Meet Meg

My faith foundation was built in the Presbyterian Church. It was there that I first encountered God’s word, ate goldfish in the nursery, and came to understand that my local congregation was my taste of God’s greater family. Beginning in the 3rd grade, I began attending a Christian camp every summer and became more active in various sports. The local church, summer camp, and sports would be integral in my spiritual formation for years to come.

I was a “good” kid. I worked to make good grades and to please my teachers and coaches. I had answers to every question in Sunday School. I could recite the Lord’s Prayer, tell you what sin meant, and recount stories of Jesus’ miracles. I knew all the right things to say about Jesus, but I did not know Jesus. It was in the 7th grade that I began to ask big questions of the faith of my childhood. Over the process of a few years, lots of conversations with my parents, and the patience of volunteers who discipled me in the small youth group basement at Dripping Spring Baptist Church, God showed me my need of Him. By God’s grace, while attending DNow as a freshman in high school, God helped me to see both my sinfulness and His sufficiency to satisfy my great need. God absolutely transformed my life in the most miraculous and ordinary of ways. My walk with Christ changed how I approached every piece of my life. The basketball and tennis courts were no longer a place to prove my worth but an arena to share God’s love. My report card was not a measure of comparison to my twin sister but a simple act of obedience in giving the Lord my very best. God brought real life change in me, but this was only the beginning. During my senior year of high school, I felt a call to ministry and prayerfully sought to discern what this would mean for my life. My local church had no women on staff, so I had no idea how God could use me. Opportunities in high school through FCA, basketball, tennis, and summer camp gave me an expanded vision for ministry. It was with this in mind that I made the decision to attend Campbellsville University, where I double majored in Educational Ministry and Public Relations.

At Campbellsville, I met mentors and coaches who God would use to refine and affirm my calling. Semesters were rich with theology and communications classes, tennis and basketball practices, and teaching in my local church’s kids ministry. In this time I wrestled with tough theological issues and was given the courage to serve outside of my comfort zone in settings such as women’s prison ministry.

During my summers, I worked on staff with CentriKid Camps. In my five years with this ministry, I served on the SouthEast travel team and directed from 2014–2017.
I gained experience writing, editing, and developing young leaders. This ministry rerouted the trajectory of my life. After graduation, I went to work at LifeWay corporate in Nashville. As part of the LifeWay Kids team, I found the joy in equipping ministers, creating resources, and building relationships that last. I continued my partnerships with Shocco Springs and began writing kids curriculum. My church, Immanuel Nashville, gave me new eyes for the depth of discipleship and propelled me toward seminary, where I enrolled in Fall 2017 at Southern Seminary in Louisville. This May, I graduated with my Master of Divinity in Leadership.

I was an on-campus student at SBTS for one year before joining the staff of Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. There, I would direct the women’s ministry and the elementary children’s ministry. I was the first female ministry staff member in Porter’s history, and I found great honor in serving there alongside Wayne Noble, who had been the Children’s Pastor for decades. I also was able to serve alongside leaders across the Commonwealth by serving with the state convention in various training capacities in the areas of children’s and women’s ministry. I learned much and saw God’s goodness in my time in Lexington.

I thank God for all the experiences that have led me to Dawson. In these memories I see how God has used His word, His Spirit, and His image bearers to gently and sovereignly guide my journey. I remember faces who have shown me the love and peace and truth and goodness of God. People like Jared, Peggy, Carol, Tina, Jennifer, and Shane have played significant spiritual roles in my life. I am indebted to how the Lord has gifted me with such family in Christ.

God has used Colossians 3:23 steadily in my life. Paul writes to the church at Colossae to say: Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men. This applies on the ball court, in the fields, in local church ministry, and the mundane pieces of everyday life. I pray that every “whatever” I have done and that every “whatever” the Lord brings my way will serve to glorify God and enjoy Him more fully. May this be true of my time here at Dawson!

 

Meg Brown serves with Dawson Kids as the Associate Minister to Children. She is a proud Kentucky native who loves basketball season and likes to spend time outside with her dog, Russell, or enjoying a good read and a hot cup of coffee.