Welcome Shane Cottrell

For over 15 years Tammy Grebel has been a friendly, welcoming, and familiar face through the many manifestations of the VVCC Children’s Ministry.  At the time she agreed to provide regular leadership to the ministry Tammy’s own children were well involved.  She enjoyed “learning on the job,” growing in her faith and dependence upon God, and creativity while seeing her girls, as well as a host of other children, participate in BASECAMP and eventually graduate toward junior high, high school, and beyond.  Tammy and her incredibly talented and committed army of BASECAMP team members have invested in many a child’s foundation of faith; a foundation from which I believe those children will never waver.

This June has seen a transition in leadership in BASECAMP.  The entire month of June, Tammy has expeditiously handed the reins of a ministry she’s developed and nurtured to the more than capable hands of Shane Cottrell.  Like Tammy, Shane joins the VVCC staff from within the congregation.  Shane has been a member of VVCC for several years and was originally introduced to the church through former member and elder, Mike Rader.  Shane met Mike while a student at Hesperia High School (graduating in 2004) where Mike served as Music/Choir Teacher.

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I met Shane years ago and really got to know him as we worked on a few VVCC sermon videos together, you may remember him from our videos spoofing "The Office".  I immediately found him to be confident, talented, and hilarious…occasionally all at the same time! When it came time to prayerfully consider who might take those reins from Tammy, Shane quickly came to my mind (even if he happens to root for the Angels).  After months of talking and praying with staff and elders he was affirmed.  June 1st Shane Cottrell joined the VVCC staff as Children’s Ministry Director on a part-time basis with the plan being to transition him to full-time in the early Spring of 2015.  In the meantime he and his wife, Marissa, are getting accustomed to a new normal; that of being a church staff member and/or spouse. 

This is not Shane’s first foray into educating young children.  Shane has taught music and directed plays and dramas for youngsters in the high desert for years now.  He is currently finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in education. 

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I trust that those of you with children in first through sixth grade will find Shane to be a wonderful leader for our BASECAMP ministry and team.  He is incredibly charismatic and creative and while he, too, will be “learning on the job” I am confident that God will lead him to continue the legacy of love, commitment, service, and fun that Tammy developed before him.  

So what about Tammy, you ask?  Tammy Grebel will now serve VVCC as the Connections Pastor.  She will be providing vision and leadership over our Life Groups and First Impressions ministries while developing a much needed plan to get members and guests alike connected to service and one another.  I can assure you Tammy is excited for and up to the new challenge before her.   

With Shane’s addition to the staff and Tammy’s transition to her new ministry I believe VVCC is now well staffed to make great strides toward transforming families that are far from God.  I happen to believe that although VVCC has been around for almost 45 years her best years are ahead of her.  I ask you to greet Shane and welcome him aboard.  I ask you to thank Tammy for all her years of dedicated leadership to BASECAMP.  Finally, I also ask that you join the staff and elders alike in praying for the future of VVCC and the Victor Valley.  There is such a great need for our friends in this community to know Jesus and to experience the preferred life, the life lived in relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ and in community with like-minded believers.  As Jesus once told his followers when looking upon the needs of his community, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”  There is much to do in and for our local community; join us in exhausting every measure to love the people God puts before us and leading them to Jesus.