7:00 am on a Sunday morning, a middle school cafeteria is usually a large empty space. But on any Sunday morning at Giaudrone Middle School, that changes quickly. Over the next two hours a group of volunteers will transform that large empty space echoing of teenagers, into a church. A sacred space where people are welcomed, children are cared for, and the good news of Jesus is shared.

I’d like to introduce you to one of the remarkable individuals who help make this transformation happen: Christina Lewis, head of the Discovery Design team.

Anyone who walks into Discovery Community Church, whether they fully notice the details or not, are blessed by the accessories and props that are present in the church services.  But Christina and her team do more than just add flowers and decorations.

Christina meets with the staff on a regular basis to talk about the theme and details of the services and special events. Then she takes this information back to her team so they can brainstorm and plan together how to best set up the space to make it inviting. They are especially concerned with whether the setup enables people to move easily through the space allowing them to comfortably engage with one another and the service. Big events such as Easter and Christmas require extra thought and planning.

Christina is also responsible for planning some special events, such as Elevate, Discovery’s monthly volunteer appreciation dinner. Those who attended Elevate last week were blessed by a wonderful meal that Christina planned and presented as a thank-you for the volunteers that make things happen at Discovery

Christina grew up in Auburn as the oldest of three children. Even as a little girl, she was drawn to making spaces beautiful. She loved looking at home magazines and would cut out pictures of pretty rooms and decorations and place them in scrapbooks. When she was 13, Christina convinced her mom to let her paint her room. From that time on, she painted and redecorated her room every year. She looked forward to the future, when she would have her own home to decorate.

After high school, Christina earned her AA at Green River Community College, then went to Cannon Beach, Oregon to attend Ecola Bible School, a one-year program for people who want to study the Scriptures and learn to apply them to life. At Ecola, Christina met and spent time with a group of friends who became very important in her life. The most important of those friends was Jared. After they married, Christina and Jared lived in Auburn for several years, but moved to a home in Tacoma after their daughter, Ella was born.  It was not long before a son, Emmett, would join the family.

Christina settled in. As she had looked forward to, she could now enjoy creating beauty in her home.  She loved putting things together to enjoy for a while and then changing them. She also liked to plan parties, sharing her love for beauty with others.

After moving to Tacoma, Christina and Jared visited several churches, but knew pretty quickly that Discovery was their church home. Maggie Fredericks began babysitting for the Lewis family and often went home to tell her mom Traci about how Christina had made her home so beautiful. Soon Traci asked Christina to help with special events.

Christina enjoys creating beauty in empty space. She knows that God, who created the world from nothing, has given her this love and talent. She finds joy that people are blessed by the work she does.

Christina is also grateful for the skills and talents that God has given each member of the Discovery Design team: Erin Randle, Amanda Crisostomo, Erica Swenson, Cori Spotts, and Janet Wichman.
Each one brings something different. Some bring creative ideas, others bring the gift of carrying out those ideas.

God gives each of us passion, skills, and experience to use in service to Him. What has He given you and how will you use it?

———-

To find out more about Discovery Design and how you can be a part of this team contact [email protected].

For more about Discovery’s amazing volunteers see:

• What Do Angels Do?