SMC Spotlight: Jack Struiksma

Jack Struiksma, SMC for Action Teams 2019

Hi everyone! My name is Jack Struiksma and I am a senior graduating in May!! My major is Business Management. As one of the Student Ministry Coordinators for Action Teams, I am in charge of leading Action Team leaders in preparing them for leading their teams both nationally and internationally. Last semester, I was a part of recruiting leaders through interviews and much prayer of where God wanted the students to be placed. This semester, I am in charge of facilitating leader group meetings to keep leaders accountable and prepared for the trips that they are leading this summer.

I am working in the Center for Student Action by the grace of God, and the way he opened my heart to serving his Kingdom through mobilization. In the spring semester of my sophomore year, I studied abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Through this cultural encounter my eyes were truly opened to diversity, and I fell in love with it. In that semester I grew in my understanding that I serve a God who is the God of ALL NATIONS. As I prayed through this new understanding, I generated a hunger for pursuing God's Kingdom through mobilization. When I came back to APU in the fall of my junior year, I was looking for opportunities to get involved either in national or international missions. I prayed intently that God would open a door that gave me the best opportunity to grow in my leadership abilities, and help me better comprehend responsible mobilization. My prayers lead me to the CSA. Last fall, I applied to be an Action Team leader, and was given the leader position for team Uganda. As I grew closer to many employees in the CSA last year, I knew God was giving me a desire to apply and interview to be an SMC. Again, after much prayer I decided to apply and interview for the position. I received the position, and committed to the job knowing that God has guided me through the process to where I am today. He opened my eyes two years ago, and now I am in an office and a position that I never would have considered two years ago.

One fun fact about me, is that I am domestically adopted. My three siblings are domestically adopted as well.

My favorite verse changes a lot, but right now I love James 1:13-18 "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”