctorate in counseling and counselor education, is a certified LPC (licensed professional counselor), and teaches and supervises graduate-level counseling students at Wake Forest University.

“Rodney did a fine job leading the Life Support Counseling ministry,” Warden said. “That training and his experience thus far as a counselor will be a tremendous asset to his new church.”

“Triad’s counseling ministry has a strong foundation that goes back to the early 2000s when the ministry officially began,” Warden added. “Various directors and lay counselors have come and gone since then, but all have made valuable contributions to the ministry. Many church and non-church members have benefited greatly through the counseling they have received through the ministry.”

During the leadership transition from May, Warden has updated the forms and information on the Life Support Counseling ministry page of tbcnow.org and its Counseling Room space. She’s also teaching a SNAC class on basic counseling as part of an effort to recruit more lay counselors and reduce the number of people waiting for services.

In a February 2014 Connections profile on Life Support Counseling, May said that about 75 percent of the people counseled come from outside Triad—referred by other churches, word of mouth or from people seeing the sign promoting the ministry as they drive by the church.

Warden says she’s excited about the opportunity to lead a church-based counseling service.

“I enjoy teaching and plan on continuing at Wake Forest for the foreseeable future,” she said. “However, my part-time roles at Triad as director of women’s ministries and now director of counseling bring great balance to what I do for Wake Forest. I am grateful to God for the blend of work and responsibilities that He has given me at this point in my life.

“I believe I am fulfilling His calling in my life to counsel, teach, and lead. I regularly ask church members and friends to pray for the women’s ministries and the counseling ministry and for my leadership of these ministries. God is doing amazing things through the women’s ministries and the counseling ministry! Through Him, we will continue doing great things.”

Interested in becoming a counselor?

Visit the Life Support Counseling Ministry page on tbcnow.org or contact Warden at Shannon.warden@tbcnow.org.

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