Student Ministry Welcomes Sarah Graves

Sarah Graves and her husband, Lawton, have been an active part of Access Church since 2010. Since their move to Jacksonville, they have added three beautiful girls to their family. Sarah was the preschool director at a church in Tallahassee before moving to Jacksonville. She quickly jumped into Strategic Service at Access in Waumba Land and later joined the Access staff as Waumba Land Director. This was a perfect fit when their
family was small, but as time passed and their family grew, Sunday mornings became more complicated. With three little ones in Waumba Land competing for her attention, balancing the roles of mom and director caused her to seek out other possibilities for serving. “I was willing to fill any position just to be part of the Access team,” Sarah said.

When she was asked to move to Student Ministry, Sarah was nervous but excited. Her own journey with Christ started during her teenage years, so she knew this was a vital time spiritually in the lives of students. Lawton had been working with middle-school students in Transit for two years at the time, and he was very supportive of the move since it meant they would be serving alongside each other.

Initially Sarah supported Stephanie Barrett in Student Ministry, but following IF:Jacksonville in February 2015, it became apparent that Stephanie’s heart was being pulled in the direction of women’s ministry. It was God’s perfect timing for Sarah to take the reins of Transit, and she eventually became Director of Student Ministry (grades 6-12).

Directing Student Ministry at Access has been a great experience for Sarah and her family. She loves connecting with students and being part of their lives. She also appreciates being able to serve with Lawton. The transition to Student Ministry was an easy one because there was already a great team in place before she joined. “It makes a difference when you are serving with people who get excited about showing up for our students,” she said. “Each week these volunteers pour time, love, and prayer into the lives of teenagers. That is truly admirable. Who wouldn’t want to serve with a group like this?”

If you have a student in middle school or high school and would like to learn more about the Student Ministry at Access, check out our Students Page!