“All it takes is faith and trust and a little bit of pixie dust”
- Peter Pan
Josh Avery ’08 has been a life-long Disney fan. He first visited Walt Disney World with family over 25 years ago, when he was 10. “It was the 25th Anniversary, and the castle was decorated like a birthday cake,” said Josh. “I’ll never forget that!” He also remembers being amazed by the level of guest service, and feeling he was part of a story bigger than himself. He reminisced, “In Pirates of the Caribbean, I truly felt like I was in a little boat in the ocean, being shot at from a big ship. And in the Haunted Mansion, I was mystified by the illusion of spirits flying around the ballroom. It was magical,”
Little did he know that one day he would embark on a mission to bring God’s Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom. “After years of delighting in Walt Disney World through a Christian Worldview lens, first as a Disney aficionado, then with a podcast and a book, I am now committing to pursue it as a calling,” said Josh.
“We are moving to Orlando this summer to minister specifically to international college students working for the Disney College Program,” said Josh. “We feel as if we will be able to fulfill the great commission of Acts 1:8 to reach the ‘ends of the earth’ like we have never been able to before!”
Josh and his family (wife Carissa and daughters Ellie and Eliza) will have the opportunity to reach students from 11 different countries, including those from Germany, Morocco, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and more. “Potentially most exciting to us is that we will be ministering to students from China— which would normally be difficult due to restrictions on Christianity in their home country,” Josh added. “Of course, in Florida, we will be able to share the Gospel with unrestricted access.”
What’s the plan? “Our vision is to accomplish this with ‘faith, trust, and (beyond the) pixie dust,’” said Josh. “Everything we do will be rooted in faith, the Gospel of Christ. We want to show students the hope, joy, and peace that is available through Jesus— not only in a life to come after this one, but in this present life here and now.
“To that end, our method is trust— to build relationships that flourish in small groups in common spaces like our dining room table. I will be taking a part-time job as a Cast Member to build relationships and connect with those we want to reach. Our small groups will be safe places to discuss hopes, joys, fears, disappointments, and even questions regarding the Christian faith.
“While we may have a lot of differences with these international students (home country, native language, etc.), we will undoubtedly have a love for Disney in common. Thus, it would be easy to sit around and talk about the latest Disney or Marvel film— but that is only the surface level. We’ll be going beyond the fantasy and facade to address what actually matters to young adults: issues like tensions, traumas, and transitions that they are all facing in various ways.”
The Geneva Connection
Josh will practice incarnational ministry by working in the park alongside International students, and inviting them into his home. He credits his dedication to incarnational (“in person, in the flesh”) ministry to his time at Geneva and especially Dr. Terry Thomas, “who is a living example of incarnational ministry.”
Additionally, CCO Staff member Patrick Emery was a huge influence on Josh’s life at Geneva. When Josh’s brother died from leukemia before his Junior year, Patrick was an available and reliable presence in his life. Over 15 years later, it was Patrick who gifted Josh books on how to fundraise in ministry— a huge part of their new ministry to Cast Members at Walt Disney World.
While a Student Ministry major at Geneva, Josh learned much about ministering to youth and young adults through classes such as Methods of Student Ministry and Experiential Education. He started his first podcast at Geneva, broadcasting with his roommate from his dorm room in Pearce Hall. When his ambitions grew and he moved beyond interviewing guys on his floor, he asked Terry Thomas to join him for a conversation with a highly-controversial leader from Westboro Baptist Church.
“I brought in the big guns,” said Josh. “I felt the need for Terry to be available to back me up if things got heated.” Although they got mostly misdirection and non-committal answers, Josh developed an interest in practicing incarnational ministry with members of the church. Citing Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you,” he and some friends visited Westboro, talked with the leaders, and attended a Church backyard picnic. During that time, Josh befriended a leader’s son, who was having some doubts about the Church’s practices. They stayed in contact, and the son, who ultimately left Westboro Church, attended Josh’s wedding several years later— holding a sign that read ‘love never fails.’”
How Did it All Begin?
Josh and his family were living in Youngstown, Ohio, where he worked as a Pastor (initially a youth pastor) in the Free Methodist Church for over 14 years. He was feeling the call to minister to Cast Members for years, but the time didn’t seem right.
“All good stories follow a similar pattern, and if we want our lives to be meaningful, we must expect to follow that same pattern,” said Josh. “My wife convinced me to write a book about this roadmap to a meaningful life, using Walt Disney World as a conduit to think and sift through these types of conversations.” The book, Beyond the Pixie Dust: Becoming an Apprentice of the Kingdom, was published by Theme Parks Press in 2021.
Josh launched the first faith-based podcast for Disney fans on April 12, 2021. He records all the episodes in surround sound in various locations throughout the Walt Disney World property – the first one from iconic Main Street USA. You can listen to ‘beyond the pixie dust: the podcast’ for free via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor or any other podcast app.
“For the podcast, we made a commitment to go beyond the attractions and parks to deliver content like never before.” said Josh. “We dive deep into Scripture, discuss the essentials of humanity like fear, joy, and grief with Imagineers and Cast Members, and explore what it means to live meaningfully in our modern world,” said Josh.
The book and the podcast provided introductions to Disney Cast Members online, resulting in an in-person visit and meetup in October of 2021. Josh was able to minister to some of the students he had only met previously online, and it was during the October trip that the calling to move and begin full time ministry to Cast Members was confirmed. Four students that he met during that time will be assisting in his ministry as student leaders.
What Comes Next?
“Like many campus ministers, we need to raise 100% of our income through supporters.” said Josh. “Our home church (Freedom Church in New Middletown, OH) believes in our mission and has agreed to ‘send’ us. Most notably, this means that the leadership and financial team at Freedom Church are handling and overseeing all of the finances given via supporters to this ministry. We are looking for any kind of supporters, but especially need monthly supporters who will partner with us for the longer term to bring God’s Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom.”
For information on how to support the Avery family in their ministry, go to www.beyondthepixiedust.com.Learn more about Geneva College.
Have questions? Call us at 724-847-6505.
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