The Faith Greenhouse Podcast

What can happen when ordinary people say “yes” to God’s call—even before they know where it will lead? In this episode, Pastor Cyril sits down with Laura Storm and Rachel Queen to share the remarkable story of Foster Together, a ministry that began with one Faith Oakville life group, a cleared-out basement, and a desire to serve children and families affected by foster care.

Laura and Rachel describe how God brought together willing hearts, practical gifts, generous volunteers, and community partnerships to create an organization now serving about 125 children each month across 21 counties. You’ll hear how Foster Together provides tangible support—from clothing, beds, car seats, and baby supplies to education, encouragement, and community—while reminding foster families, kinship caregivers, and children that they are seen and loved.

This conversation is an encouraging picture of Lutheran Christian vocation in action: God working through everyday people, unique gifts, and faithful community to care for neighbors in need. Whether you are part of a life group, wondering how God might use your abilities, or simply looking for ways to love your community, this episode will invite you to take the next faithful step.

In this episode:

How a Faith Oakville life group helped launch Foster Together

Why serving can become a meaningful part of family life and discipleship

The power of offering your God-given skills, even when it feels intimidating

Real stories of practical care for foster children, foster families, and kinship caregivers

How Foster Together is expanding support through a larger boutique, education center, prevention efforts, and reunification services

Ways individuals, life groups, and local businesses can help bring hope to children and families impacted by foster care

Foster Together’s story began with a small “yes.” Listen in and be encouraged that God can use your next step—your time, gifts, compassion, and willingness—to make an eternal difference in your community.

This episode of the Greenhouse Podcast tells the story of Monarch Jewelry—a ministry born from one woman’s “yes” to God that has grown into a community-wide response to human trafficking. Hear how donated and discarded jewelry is transformed into beautiful pieces that fund prevention, intervention, and long-term care for survivors through Crisis Aid’s U.S. Safe Program.

Karen, Marilyn, and Jenny share how God has multiplied a small group of women, a first $1,000 gift, and a passion for restoration into more than $2 million in support for survivors. You’ll also hear why awareness matters, how trafficking can affect families in unexpected ways, and practical ways you can help: volunteer, host a Party with a Purpose, organize a jewelry drive, shop Monarch products, and pray boldly for those affected.

This is ultimately a conversation about restoration—how God redeems what has been broken, calls ordinary people to courageous action, and uses the Church to bring hope, safety, and the love of Christ to vulnerable people in our communities. Learn more at MonarchJewelry.org.

What can God do when everyday Christians say yes to serving?

In this episode of the Greenhouse Podcast, Pastor Matt sits down with Pastor Dave Lewis of Saint Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis to share the story of a congregation that was once close to closing its doors. Through God’s faithfulness, committed members, partner churches, life groups, volunteers, and generous support, Saint Trinity has become a place of welcome, discipleship, practical care, and gospel-centered hope in its neighborhood.

You’ll hear how simple acts of service—repairing a building, serving at a food pantry, mentoring children, welcoming immigrant and refugee families, or building a wheelchair ramp—can become part of something far bigger than we imagine. This conversation is a reminder that the Church is not a collection of isolated ministries, but one Body of Christ, called to serve together for the sake of our neighbors.

Saint Trinity’s story also invites us to see mission differently: not as something we do only for others, but as a place where God changes us too. When we step beyond our comfort zones and serve in Jesus’ name, He uses our gifts, resources, and relationships to bring hope—and to strengthen our own faith.

In This Episode

- How Saint Trinity Lutheran Church moved from a potential closure plan toward renewed ministry.

- The role of faithful members, life groups, and partner churches in church revitalization.

- Why urban ministry often depends on long-term relationships and shared support.

- How serving in unfamiliar places can reshape our hearts and deepen our faith.

- Opportunities to serve through food distribution, mentoring, tutoring, youth activities, facility projects, and community events.

- Why every gift matters—from practical skills and financial support to a willingness to show up.

For the members of Faith’s What’s Brewing Life Group, it started with a simple phone call: “How can we help?” What followed became a 10-year partnership with LeMay Child & Family Center—a relationship shaped by prayer, persistence, practical service, and God’s faithfulness.

Many Life Groups want to make a difference in their community but are unsure where to begin. The needs can feel overwhelming, the next step unclear, and it is easy to assume that serving requires a perfect plan or special expertise. Yet God often works through people who are simply willing to show up, listen, and respond in love.

In this episode of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast, Pastor Sirill sits down with Mary and Jeff Wetzel of What’s Brewing and Denise Weey, Executive Director of LeMay Child & Family Center. Together, they share how God connected a Life Group with an early-childhood center serving children and families facing poverty, trauma, foster-care challenges, and other hardships.

You’ll discover:

✅ How one Life Group’s willingness to ask, “What do you need?” opened the door to years of Gospel-shaped service

✅ Why prayer, presence, and consistency can matter as much as a large service project

✅ Practical ways a Life Group can serve local organizations, children, families, and frontline staff

✅ How God can use the unique gifts already present in your group—from construction and maintenance to cooking, reading, and caring for people

✅ Why serving others is not about having everything figured out, but about taking the next faithful step

✅ How the grace we have received in Christ moves us to offer grace, dignity, and compassionate care to others

Most importantly, you’ll be encouraged that community ministry does not have to begin with a polished strategy. It can begin with one conversation, one returned phone call, one prayer, or one group of believers willing to be present. As What’s Brewing learned, God can turn a simple “yes” into a lasting partnership that blesses children, supports families, strengthens staff, and reflects Christ’s love throughout the community.

Imagine This...

What if every Life Group saw its neighborhood as a place God had already prepared for ministry?

Imagine believers who do more than complete a one-time project—who build relationships, return week after week, pray with leaders, encourage exhausted staff, and become a dependable presence for families in need.

Imagine churches partnering with local schools, child-care centers, nonprofits, and community organizations—not to take over, but to serve with humility, generosity, and the love of Jesus.

Imagine children and families who have experienced hardship discovering that they are seen, valued, supported, and not alone.

That is the kind of Gospel-shaped community we are exploring together.

Resources & Links

🌱 Learn more at: https://faithoakville.org

🎧 Subscribe for future episodes of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast

👍 Like, share, and send this episode to a Life Group leader, ministry volunteer, or friend who wants to make a meaningful difference in their community.

#FaithGreenhouse #LifeGroups #WhatsBrewing #LeMayChildAndFamilyCenter #LCMS #Lutheran #Discipleship #CommunityMinistry #ServeYourNeighbor #FaithOakville #ChristianLiving #HandsAndFeetOfJesus #GraceInAction #StLouis

What happens when God places a small idea on someone’s heart—and they take the next faithful step?

In this episode of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast, Pastor Brandon sits down with longtime Faith member and Life Group leader Terresa Gamash to share the story of Weekend Food Bags. What began nearly two decades ago with a vision to help five local students has grown into a ministry providing roughly 3,400 food bags each year to children and families across six schools in the community.

Terresa shares how God has faithfully provided volunteers, donations, space, partnerships, and encouragement through every stage of the ministry. You’ll hear how simple acts—packing food, donating socks or toothbrushes, praying over bags, and responding to a need—become tangible ways to love our neighbors and serve “the least of these” in Jesus’ name.

This conversation is an encouragement for anyone sensing God’s call to serve but unsure where to begin. You do not need to have every detail figured out. Start with the next step, bring your passion to the body of Christ, and trust God to provide what is needed.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How Weekend Food Bags began with five children and a willingness to say yes to God

The growing need for weekend food support among local students and families

How Faith Oakville and its Life Groups have helped sustain the ministry

Stories of God’s provision through volunteers, gifts, prayer, and community partnerships

Why serving others is a central part of living as a disciple of Jesus

Practical ways to support children and families through prayer, giving, packing, and service

Encouragement to follow God’s prompting and take the next step in ministry

Weekend Food Bags reminds us that the Church is the body of Christ at work: one person provides food, another packs bags, another delivers them, another prays, and together God uses ordinary people to meet real needs with the love of Jesus.

What happens when a church stops trying to control every act of ministry and simply trusts the Holy Spirit to work through ordinary people?

That question sits at the heart of this conversation, and the answers are anything but ordinary. We explore how a simple, practical decision to organize people into small groups for mutual care quietly became something far greater: a movement of mission that spread into neighborhoods, nonprofits, and communities in ways no one could have planned. The spiritual lesson here is profound: when we release our grip on outcomes and trust God with the process, He tends to do more than we could ask or imagine, a truth echoed in Ephesians 3. We are reminded that the biblical pattern has always been one of equipping and releasing rather than centralizing and controlling. From Moses being counseled by his father-in-law in Exodus 18 to the early church distributing responsibility among leaders in Acts 6, Scripture consistently shows us that multiplication happens through empowerment. This conversation invites us to ask where we might be holding too tightly to control in our own lives, and what God might do if we simply take the next faithful step and let Him lead.

You'll discover:

✅ The Origin of Life Groups

✅ How Life Groups evolved from internal care structures into powerful engines of community mission

✅ What Happens When the Church Goes Out

✅ How a designated mission fund, rather than annual budget allocations, keeps the church responsive to what the Spirit is doing and positions everyday believers to act on their calling without delay.

What if worship leading isn't about performing—but about helping people worship Jesus?

Many worship leaders wrestle with nerves, expectations, excellence, and the pressure to get everything right. But what happens when we remember that worship isn't about us? It's about faithfully using the gifts God has given us to serve His people and point them to Christ.

In this episode of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast, Andy and Ben sit down with Hannah Springer, a music ministry student at Concordia University Irvine, as she reflects on her summer internship at Faith.

Hannah shares how God opened the door for her to pursue music ministry, how an unexpected series of connections led her to Concordia Irvine, and what she learned about leading worship, serving others, and trusting God with the results.

You'll discover:

✅ How God can use unexpected circumstances to clarify your calling

✅ Why worship leading is about more than singing and playing instruments

✅ How to move from performing for people to actively leading people in worship

✅ Why excellence and preparation matter—but anxiety doesn't have to control you

✅ What it means to use your gifts as a servant of Christ

✅ How a willingness to learn can shape you as a ministry leader

✅ Why every congregation has its own culture—and why good leaders learn to serve within it

✅ How mentoring and discipleship shape the next generation of church leaders

Most importantly, you'll be encouraged to remember this:

Worship isn't about you. It's about serving others and praising God.

Hannah's story is a reminder that God gives each of us gifts to use in service to His Church. Whether you're leading worship, teaching, serving behind the scenes, working with technology, or simply showing up to serve your congregation, faithfulness begins with a willingness to learn, grow, and use what God has given you.

Imagine This...

What if churches became places where the next generation of Christian leaders could learn by serving alongside faithful mentors?

Imagine young people discovering their gifts, gaining confidence, being discipled by older Christians, and stepping into ministry—not because they have everything figured out, but because they're willing to learn.

Imagine a church where every generation serves together, encourages one another, and points people beyond themselves to Jesus.

That's the kind of ministry we're exploring in this conversation.

Because discipleship isn't just about learning information. It's about becoming a lifelong learner who is willing to receive, grow, serve, and eventually pour into others.

Resources & Links

🌱 Learn more at: https://faithoakville.org

🎧 Subscribe for future episodes of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast

👍 Like, share, and send this episode to a worship leader, ministry student, young Christian, or church servant who needs this encouragement.

#FaithGreenhouse #WorshipMinistry #WorshipLeader #Discipleship #LCMS #Lutheran #ChristianLeadership #ChurchLeadership #MusicMinistry #WorshipLeading #ChristianWorship #ConcordiaIrvine #FaithOakville #ServingOthers #LifelongDiscipleship

Who is your neighbor?

Jesus answered that question with the Parable of the Good Samaritan—but what does that mean for Christians living in America today?

Many believers want to love their neighbors well but aren't sure where to begin. Cultural differences, fear of saying the wrong thing, and busy lives often keep us from building the relationships God places right in front of us. Yet the nations are coming to our neighborhoods, and God is inviting His Church to reflect His love in practical, Gospel-centered ways.

In this episode of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast, Pastor Brandon sits down with Matt Clark, Executive Director of All Nations STL, to explore what it means to love immigrants, refugees, and people from every nation as Christ has first loved us.

You'll discover:

✅ What the Good Samaritan teaches us about loving people who are different from us

✅ Why relationships—not programs—are at the heart of Gospel ministry

✅ Practical ways to build friendships across cultures in your own community

✅ How hospitality reflects the heart of Jesus

✅ Why every person bears God's image and has God-given gifts to contribute to His Kingdom

Most importantly, you'll be encouraged that loving your neighbor doesn't require moving across the world. It often begins with a simple conversation, an open table, or choosing to see someone not as a category, but as a person created and loved by God.

Imagine This...

What if every Christian saw their neighborhood as a mission field?

Imagine churches where believers intentionally build friendships across cultures, where immigrants and refugees are welcomed with the love of Christ, and where the Gospel is shared through genuine relationships.

Imagine a community that reflects the coming Kingdom of God—people from every nation, tribe, and language worshiping Jesus together.

That's the vision we're exploring together.

Resources & Links

🌱 Learn more at: https://faithoakville.org

🌍 Learn more about All Nations STL: https://allnations-stl.org

🎧 Subscribe for future episodes of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast

👍 Like, share, and send this episode to someone who wants to grow in loving their neighbor as Christ has loved us.

#FaithGreenhouse #GoodSamaritan #LoveYourNeighbor #LCMS #Lutheran #Discipleship #Hospitality #Immigrants #Refugees #Gospel #Luke10 #FaithOakville #ChristianLiving #KingdomOfGod

How do you know if God is calling you to something more?

Many Christians wrestle with the tension between their career and their calling. They wonder if they have to choose between serving Christ in the workplace or serving Him in ministry. The good news? God doesn't waste your gifts—He uses every part of your story for His Kingdom.

In this episode of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast, Pastor Matt sits down with Pastor Cyril to discuss his incredible journey from law school and entrepreneurship to pastoral ministry, and how God revealed that his calling was never about choosing between two identities—it was about living faithfully as one person fully surrendered to Christ.

You'll discover:

✅ Why your career and your calling don't have to compete

✅ How God uses every gift He's given you for His Kingdom

✅ What it means to live as a disciple wherever you live, work, learn, and play

✅ Why discipleship is for every Christian—not just pastors

✅ How Gospel-centered ministries can transform communities by meeting real needs and pointing people to Jesus

Most importantly, you'll be encouraged that God has uniquely equipped you for the work He has prepared for you. Whether you're in business, education, healthcare, the trades, or full-time ministry, your vocation can become a platform for sharing the hope of Christ.

Imagine This...

What if every Christian embraced their God-given calling—not by separating faith from work, but by bringing the Gospel into every place God has already sent them?

Imagine a city filled with Gospel-centered ministries, businesses, and relationships where people encounter the love of Jesus in their everyday lives.

That's the vision we're exploring together.

Resources & Links

🌱 Learn more at: https://faithoakville.org

🎧 Subscribe for future episodes of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast

👍 Like, share, and send this episode to someone who is discerning God's calling on their life.

#FaithGreenhouse #Discipleship #Calling #FaithAtWork #Entrepreneurship #LCMS #FaithOakville #ChristianLeadership #GospelCentered #KingdomLeadership

Most Christians want to care for people who are hurting.

But when someone is grieving, facing a crisis, or simply overwhelmed by life, many of us wonder: “What do I even say?”

We don’t want to say the wrong thing. We don’t want to make things worse. And sometimes, because we’re afraid of getting it wrong, we end up saying nothing at all.

What if providing spiritual care isn’t about having all the answers?

In this episode of the Faith Greenhouse Podcast, Pastor Matt Peeples sits down with Laura Lang, Faith Oakville’s Care Ministry Director, and Pastor Sam to explore what biblical spiritual care really looks like.

Together they discuss why listening is often more powerful than speaking, how the ministry of presence reflects the heart of Christ, and why every believer—not just pastors or ministry leaders—is called to care for others through prayer, compassion, and the hope of the Gospel.

Whether you’re comforting a grieving friend, walking alongside someone in crisis, serving in your church, or simply wanting to love your neighbor more faithfully, this conversation will encourage and equip you to become a more compassionate follower of Jesus.

In This Episode You’ll Discover:

✅ Why listening is the foundation of meaningful spiritual care

✅ How simply being present can become one of the greatest gifts you give someone

✅ Why spiritual care is about more than meeting physical needs

✅ How Christian community helps people experience God’s love during life’s hardest seasons

✅ Why every Christian—not just pastors—is called to care for others

✅ Practical ways your church can become a place where people experience both compassion and the hope of Christ

Imagine This…

Imagine feeling confident walking alongside someone who is hurting.

Imagine knowing you don’t have to fix every problem—you simply need to be present.

Imagine your home, your Life Group, and your church becoming places where people experience the love of Jesus in tangible ways.

Imagine becoming someone others trust because they know you’ll listen, pray, and point them to Christ.

That’s the heart of biblical spiritual care.

And it begins with something much simpler than most people think.

Resources Mentioned

🌱 Faith Oakville https://faithoakville.org

🌱 GriefShare Find hope, healing, and biblical encouragement after the loss of a loved one. https://www.griefshare.org

Ready to Care for Someone?

👉 Slow down and truly listen.

👉 Be willing to simply be present.

👉 Pray with someone instead of only promising to pray for them.

👉 Invite others into authentic Christian community.

👉 Trust that God works through ordinary believers to bring His extraordinary comfort.

Sometimes the greatest act of spiritual care isn’t having the perfect words.

It’s faithfully pointing people to Jesus.

Connect With Us

👍 Like this video if it encouraged you.

💬 Share in the comments: What’s one way someone has shown you Christ’s care during a difficult season?

🔔 Subscribe to the Faith Greenhouse Podcast for practical conversations that equip you to follow Jesus, care for others, and live out your faith every day.

Because the Church isn’t simply a place we attend.

It’s a people called to bring Christ’s hope wherever He sends us.

#FaithGreenhousePodcast #SpiritualCare #PastoralCare #ChristianCommunity #LCMS #Lutheran #FaithOakville #ChristianLiving #GriefSupport #Discipleship #CareMinistry #JesusChrist #ChurchLeadership #BiblicalCounsel #HopeInChrist