Pastor Ben, Lydia & Lilly

I remember back when Gary Bell said to me, “You should really consider Ben Mighton if you’re looking for a youth pastor for Hawthorne Assembly.” When he said Pastor Ben he also meant Lydia and a few years later the great blessing of little Lilly. Even yesterday I was thinking about the changes which will take place when all three of them are following the Lord in a new direction and fulfilling their calling in ministry. All of us go through phases of life where we focus on certain activities or things that motivate us, like hobbies or affections, etc. Right now grandchildren seem to be one of the high priorities in my life so the thought of little Lilly not being around means we’re not only losing a great youth pastor and his wife but one of those ninety to newborn lives I talk about often. Now thankfully they’ll be around every once in a while visiting, but it’s not the same and we want God’s best for them and that means a new place of ministry where they can be all in. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Pastor Ben is his commitment to working hard and not giving up! Some of you probably don’t know this but the Mightons are usually the first or second couple at church every Sunday morning. Lydia has been a huge supporter of Empower Student Ministries and a vital component of what has happened in the last four years. This next statement is not meant to embarrass anyone but more than half of you don’t even know what happens with our youth ministry because you’ve never come on Wednesday night. Empower Student Ministries has impacted our local fellowship, our A/G network, and missionaries in a very tangible way. In 2019 we were one of the 20 largest giving youth ministries to Speed the Light in all of our ministry network. That is amazing! The commitment of Pastor Ben and Lydia, who challenged the students to raise those funds which provide transportation for missionaries, is still happening and having an effect. Every Wednesday night Pastor Ben and Lydia provide a meal for the students; Lydia once again becomes a vital part of loving on the students. Every Wednesday they spend time getting to know each youth, sharing the Word of God with application, and challenging these teenagers to live a life for Christ. A time of praise and worship has always been part of the youth service on Wednesdays and over the last six months it’s been a real blessing for those who attend adult Bible study to join in. Thank you Pastor Ben for suggesting this idea; it’s been a really good addition to our midweek activities. An area where many of you know Pastor Ben has been very involved is with the audio-visual updates and upgrades over the last couple of years. He is one of the few people in the fellowship that knows how to run the soundboard and I’ve told him he can’t leave completely till he helps train few others. One thing he did mention to me was he learned a lot about our soundboard by watching YouTube videos. (So who is going to step up?) Even though Assembly Park is a separate ministry from Hawthorne Assembly, I still consider the Bible camp a part of the fabric of our local fellowship. Pastor Ben has been a huge part of the ongoing success and his fingerprints are all over the place, especially the upgrade dining hall. Even the Spooner church has greatly benefited from the efforts of the Mightons. I could go on and list multiple other things so let’s just say when we say goodbye to Mightons this Sunday it’s going to leave a huge hole in many areas of ministry. All of us need to be praying about how we can step up and ask God to bring the right people to our church to help carry-on what Pastor Ben and Lydia have started with Empower Student Ministries. Wishing God’s best for the Mightons.