I thought it would be helpful, in my blog post this week, to explain the structure of the base and talk a little about the staff.
Currently, we have thirteen staff at YWAM Pismo:
Will
Lori
Brandon
Kirsten
Lauren
Natasha
Jaque
Cat
Cody
Tyler
Stephanie
Paulina
ME!
Base Ministry: Our base has 15 departments (also called committees or ministries) that help it run. These departments cover all the basic needs of the base: physical, financial, communications, administrative, spiritual, etc. For instance, we need people to make sure we have paper clips, that checks are processed, that the toilet gets cleaned, that bills are paid, that people know about our base, and that we are doing the things we are called to do! We share these responsibilities by serving within these departments. Everybody serves in at least three, everybody facilitates at least one. Some people also have personal ministries, which I can tell more about later. We try to get all our work done, both for the base and personal ministries, during our work hours. This just helps to keep us accountable for how we spend our time and also keeps our lives relevant to the culture in which we live. A little story from yesterday will be a good example of how we all “wear different hats” and how that works together:
Lauren and Cat are both part of our Outreach Department and were going to the store to buy supplies. I was with them on their errand because I had an errand of my own. While we were out, I needed to take an hour from our work day for a last-minute appointment. Lauren is on Guidance Committee (which is like the human resources department) and Cat, being in the Administrative department, is the person who is responsible for tracking time off and time away from base. They were exactly the people I needed to communicate with! They put on their administrative hats for a moment, we talked about the business side of what needed to be covered. It was such a blessing! Then they put on their supportive ministry friend hats and prayed with me. Another amazing blessing.
The departments I am on are:
Hospitality
Intercession, Worship, and Spiritual Warfare
Outreach
Staff Development
People also have personal ministries and the base hosts two schools. I can talk more about those another day. I hope this gives you a more clear glimpse into my life at YWAM Pismo Beach.