Risen Stories: Meet the van der Poels!
About Us:
We both grew up in Salisbury, North Carolina and met through mutual friends (aka Facebook) after Caroline decided to attend Gardner-Webb University, where Scott was a freshman playing baseball. After many years of dating, we got married in May of 2018 and moved to Gastonia. Caroline works for Clark Higher Ed where she serves alongside multiple college admissions offices to shape their incoming classes. Scott works in the tax department for Hendrick Automotive Group. Together we love spending time with family, at ballgames, and with our pup, Tessie.
How did you each come to know Christ?
Scott: My walk with Christ started at a young age. Like many kid,s I grew up going to church and to a Christian School through the 8th grade. I came to know and accept Christ as my Lord and Savior in the 5th grade at a summer camp that I had been attending for a few years. Although I accepted Christ at a young age, I would say that my walk with Christ has had a profound impact on my life as I have learned what true forgiveness and grace looks like. Without the guidance that our Heavenly Father gives, I would truly be lost.
Caroline: My story is one like many people who grew up in the church. Any time the doors were open- we were there! I accepted The Lord at a young age and throughout different stages of my life, the reality of needing a Savior has shown itself in different ways. However, when thinking about the overall narrative of my life, I have lived in such a way that I would not be considered a human being but rather a human doer. The cross to me is a constant reminder that His grace is sufficient for me, and His power is made perfect in my weakness. There is no amount of “doing” that is going to make me more desirable for The Lord, no amount of doing can get me into heaven, and no amount of doing can ever be enough for the price that He paid on the cross. Ultimately, He is greater.
Why do you feel church planting is important?
The first thought for many people when hearing “mission field” is international. However, the mission field in our own backyard is equally as important. One of the statistics that stood out to us the most was, “In 30 years, the population of Concord and Cabarrus County has nearly tripled, while the number of evangelical churches has remained roughly the same.” On top of the population growth, there is a rising number of individuals that have been hurt by the church. To us, church planting is important to help in these two aspects, to grow the church and to show the love of God to others.
Why did you decide to join Risen Church’s launch team?
A constant prayer that we have is for The Lord to make His plan known to us, and that when He is ready for us to walk through a door He would make it obvious. Shortly after getting married, we got involved at a local church where we learned and grew a lot. For us, the involvement at this church is what got us through a season of life that felt uncontrollable. However, just as we said, we desire for The Lord to make his plan obvious to us, and that is exactly what He did whenever He placed Risen in front of us. From the moment we attended our 1st Risen launch team meeting, we felt like a part of the family. It is such a special group of people who desire a deep relationship with God and one another. We are so excited to be part of this team!
