When I was a senior at Toccoa Falls College working on a double major in Music with a concentration in Worship Arts and Bible Theology, I was trying to discern what God wanted my wife Dania and I to do after graduation. I had heard about the Church Residency program at Christ Community Church and thought it would be a great opportunity for us to continue our education and get two years of hands-on ministry experience at a larger church. Dania and I had been serving at First Alliance Church in Toccoa, Georgia, with the youth ministry and the worship team before we joined the CCC Church Residency program in June 2018. We never thought that God would bring us to Omaha, Nebraska, but he did. We decided to trust him and follow his leading.

We serve as residents in the Worship Ministry. Since joining the team at CCC, we’ve had some great experiences that I don’t think would have happened outside of the residency program, like facilitating baptism and communion. In other churches, especially in the south, baptisms and communion are only done by the senior pastor. I am so thankful that I have gotten the opportunity to facilitate communion during the services. It’s something that I definitely would not have been able to do at this stage in my ministry career. I believe that practicing communion here at CCC has made me a better shepherd, pastor, and leader. This year at Baptism on the Green, I got the amazing opportunity to read and introduce each person getting baptized, and then ask all of them at once to answer “yes” to the question of whether they have trusted in Jesus and intend to follow him the rest of their life. It has been such a joy and a pleasure to participate in these different ministry opportunities!

In our second year in Church Residency, Dania and I have the amazing joy and privilege to help facilitate a new Journey Group for Hispanic families. We have been meeting once a month during the summer and hope to launch this new ministry officially during the fall.

One of my favorite memories from my first year of the program was getting the opportunity to go to Cuba with a team from CCC. The church in Cuba is on fire for Jesus and we loved getting to go overseas with our CCC family. You don’t really get to know someone unless you’ve been on a mission trip with them. We were able to lead worship for the students at a pastors’ retreat in Cuba. I know we came back transformed by God’s presence while we were there.

The issue of your identity has been settled on the cross of Jesus Christ.

The Wright family, our host family, has been a huge gift from God. We love them so much! They have opened up their home to us and welcomed us to be a part of their family. Getting to know Mike, Diane, Joe, and Daniel has been such a blessing to us during the program. The Wrights have become like a second family to us, and even allowed Cooper, our dog, to live in their basement with us for these two years. The Wrights are incredibly generous, loving, patient, and kind. We love getting the opportunity to live with them during the residency.

In the past year, God has been revealing to me how important it is to have a healthy soul. Being a part of Church Residency and taking classes like “Spiritual Formation” have really helped me foster my desire for Christ and deepen my relationship with him. God has been removing all of the faulty foundations that I have been standing on—fear, doubt, insecurity, and disappointment—and replacing them with his perfect love.

One of my favorite quotes that has been significant to me all year was from Dr. Rob Reimer, who said, “The issue of your identity has been settled on the cross of Jesus Christ.” God has been teaching me that he is a good Father who knows how to give good gifts to his children. All we have to do is ask. Luke 11:13 says, “If you then who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” He is always ready to pour out more of his Holy Spirit on us. All we have to do is ask and he will do it!

Carlos Ramirez is one of the 2018–2020 residents and works in the Worship Arts department at Christ Community Church.