Ryan Higgs In View of a Call May 3rd, 2020

My name is Ryan Higgs, and I am so excited to be coming to Eastridge Baptist Church in view of a call this weekend! It has been a great privilege to already meet some of you and see the great spirit that is here at Eastridge.

I am very passionate about following God’s call in leading and discipling students in their walk with Christ. I see a great need for students in our world today in showing them that true fulfillment comes from knowing Christ and following His will for our lives. I desire to show students how to apply Scripture to their daily lives as they go out into the world and take on the mission that we are given in Matthew 28: to make disciples of all nations. I am also very passionate about the preaching and teaching of God’s word and how powerful, effective communication can be as I teach Scripture.

About Me I am originally from Texarkana, Texas but have spent the years of my life in a variety of places all over Texas! I have the blessing of being a “preacher’s kid” which plays a huge part in this. I graduated high school from Henderson, Texas in 2016. After high school, I attended East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Religion with a concentration in Youth and Family Discipleship in May 2019. I am now pursing my Master of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

I have most recently served at Oakland Heights Baptist Church in Longview, Texas as Student Pastor, as well as working with our college and young adult groups. This has been such a blessing as I had the opportunity to follow God’s calling on my life while pursuing my college education.

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Hobbies

• Running

• Reading

• Hunting

• Watching college football

• Watching movies

• Drinking way too much coffee

Favorite Things

• Bible Passage: Acts 4

• College Team: Baylor Bears

• Movie: Interstellar

• TV Show: The Good Place

• Fast Food: Chick-fil-A

Ryan Higgs In View of a Call May 3rd, 2020

Testimony As mentioned earlier, I have grown up with a father who has been a pastor for almost 30 years now which has been such a blessing for me! It was very important for my parents that I was involved in church from a very early age. While growing up in church, I began to understand at an early age that there was something that was wrong that needed correction in my life. More importantly, there was someone missing from my life and that was Jesus Christ. I realized my need for Christ to be the substitution for my sins and that I was in need of him to become my personal Lord and Savior. I understood that just going to church and reading the Bible was not what was going to save me from my sins. It was at age 7 that I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and was baptized. Throughout the years that followed, I really began to understand the weight behind that decision and have been rejoicing in that decision ever since!

Call to Ministry My call to ministry is something that I struggled with all throughout my years in high school. I had always been told by people that I was going to be a pastor just like my father when I grew up. I always laughed and politely denied that was EVER going to happen! However, as I progressed through high school, I began to feel God speak into my heart that He was going to have me go into ministry and serve Him in that way my entire life. I was very resistant to that call initially and pushed back against God, saying that I wasn’t cut out for ministry. Over the course of my senior year, God continued to speak to me and show me that He was calling me to student ministry. My student ministry in high school played such a large part in who I am as a person and influenced me greatly. It wasn’t until my senior high that I accepted God’s call to give my life to serving His kingdom with students. It has been the greatest joy I have ever been apart of and can’t wait to see what the future holds for working with students!

Why Eastridge? While talking over the past several months with Pastor Casey, the Student Ministry leaders, and the students at Eastridge, I have seen a desire to grow in knowledge and understanding of Scripture and His will for your student’s lives. I am also greatly encouraged to see your students who are so focused on missions and reaching others for Christ. I see a great opportunity to come alongside your students and help them grow and reach others for Christ! I am excited for the opportunity of living life with your students and being a constant source of encouragement for them as they navigate their teenage years.

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