FINDING FAMILY THROUGH SERVING

McGriff4“Serving keeps your heart in the right place. It reminds us of our purpose: to share and show the love of Christ to others. We schedule serving on Sunday, but it is really something we do the rest of the week too.” 

Crystal shared this heartfelt perspective over the phone while discussing serving at North Valley. They are not just words, though. They represent the truth that Nick and Crystal McGriff embody day in and day out since jumping in with Team North Valley! 

Nick leads the Tech Production team that runs Sunday services for adults. We are able to enjoy a live band, lighting, variable graphics, motion backgrounds, song lyrics and more! 

Crystal is the Early Childhood Team Leader in Children’s Ministry, caring for “the littles” – birth through kindergarten. 

What is characteristic of Nick and Crystal is their positive attitude and willingness to embrace any challenge and find solutions to overcome. They had to do this just to connect at North Valley!

Their journey began in the late spring of 2013 when they first visited North Valley. Having just moved to north Phoenix from Peoria, they were looking for a place to connect. Since their two children, Lauren and Carter had been born, they found themselves searching for community, a place to belong and be known. 

Connecting with others at North Valley was not easy. In fact, due to some health issues for both Crystal and son Carter at the time, just showing up on a Sunday morning proved to be an ongoing challenge. Crystal shared that she first felt the welcoming connection from North Valley when the Children’s Ministry team allowed daughter Lauren to stay in the toddler area with Carter because of his health challenges, even though she was too old for that age group. 

The McGriffs were invited into a Neighborhood Group and they tried it. However, health challenges were again a factor and they were unable to gather regularly with the group. How could they keep from becoming disconnected again? Nick and Crystal answered a call to serve, joining Team North Valley to help as extra volunteers for a big day – Easter. This is where things changed for them! “We discovered that through serving we were able to share life with others. The team becomes a little family for you.” They had found a place to fit, an environment to connect with others and build friendships. Crystal admits that her heart is for the kiddos, so she has been serving with Children’s Ministry ever since. Nick helped with NV Kids for a season and then was recruited to help with the AV Team. 

It has been over three years of consistent serving with Team North Valley. When asked what has been the recipe for success in exhibiting such faithfulness, the response was “mission.” Both agree that the mission of sharing and showing the love of Christ to others is their motivation. With this kept in front of them, serving is easy…well at least from the big picture perspective. Sometimes in the moment on a Sunday, as you can imagine, things can be challenging. However, Nick and Crystal’s joy for serving the Lord and their church family subdues any challenges. 

We want to help you find your spot on Team North Valley! The family is excited to connect with you! Check out North Valley’s Growth Track and get connected: https://www.northvalley.org/growth-track