Leading in Everyday Moments

Taking a coffee break in a local mechanic’s kitchen wasn’t on the agenda for the day, but for GraceAnn Kroondijk that led to a discovery. Hearing how faith had shaped the man’s life, she said, became one of the most formative moments in her experience as an emerging leader with Guelph Campus Ministry, a Resonate Global Mission partner at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

In that space, said Kroondijk—between learning how to change a tire and sharing stories—she realized that leadership often happens in the most ordinary moments. It’s a lesson she said she will carry with her throughout her life as she seeks to live out her faith.

When Kroondijk started school at the University of Guelph, she said she felt immediately seen and enfolded into the campus ministry community. As a result, just a couple of years later it was easy for her to decide, she said, to apply to be a student leader in the campus ministry.

An Emerging Leader grant from Resonate helped make it possible for Kroondijk to step into that role. Providing small stipends to student leaders, the grant program helps to ease the financial burden for young adults to invest time and energy into leading campus ministries. In addition, the program also provides mentorship from a caring campus minister.

Sara DeMoor, campus minister at Guelph Campus Ministry, mentored Kroondijk throughout the year. She described Kroondijk as “a natural leader” and shared that she was excited to see how Kroondijk would continue to grow throughout the year. 

Kroondijk jumped right in. She helped to plan and organize events, brainstorm ideas, and help with whatever needed doing, from setting up for an event to washing dishes. More than that, said DeMoor, Kroondyk spent a lot of time connecting with students and getting to know them.

For example, Kroondijk shared that one of her favorite things to work on was the “Faithful Adulting” series that DeMoor started.

“Many students are in a situation where they are living on their own for the first time, out of their parents’ house. This requires them to take on more responsibilities and learn new skills,” said Kroondijk. 

The Faithful Adulting series helps to meet that need by connecting students with believers in their community who can teach them skills such as cooking, sewing, and handling stress.

One afternoon, students visited a mechanic’s home garage to learn about basic car maintenance. The mechanic, a member of a local Christian Reformed church in Guelph, taught the students what various icons on the dashboard mean—and then they got hands-on experience checking fluid levels, jumping batteries, and changing tires. But what stood out to Kroondijk, she said, was how the mechanic shared during a coffee break about his faith and how it shaped his life and work.

For Kroondijk, that drove home the Reformed teaching that God is present in all areas of life—and she said it’s one of the biggest leadership lessons she took away from her experience as an emerging leader.

“The real connections happen in small, everyday moments. It’s about spending time with your community, whether it’s chatting with someone over a meal, sharing a coffee and a laugh on the porch, or simply taking the time to ask someone about their day and addressing them by name—those are the moments where true leadership happens,” she said.

DeMoor added that Kroondijk has been an integral member of the Guelph Campus Ministry leadership team: “I am eager to celebrate the ways [Kroondijk] will continue to be shaped as a Christian leader and follower of Jesus. . . . she wholeheartedly embraces the Reformed world-and-life view that Christ rules over all areas of creation, including her academic studies, her friendships, her family life, and her participation and leadership within the Guelph Campus Ministry community.”

Kroondijk is now in her fourth year at the University of Guelph—and this is her second year as a student leader with the campus ministry. She says “thank you” to everyone who has supported campus ministry through Resonate.

“Campus ministry has been an invaluable part of my university experience and journey into becoming a resilient young adult,” said Kroondijk. “It’s so meaningful to be part of a denomination that not only cares about young adults but also actively creates a space where we can wrestle with Scripture, explore life’s big questions, and be challenged to root our identity in Christ.”