Looking Up

Hey, PC3 family! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ashlyn Butler. I have been serving you and our community through production for almost two years now. I am thrilled to share my experiences with you and illustrate how my walk with God has changed over the years.

I first started my volunteer journey with the production team when my best friend Thia and her father let me tag along as they served on Sundays. At first, I went simply because it gave me something to do, but in witnessing how the team worked, sitting in on the meetings, and being able to listen to everyone share how strong their relationship with God was, I became motivated to strengthen my relationship with Him. 

The only problem was that I had no idea how. Even though I had always attended church with my parents, I never felt like I belonged in the church setting. I always felt out of place. To me, everyone in the congregation always looked so engaged in the message and seemed to understand what it meant. I, however, found myself daydreaming or nodding off no matter how hard I tried. Ironically, it was after my parents stopped going to church that I wanted to. Being able to go with my best friend made it feel like more of my choice, rather than something that was forced on me.

After a while of watching the services from the control room, I decided that I wanted to start participating myself. I had always found myself mesmerized by how the cameras were able to capture everything in the service and amplify the experience for the audience. I was able to talk to our volunteer coordinator, Nick Warkentien, to begin my training and I was shocked at how flexible and supportive the team was when I first started. It was as if you could see God working through them, helping those around and spreading kindness to everyone no matter the circumstances.

Once my training was complete, I started to volunteer every other weekend and loved every second of it. When I shot the message, I sat in the crowd with the congregation and my perspective changed. Knowing it was my shot that they were watching on the screens somehow made me feel like I was helping God reach the minds of everyone in that room. I think it was because of that sensation that I was motivated to walk with God like I do now. 

During all of this, I was still just a high school kid. In knowing God was helping me, I saw my stress levels decrease and I was able to focus on my future. Whenever I had a big test, I would always picture putting my anxiety into God's hands. It helped me so much knowing He was there to support me. 

Eventually, it was time to think of my post-graduation plans. I have always had an idea of what I enjoy in life – being high in the sky and feeling totally free, seeing things from a different perspective, and traveling this big beautiful world our God has blessed us with. After a lot of debating, I decided that I wanted to become an airline pilot. I knew I didn’t want to be the one paying for all of it, nor did I want my parents to be burdened, so I did the most logical thing and joined the Army National Guard. Working with the church taught me what it meant to be a part of a team, and being in the Guard means I get to defend my community, which is something our church holds close to its heart. Being able to continue to serve God is something that drives me to be the best version of myself everyday and to help those around me like I know God wants me to.

Ashlyn Butler

Ashlyn volunteers on our video team as a camera-op during our Sunday gatherings. She always has a smile on her face and she brings a lot of life and joy to our team. She graduated from high school in May of 2021, and while we are sad to lose her presence on our team, we are excited for what God has next in her life as she begins her time in the Army National Guard. – The Learning Together Team