Rachel Foss

Class of 2009

While attending AFLBS, some key things that I took away from my time there included: law vs. gospel, understanding key elements of different books of the Bible, being encouraged in my faith through classes, professors, and fellow students who had different perspectives on their Christian faith walk.

Right now, I work as the Director of Family Ministries at Emmaus Church in Bloomington and I’ve been working here for 5 years so far. These 5 years of working in Children and Youth Ministry has brought so much growth and dependence on the body of Christ. I love working with the staff at Emmaus – they are amazing people to work with! I love doing most of the administrative tasks and keeping things organized but the part I love most is seeing relationships flourish. Watching kids grow older and seeing their faith deepen as they understand more and more about their relationship with Christ is a cool thing to see. Seeing families connect and support one another in the various places of life God has put them in is uplifting. Working with volunteers and trying to personally grow in supporting them as effective leaders for true discipleship is challenging because I feel so inadequate, but rewarding because God is so good and I get to be a part of the work He’s doing in them.

Do I think that AFLBS prepared me for the things I’ve encountered/done since graduating? Yes! I don’t remember every single thing I learned, but I’m reminded every so often how being grounded in the Word of God through my time at AFLBS has really shaped my character, thoughts/mindset/intellectual dependence on God, understanding of Scripture as a whole, life purpose, and many other things. Though I don’t have specific examples of moments or life situations, my everyday life is impacted by the teaching I received at AFLBS which is an invaluable addition to what I learned growing up and through other institutions.