Hey, everybody.

We’re making a big announcement for Starlite today and, although my blog is not linked to Starlite’s website or promoted through Starlite, I wanted to make sure you saw it, too.  I’m expecting a lot of traffic here at the blog over the next few days based on this announcement, so I’ll be waiting a bit to share some of my personal thoughts on this news with you.  I’m also going to close comments on this post so that I can “discuss” this with you after the traffic dies down a bit.

I do want you to know that, as I’ve been walking the road that this decision has warranted, it’s taken everything in me to keep from blogging about it, especially because I know how supportive you all are — especially of me.  As you can imagine, I’m feeling a lot of different emotions right now as the news I’ve known for months finally becomes public.  If you’ve read for any length of time, you know that Starlite is one of the most significant areas of my life.  That will be changing soon and, since you’ve been sweet enough to follow the story of my life, I couldn’t imagine not letting you know that change is coming.

Change is typically hard and, in this case, I know it will be for me at least.

But change can also be the right thing, too.

As we approach summer, all of us at Starlite will be celebrating seven years of ministry to girls of various ages.  We’ve had the privilege of serving girls in grades three through twelve within 12 different schools in Cleveland, TN; Bradley County, TN and Knoxville, TN.  Over these past seven years, nearly 1,300 college-aged women have served at one time or another as volunteers at our programs or events making it possible for us to have served thousands of girls.

As the leader of Starlite since it began, I’ve had the privilege of doing a variety of “jobs” within the ministry ranging from serving snacks at our weekly in-school programs to overseeing all aspects of a ministry aimed at reaching hurting girls – and what a wild ride it has been!

It’s with mixed emotions that I tell you that, as of July 31, 2009, Starlite will cease operations indefinitely.  It’s a difficult decision for all of us, but one that has been in the works for quite some time and has been made after much prayer and discussion.  Our final decision was not based on any one factor but instead based off evaluating each aspect of the ministry as well as long-term goals.  As the person with arguably the most invested in Starlite both emotionally and time-wise, I’m happy to tell you that, although we’re making a hard decision, I truly believe we’re making the right decision.

Ending a season of ministry is never easy, but we know that there is a season for everything – including the transition we’re making at this time.   It’s been our privilege to serve both girls and their families over the last seven years and we’re looking forward to seeing what God continues to do in the lives of the girls we’ve been blessed to serve.  We still believe that the best is yet to come and we can’t wait to watch it happen right before our eyes.

Amy Beth

Amy Beth Bullard
Executive Director, Starlite Ministries

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