A Leader on Assignment
The dela Cruz family with Rev. Otto and Pat Wegner
Next Generation Ministries has been blessed with exceptional leaders who have served and impacted our lives and community. Recently, we said goodbye to several, including our Director of Operations, Amy dela Cruz.
Ms. Amy started with us in 2003 before leaving to serve at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary (APTS) in the Philippines. In 2012, Amy returned to Next Generation Ministries and she brought with her two new additions to our ministry family, her husband, Roli, and her daughter, Katie.
Amy’s diligence and willingness to do whatever it takes to make things come together helped our school, Spring Garden Academy, expand to two locations while maintaining high quality standards. She grew our scholarship fund and gave leadership to the expanding work of Next Generation Ministries.
God has called Ms. Amy and her family to share the love of God in Costa Mesa, California where Roli will be teaching as a professor at Vanguard University, an Assemblies of God college. We are thankful for the investment of the dela Cruz family in Philadelphia.
Meet Lexi, a NGM College Intern!
What are your personal convictions when it comes to ministry?
“One of the strongest convictions I have about ministry is something that drew me to Next Generation Ministries. I believe that God has called all his people to love their neighbors. However, to do so we must come to know our neighbor. Next Generation Ministries is rooted in community and connecting people to each other and God. The programs and events that I have been involved with so far have been tailored to serve the needs of the community. This, I believe helps to bring Christ into the communities.
What are your goals after you graduate?
I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Peace and Global Studies. I know that I want to continue my education after my undergraduate studies. At the moment I am open to either enrolling in a Master’s of Education program or Law School. I am passionate about education and hope to one day help with public policy to restructure some of the injustices found within our current education system. However, I’m leaving my plans open so that I may be able to go wherever God intends to take me.
Leaders on the Rise
Every once in a while we encounter a talented young leader whose commitment to excellence inspires us all. This year that leader has been Cambriae Bates.
Cambriae’s positive energy has been nothing short of infectious. In a few short months, she has won over the hearts of our school families, her colleagues, and the community with her kind spirit, caring heart, and sense of humor.
Consistently going above and beyond the call of her marketing and outreach internship job description, Cambriae’s lent her talents and resources to enrich the lives of the families and people we serve.
Cambriae speaks of her experience “When I first came to NGM I was looking to build in my life not only professionally but also spiritually. NGM allowed me to truly reflect on my relationship with God and strengthen my spiritual bond with Him. The first step to becoming a leader is to figure out what God is calling you to do, so the fact that NGM emphasized spiritual growth along with professional growth was wonderful because God’s call began to ring louder in my ears.”
She continues, “While working for the organization I also learned more about what it means to give and how much giving is a part of leading. In order to be effective at all of these things you have to give pieces of yourself and truly follow God’s example if you want to make a difference. I’m thankful for my time here and I will always be a supporter of NGM.”
Girls on the Run Recap
On June 11th, our 3rd-7th grade girls participated in the Girls on the Run Philadelphia 5K race. Our girls trained for this race for 12 weeks and focused on running and personal development.
“The lessons were so well planned out, and they give the girls a moment to reflect inwardly,” says one of our volunteer Girls on the Run trainers, Se’mona. She continues, “Already I can see some changes in the way some of the girls see themselves.” We are so proud of our young leaders’ hard work and commitment in this journey.