An Interview with Lori Herson

We’re excited to continue our Goshen Baptist Church staff interviews with our Director of Children’s Ministries, Lori Herson. We spent a couple minutes catching up with Lori as she shared her heart for ministry, the important role parents play, and her diverse music preferences. We’re very thankful for her and her leadership at GBC.

Goshen Baptist Church (GBC): Lori thanks for being our latest Goshen staff interviewee! How long have you been at Goshen Baptist Church?

Lori: I’ve attended for 17 years.

GBC: How did you first come here?

Lori: When Mark and I were married we were looking for a church together.  Mark moved to the area and thought that Goshen would be a good home for us.

GBC: How did you get to this area?  Did you grow up here?

Lori: I grew up in South Jersey.  Mark is from California.  He was living in Rhode Island when I met him.  I was teaching and coaching at Delaware County Christian School.  Mark and I dated long distance, up the I-95 corridor, for about a year or two and then he decided to move my way.

GBC: Tell us about Mark.

Lori: He lived in India for 7 years, his parents were missionaries there.  So from age 7-14 he lived there and he picked up his field hockey skills.

GBC: So Mark can play field hockey too?

Lori: He can play anything, but sure, put field hockey in there too.

GBC: Is field hockey your main sport?

Lori: Whatever season it is I think.  I played hockey and basketball in college.

GBC: So you’re a big sports fan?  Who are your favorite professional teams?

Lori: Any Philadelphia team.  Only if they’re winning.

GBC: What a true Philly thing to say!  Okay.  Your parents were missionaries too, right?

Lori: Yes!  They were state side, and still are.  Their ministry has grown to other places, but they’re based out of Lancaster, PA.  They are the founders and directors of an organization called Handi*Vangelism Ministries International. They started the ministry without any formal training.  They felt like they were called to leave their professions, mom was a school teacher and dad was a business man, to help kids with physical and mental disabilities.  They went to a housing place up in New York where they became house parents to six physically disabled boys and girls.  They had my sister and I while in New York, and then God burned in my dad to start their own ministry in this area.  The ministry has since grown to include help for bereaved parents, support groups for parents of kids with disabilities, summer camping programs for teens, adults and kids with disabilities.  So I’ve grown up in the ministry with them.  I treasure being an “MK” (missionary’s kid) and having that influence in my life.  Mark would say the same.  His parents are currently serving in Pakistan.

GBC: Did that help you make the decision to come work here at Goshen?

Lori: Their influence on us to stay engaged in a church was obviously key in having us be part of a church ministry.

GBC: So, you started coming here 17 years ago.  When did you start working here as the Director of Children’s Ministries?

Lori:  4 or 5 years ago now.

GBC: Tell us about what you do.

Lori: I over see kids from nursery age up through 5^th grade.  I try to encourage and support the many people that help to minister to our kids on a Sunday and in the midweek programs as well.  For me it’s about being engaged with the kids, but more so making sure to support the people who are blessing our kid’s week in and week out.  They’re giving up their time and using their gifts and abilities, to invest in our church and our church family.

GBC: What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

Lori: It’s spending time with you guys here. It’s good.  It’s always fun to have people that you enjoy being with and serving with.  It’s important to feel the team effort with that.  I grew up in education, around kids.  I enjoy and feel like I can relate to all ages, little kids, even middle school kids.  I enjoy them.

GBC: What are some of the biggest challenges that you face?

Lori: Keeping positions filled, making sure that we have enough volunteers. Right now it’s been great.  We have so many faithful, faithful people.  Every once in a while needs come up and the Goshen Family has been great about responding to those needs.

GBC:  What do you see the future of Children’s Ministry being?

Lori: You know, I think it’ll be shaped by how our parents are influenced in our culture and our society.  So I think probably I would see a growing need to provide support and encouragement for our parents to be able to know how to parent and navigate thought the culture that we’re going to have to raise our kids in.  WE need to help our parents be proactive in guarding their relationships with their kids.

GBC: I heard a quote today about how important it is for parents to worship at home with their kids.  I know we here at Goshen have started to incorporate kids more in our worship services.  Why don’t you elaborate on your vision for kids and worship?  And what do you think of kids and parents worshiping at home?

Lori: I think we need to train our kids and we try to do that when we have our large group worship time.  The kids are up front praying, they’re collecting offering and reciting scripture to as a class to each other.   They need to know that they are the next generation of leaders at our church.  They have to feel what it is like to stand in front of the church group and pray.  So I think giving them the opportunity right now to lead among themselves and then as they get to become part of the larger worship, with singing and reciting scripture.

GBC: What about the idea of family coming together to sing at the end of the day or at dinner time?

Lori: I love that.  I grew up as somebody who, being an “MK”, saw a lot of different churches.  I’ve always had a respect for the hymns.  I keep a hymn book under Elle’s bed; I’ve had it ever since she was a baby.  There’s such richness to some of the hymns, like “How Great Thou Art” and “Blessed Assurance”.  They’re songs that I want to have rolling in her head as she goes to bed at night.  Not everybody is musically inclined but you can still make a joyful noise, right?

GBC: How do we encourage our parents to take that home with them?  How do we encourage our parents to sing at home with their kids at night?

Lori: Or at least to ask questions about the sermon.  Questions about what they learned in Sunday School.  Or how to equip the parents with what they did on Sunday morning, so they can ask questions.  I think we try to do that through the blog, with follow up questions that you can ask your kids.

GBC: Tell us about the blog. You’ve been writing weekly Sunday School updates and we’ve been sharing to Facebook.  Tell us about your vision for that.

Lori: The Gospel Project is the curriculum that we use.  It’s great, I love it.  It chronologically takes the kids through the Bible.  In three years they’ll have gone through Genesis to Revelation.  We’re not just taking one bible story out of context, but they’re seeing them in the context of the full Bible.  They provide a lot of good support for parents.  There’s an app that you can download and follow up with your kids at home.  It’s very well respected and has been out for about 5 or 6 years now.  Lots of churches across the country use it.

GBC: Okay.  If you could have dinner with any person alive in the world today, who would it be?

Lori: Are you guys available tonight?

GBC: You’re on a deserted island and could only take three albums with you.  Which are they?

Lori: Have you put one out yet?

GBC: Hahaha. No. Try again.

Lori: Some classical music.  Celine Dion.  I’m a huge Celine Dion fan.