Featured Alumnus - August 2020

Mike Melody '16
My name is Mike Melody, and I graduated from Chicago Christian High School in 2016 and Trinity Christian College in 2020. During the spring of my sophomore year of high school at Stagg, God was at work in my heart bringing me back to the reality that I am a new creation in Christ, and the lifestyle of partying I had been living needed to pass away. So, I made the decision to transfer to CCHS as a junior. I knew this change wasn’t going to be easy - this was a smaller place, teachers were more involved, the culture was completely different, etc. - but the transition was far less painful than I had expected. In retrospect, I am so thankful to the Lord for the love of Christ that I experienced when I was welcomed at CCHS with open arms. Teachers resembled Christ in their care for the worries and anxieties of students in a way that I had not felt before. I was blessed specifically by the zeal for God of Mr. Tony Domanik, the meekness and humility of Mr. Kreykes, and the tenderhearted listening of Mrs. Lenters. I also found great joy in participating in baseball, DECA, choir, and theatre.

Following graduation from CCHS, two weeks into my first semester at Trinity and as I sat in an Old Testament Bible class, I felt as though God was calling me to be a shepherd of His children; a shepherd who is after His own heart. I wanted to go into sales, so this calling was a bit startling. But, I responded to it by making the decision to add a double major of Biblical studies to my then finance major. Fast-forward three years to my senior year of college (Fall 2019). I was employed in the role of “Interim Youth Pastor” at Anchor Church Palos. Directly following college, my plan was still to go into sales. I did not want to go into vocational ministry yet. I felt like I was an immature 22-year-old who was by no means ready: I needed to be married; I needed to pay off my loans; I wanted to live out my early twenties with levity and have as much fun as possible. In February 2020, in response to a series of divinely orchestrated events, I submitted to my calling and accepted that I was going to pursue vocational ministry directly after college. Then, the corona-virus hit. Nothing made sense! How would I ever find a job, albeit in ministry, during this time of great disparity? But, trusting God, I went after it.

While searching for jobs, the door to an opportunity to become a youth pastor at First Church - Pella, Iowa, seemed to remain open. On the weekend of March 20, I made the decision to go through this “door” that God kept open and agreed with the senior pastor that I’d come and check it out. The weekend visit to Iowa was overwhelming. This church quickly revealed itself as a missional place where I could serve God, grow, and be surrounded by a beautiful, loving, community of believers. God, in His sovereignty, had a plan and carried it out despite my selfish desire to not pursue the calling that He had made clear in my life. On April 6th (before even finishing up classes at Trinity), I started my first day as Youth Pastor at First Church Pella. I’m presently living in the church parsonage and have found stability in a vocational ministry during a time in which our world is overwhelmed with fearful uncertainty. In the month of May, we launched Mosaic Youth and have done programming twice per week for Middle School and High School students in which we have seen the faces of and shared the Gospel with 70 different students.

I’m honored to be a CCHS featured alumni, and I was certainly blessed by CCHS. I love the school and community. I am incredibly grateful for CCHS and its place in the Kingdom of God as a training ground for young Christians to go forth from and impact the world for God’s glory. God certainly used my time at CCHS to impact the trajectory of my life and prepare me for a life of ministry. BUT, as I have this opportunity to share, I want to make this very clear to anyone that might read this: God is in control. He is sovereign. He will provide. He does love you. He has a plan that is far greater than any plan you could ever imagine.
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