05年的贝丝·阿格纳，主演 DCE at 希望路德教会 在维克森林, 北卡罗莱纳, came to 欧文康考迪亚大学 with a love of numbers and accounting, 并利用这一天赋开办了两家盈利的公司 部门 在教堂内. But when her younger sister was murdered by the sister’s husband in 2017, it rocked Beth’s family—and deeply challenged their ability to forgive.
贝丝说:“我一直在纠结如何才能继续当DCE. “I had so much hate in my heart for this person I had loved just a few days before.”
It was Beth’s ninth year 在维克森林, a place where she flourished personally and in ministry.
“I’ve been told I have a ministerial entrepreneurial heart,阿格纳说。. “我发现了一个问题，然后想办法解决这个问题, 同时推动其他部门的财政.”
阿格纳已经建立了一个创新的， 全年日间营 对当地家庭来说，这是以前不存在的. 在维克森林, 公立学校全年开放, 孩子们要上学九周, 然后轮岗三周. Agner heard parents say things like, “I wish we had VBS all year,” and an idea was sparked.
She made a budget and a proposal to start a full-day camp for kids who were out of school, 于是教会决定冒险一试. 从最初的几个孩子发展到现在的600个.
“It’s been a huge opportunity to reach into our community,阿格纳说。.
Hope, a 25-year-old congregation, draws hundreds on a weekend, including many young families. 阿格纳负责儿童事务, 女性的部, 以及她负责的早晚日间营地. 她还管理着两位副主任，他们都是 康考迪亚大学欧文分校毕业生.
她自己的旅程深受欧文康考迪亚大学的影响. 我在鲍灵格林的圣三一路德教会长大, 肯塔基州, 她接受了DCE的指导 丽贝卡Duport ’98, who encouraged Agner to consider becoming a DCE, although she didn’t want to.
“我喜欢数学和会计，”阿格纳说. “这是我在学校的强项.”
But when she realized accounting is often “being in a room by yourself,她不喜欢这句话, 她恳切地祈求上帝的指引. For the first time, she felt a strong sense of God’s guiding peace about a major situation. She decided to move halfway across the country to attend 欧文康考迪亚大学 and become a DCE.
“It was amazing how in times of trouble or feeling homesick or sad, 我依附于康科迪亚的人们,她说。. “它创造了持续一生的纽带.”
她参加了 学生会 我很喜欢参加 篮球 游戏和呐喊!，每周一次的晚间敬拜仪式. After graduating and working in local churches, a call came from the church 在维克森林.
我不能让自己说 , “上帝, 请帮我原谅他,“因为我太生气了, 所以我祈祷, “上帝, 治愈我的心.’
“What I couldn’t imagine was how God would use the gifts and talents he gave me in this congregation,阿格纳说。. “那是我又一次感受到上帝的平安. 我的脑子里充满了疑问，但上帝赐予我的平安对我说:‘没关系. 这就是我召唤你去的地方. 我有好东西要给你.“现在我知道他为什么叫我到这儿来了. 这是一个提供服务的好地方.”
但在2017年, 贝丝的妹妹去世的消息让她的家人悲痛欲绝, 劳伦, 谁刚结婚, 被她丈夫捅死了.
“它不知从哪里冒出来的，”贝丝说. “感觉就像生活在电影里. 这怎么可能是真的? It was hard enough to process that 劳伦 was gone and we wouldn’t see her this side of heaven. 还有就是她丈夫杀了她. 所有新闻媒体都在社交媒体上追踪我们. 我们接到了很多电话. 突然之间，我们的名字和照片传遍了世界各地. 这是不真实的.新闻摄制组在他们的房子外面拍摄. “我们正在发现(信息)，就像世界正在发现一样. 那感觉非常脆弱，”她说. “How is it that other people are finding out about my life before I do?”
Fueling the interest was the killer’s claim that he 太k 太 much cold medicine, dreamed he killed his wife and woke up to find her dead on the floor. 这引发了猜测和新闻报道 人 杂志及其他 早安美国, among other outlets—about whether taking cold medicine could cause someone to commit a terrible crime.
劳伦曾是希望路德教会的主日学校老师, 她的死“对我们教会产生了很大的影响”,贝丝说. “她非常活跃，总是为VBS做志愿者.”
劳伦's husband was arrested and charged, and faced a death sentence. 阿格纳亲密无间的家庭, 他们都住得很近, tried to pick up the pieces—but Beth felt her ministry platform had been undercut.
“I was worried people in my congregation would question my ability to keep their children safe,她说。. “If I couldn’t see that right under my nose, why would they trust me with their children? 我很难相信任何人.”
她也不知道该如何处理心中的仇恨. “I remember sitting there [in church] and thinking how much hate I had for him,她说。. “因为这件事，我感觉不像自己了. 我不能让自己说, “上帝, 请帮我原谅他,“因为我太生气了, 所以我祈祷, “上帝, 治愈我的心. 我知道我会永远想念我的妹妹，但请治愈我的心.’”
那种熟悉的平静又回来了, 尽管“我脑子里的一切都在尖叫, 这是不对的，也永远不会是对的,’”她说。.
Since then, she feels God has given her much grace and wisdom about what happened to her sister.
“我从来没有因为她的死而责怪上帝，”贝丝说. “总有一天我会和她在天堂，那将是美妙的.”
Still, advancing in spiritual health requires “a lifetime of forgiveness.”
“There is always something that will take you back to day one,她说。. “关键是你如何应对并继续前进.”
Her sister’s killer received life in prison without the possibility of parole. 那天，贝丝站在法庭上宣读了一份声明. 她最后说:
“今天, many of us are wearing #laurenslight shirts, and I want the court to know why. We want 劳伦 to always be remembered for the amazing person she was. 她身上有一束光，以最不可思议的方式照耀着她. 她并不完美, and if you truly loved 劳伦 I am confident you saw her imperfections a time or two, 但在一天结束的时候，她身上的光芒是不可否认的. The light that shined through her was not her own but the Light of Christ, 她从耶稣那里白白领受的恩典. 她想和所有人分享这份爱. So I hope that all who see this #laurenslight will know that Christ shines very bright in this very dark world, 劳伦是他心爱的孩子，你也是, 太!”
今天, Agner continues to minister as the congregation at 希望路德教会 meets its community in places of need. They hold a health fair where medical professionals and dentists serve hundreds for no cost. 教会还带头进行救灾培训, teaching people how to use chainsaws and other equipment to clean up after hurricanes.
The day camps Agner started are now self-sustaining and help to fund other 部门. 她还与人共同创立了第二个创业部门 妈妈们的早晨外出 和一个热情的教会成员. It offered the first half-day program for infants to two-year-olds in their area, 而且受欢迎程度已经到了排队等候的地步.
“Hope has been a great place that allows me to grow the gifts God has given me,阿格纳说。. “I’m overwhelmed with how much love God has for his people and how prevalent
it is at Hope, whether it’s taking care of children or the community in general.”
Concordia’s influence has been foundational all along the way, she believes. 如今，她通过担任DCE主管来回馈社会, mentoring 欧文康考迪亚大学 students during their internship year.
“I feel so blessed that I had people pour into me and show me God’s love from a young age,她说。. “That’s my goal in life: for people to know there’s a God that loves them so powerfully, 他想和她们在一起.”
That remains true, even when walking through the fire as her family has.
“劳伦有一个可怕的故事. Either we can use it for God’s glory or try to hide from it all,贝丝说. “We as a family have chosen to use it for God’s glory, to witness and share his love. 只有靠着他的恩典和对我的爱，我才能做到. 他提供你所需要的一切.”