“It’s all about who you know.” 

As a graduate from a business program, I heard this common idea embedded into the word, “network,” and I heard these words countless times during my studies. I often chuckled with classmates over how tired we were of this advice as we sought jobs.

Fast forward to over a year since graduation and the idea of “networking” now draws excitement, rather than dislike. God reminded me of the beauty of a network and the value of learning from those we know. I witnessed God’s network, Christ’s body, His church. It was shining and working during a pandemic to spur others in purpose-filled creativity.

Before my summer cohort experience, I had little exposure to hands-on innovation for Christ’s name. And so, I first learned that this “innovation for Christ” was something people dedicated time to and to follow up with actually “meeting” those many individuals, more people than I knew to imagine. Wow! As I watched them deep in the trenches at work, I got a beautiful peek into this – Christ’s body brainstorms possibilities, creates tools, evaluates effectiveness, and continues to hope for more. I thought, “I want to join!”

I did not know how I could contribute after the cohort ended – I did not want to be a nuisance. Though, I knew I was eager to participate, and I knew I didn’t want to miss out on God in action by sitting on the sidelines. Thankfully, a leader encouraged me to take part in #HACK 2021 North America planning!

During crunch time, the leaders were seamless in listing task after task to complete. I marveled at how they navigated multiple workstreams across several time zones for the Global #HACK. The weekly coordinating calls energetically closed my work week through their positivity. In our tight timeline, God made ways for new corporate partners to coordinate digital gifts for participants. Hackathons always end with the fun of goodie bags – even in the virtual world!

During the big weekend, fruits were so sweet and plentiful. Over 200 brothers and sisters attended – from the pre-hack sessions with experienced professionals to kick-off events with excitement of meeting new people and ending with the great showcase of hearts, minds, and skills in solutions.

Post-#HACK, our coordinating team reviewed areas for growth and how we plan for improvement in the next rendition of #HACK. As for my own participation in God’s work through this network, I will continue to be available where I am able to and look forward to all the others I will come to know. I invite you as well! Even after a big event, it is never too late to get involved and we welcome you into this supportive network along the way. Come on!

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13, ESV