The Zone Gathering

It is impossible to be around Heather Zempel and not get excited. Through both her words and her actions, Heather’s passion for God, small groups, knowledge, discipleship, friends, and her husband is evident to anyone who has ever spent time around her. And that genuine passion is incredibly contagious– along with her laugh!

We are so blessed to have her on staff as Pastor of Discipleship, but she has been involved in the formation of NCC’s small group ministry for ages. Before she came on the NCC staff full-time (equivalent to 1 1/2 full-time jobs), she simultaneously worked another 1 1/2 full-time job on the Hill, all while running the small group ministry.

I think I can speak for all the zone leaders when I say, that in Heather, we see a passionate woman of God, a true leader, and a genuine friend. (Ok, we also love the Southern accent.)

What is your official title? And what does that mean you do at NCC?
I am the pastor of discipleship, and I am still trying to figure out exactly what that means. I want to see every NCCer growing closer to Christ, looking more like him, and living the calling that God has placed on their lives. I am responsible for our spiritual growth strategy and for creating environments where people can grow in their faith. I cast vision for and facilitate our small group ministry, write curriculum, and plan retreats.

Tell us a little about the small group that you lead and how that experience has impacted you.
Right now, I am leading two groups. One is Journey: The Path to Spiritual Maturity, where we explore the 4 dimensions of discipleship– Seeker, Learner, Influencer, and Investor. On the NCC Discipleship Map, it’s the next step after Alpha. It’s really challenging me to get back to the basics of my faith, put some roots down, and focus on the most important things. It’s also an eclectic collection of personalities, so we have a lot of fun. The other group I am leading is Stations of the Cross. In that, we are exploring this ancient discipline and its devotional value for us today. In this season of Lent, it’s helping me to really focus my attention on Christ and the amazing sacrifice he made for us.

Where can you be found on Sunday mornings?
In bed. Oops– wrong answer. I float between Union and Ballston.

When did you start following Christ and what have been some of the spiritual turning points in your life?
I don’t know that there have been any super big major turning points. It’s been mainly a day-by-day, step-by-step thing for me. I was basically born on a church pew (one of my earliest memories is playing on a sit-and-spin in the church nursery). I did serious time in Sunday School, Mission Friends, Vacation Bible School, and Children’s Choir (anybody know Music Machine and Down By the Creekbank?), and all of those experiences laid a wonderful foundation for me. I remember “asking Jesus into my heart” when I was 6 years old, and I was baptized when I was 12. When I was in middle school, I started to have a “power time” (our youth pastor said we needed more “power” than “quiet” in our lives) where I tried to spend some time each day reading my Bible and praying. I read a little book entitled Giving Away Your Faith by Barry St. Clair which really encouraged me to pray for my friends and share my faith with them.

I was involved in a couple of great youth groups in middle school and high school. When I was a senior in high school, I really began to grow in my faith. Not sure what it was. I just really had a hunger to experience more of God. During the course of that year, I began to learn more about the role of the Holy Spirit and how he gives us gifts, equips us, and empowers us to live life. That was a critical journey for me.

In college, I got my first real taste of small groups and how God uses those small bands of community to help people grow.

Making the decision to enter ministry full-time has been an exciting adventure.

Tell us a little about your background.
I am originally from Mobile, Alabama (sweet home!). My mom is a school teacher and my dad is enjoying early retirement by re-modeling their new home. My sister Laura is married to Casey and they live in Nashville with my niece and nephew Shadow and Radar (dogs).

I went to Cottage Hill Baptist School (elementary and middle school) where my mom taught me English for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. My dad coached me in t-ball and softball. I was also involved in community theatre at the Playhouse in the Park. I went to Murphy High School (Go Panthers!), the oldest and largest high school in Mobile.

During my senior year, I had to make a life choice between theatre and engineering. It’s hard to look at potential schools when those are your two big interests. I decided on biological engineering and went to Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers) where I fell in love with cajuns, their food, and Death Valley (the LSU stadium, not the dinky one at Clemson or the National Park). I loved it so much that I stuck around for two more years to get my master’s in biological engineering.

Then, I moved to DC to work for an Alabama senator for a year (that’s when I met Ryan Zempel). Then, I moved to Nashville to work at EnSafe Inc. so I could be an engineer. But I guess I had caught the political fever because I found myself back in DC two years later on Capitol Hill again working for my favorite senator on environmental policy. Before long, Ryan and I started dating, and we got married in August 2004. In June 2005, Pastor Mark finally persuaded me to join the insanity of ministry, and I came on board at NCC full-time.

What is your favorite Scripture passage?
It seems like there is a different “theme” verse for every chapter in my life. I really like Jeremiah 29:11-13: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.”

What are your favorite books?
I’ve got a list of recommended books. Others include A Separate Peace (John Knowles), Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton), Timeline (Michael Crichton) The Chosen (Chaim Potok), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis), The Bible: God’s Word for the Biblically Inept (Larry Richards), Baseball Mouse (Syd Hoff)

What are your favorite movies?
Braveheart, Hot Lead & Cold Feet, Kingdom of Heaven, Sound of Music, Wizard of Oz, Age of Innocence, Princess Bride, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, Star Wars Trilogy (IV-VI), Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Peter Pan

What is your favorite fast food?
Popeye’s (red beans and rice and spicy chicken…yum!)

What is something that most people at NCC would not know about you?
I am completely scared of roller coasters. I know, I know, I want to be an astronaut and I can’t even handle a little loop. Doesn’t make sense.

If you were not working at NCC, your dream job would be…
I feel like I have already had three dream jobs! Some other things I would like to do– Work for NASA to design life support systems for the space station. Work on the space station. Be the Secretary of the Interior. Start an engineering firm that works on water resources issues in remote areas. Perform on Broadway. Be an environmental or historical interpreter at a national park. Conduct research at Disney’s The Land Pavilion.

Who is your hero? (besides Jesus or any other member of the Trinity)
My parents are definitely heroes– they survived the challenge of me. My granddaddy has always been an inspiration. He loved Jesus, family, bad jokes, and good biscuits, and he was a true patriot. A non-family hero would be John Wesley. He was fiercely committed to creating communities where people could grow in their faith, and he really broke the mold of how ministry should look.

What do you do in your free time?
I love Dave & Busters (Sega Star Wars!!), movies, theatre, and playing outside. I also catch myself designing theme parks on restaurant napkins from time to time.

In NCC:THE MOVIE who would play you? Who would play Pastor Mark?
Can I play myself? Joan Cusack would play me. I hate to repeat what others have said, but I really think Jim Carrey must play Pastor Mark. If it’s NCC: THE MOVIE MUSICAL, then Idina Menzel would play me, and either Tim Curry or Norbert Leo Butz would play Pastor Mark.

What is your favorite Pastor Markism?
“Let’s sing our prayer” or the way he pronounces “sauna” as “sowna.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 at 11:08 am and is filed under Spotlights, Staff, Zone Leaders. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.