In the Freedom Center Academy, I am doing the Worship Track, which is almost like a stem from the Creative portion of this school, and I am doing the Ministry academy as well. I could not decide on which one I should do because I knew both would be beneficial and I felt like I would have regretted not doing one or the other, so my bald teacher Pastor Jason said “Why don’t you do both?”
Doing more than one focus in this program has been a blessing because I am able to pursue worship and everything that goes with it plus I get to dive deep into ministry with a great group of guys. Yes, the whole school of five is all dudes, and I love it. The culture they create in FCA and Freedom Center Church is so enthusiastic and positive it’s basically contagious and hard not to act the same way. The guys in FCA are basically family at this point since we do everyday life together and are with each other very often. I have never seen or have been in a community that is so tightly knit in everything they do, and I think this is something that I needed to see and be apart of. I am thankful for everyone involved in this program to make an environment that is solely based on serving God and growing. Even though there may be a lot of rules that a certain someone may have caused to be in place (definitely not trying to point fingers at Austin Blythe or anything), I really like the accountability that is provided for me in this school.
Freedom Center Academy has been nothing but great in my first couple weeks of starting, and I am so glad that I had made the choice to join. The transition from living a care-free life of not having anything planned ahead and being lost in my own thoughts and activities to serving God and people in a purposeful manner has actually gone way smoother than I thought it would. Before starting, the way I carried myself was honestly embarrassing when I had people believing in me to do great things, and my mindset was terrible so I did not see what other people saw in me, and it got frustrating. I would always beat myself up over it, which made nothing better for me whatsoever. But ever since I started FCA, I have learned so much on how to carry myself well and how to keep carrying myself well.
The wisdom and joy that Pastor Jason and the students of FCA have is unreal to me and I love that I can say that I am in an environment that promotes growth in my faith in God and my respect for myself. I can’t believe how much I have grown in such a short period of time in this academy and I am excited to see what God has in store for these next three months.
Ian Blythe
First year FCA Student
