Tracey Beach joined the staff at Swift Creek to fill a temporary need in children’s ministry. Four years later, she’s still serving behind the scenes coordinating Sunday morning Connect Groups for 1st through 5th grade and supporting children’s church.
Tracey and her husband, Pastor Bryan have been at Swift Creek since 2007 when Pastor Bryan came on staff as the Senior Associate Pastor. Today they continue to serve and attend with their three children: Allen, Brooke, and Drew.
One of Tracey’s favorite parts of serving with children is watching them discover new things in their faith. “Some major things happen during that time frame. So it’s fun to watch them as they go through those experiences.”
She also loves the team of teachers and helpers that have served faithfully alongside her. She says that even though it is a challenge working with a constant shortage of helpers, she is grateful for the way her team is flexible and willing to serve where needed.
“It’s been encouraging working with a group of people who are doing this because they have been called to do it and so they’re working for God, so they’ll do whatever needs to be done. That’s the way the body is supposed to work.”
Aside from her ministry at Swift Creek, Tracey has seen God fill the needs in her family time and time again. When she and Pastor Bryan landed in Charlottesville after her graduation from law school, Tracey was not excited about moving back to Virginia from Alabama. But despite her desires, she knew God had called them back to Virginia and they obeyed. Shortly after their move back, Pastor Bryan was called into the ministry and started his first job in youth ministry at a church in Charlottesville.
“And looking back on it later, I was like, ‘oh, no wonder’. No wonder this is where we came back to. And I think I can see that throughout my whole life. You can look back and say, yeah, there was a reason for that after all. Which makes it easier in the times when you don’t see the reason.”
Tracey uses an example from the Bible when the Israelites were trying to cross the Red Sea. They didn’t go the most logical way to their destination, but God knew that if he led them the other way they wouldn’t make it. “A lot of times the Lord has you go the roundabout way from point A to point B, but he had a purpose in leading them that direction.”
In addition to her role at Swift Creek, Tracey also works part time at Veritas Christian School in the Junior Kindergarten program, and enjoys time with her family. Although she says her life is pretty full at the moment, she also loves singing and playing piano, organ, and sometimes guitar.
If you would like to volunteer in Children’s ministry, Tracey is looking to fill positions in 2nd and 4th grade. You can volunteer by emailing Tracey at tracey.beach@swiftcreekbaptist.org.