This year's Leadership Newton County class is taking the "Servant Leadership" theme to heart, as our first class forced us to do just that, serve our community. 

I will be blatantly honest with you, I was not looking forward to Thursday's class. After the record-breaking temperatures we've had recently, I was dreading the idea of spending the day outside staining a deck. To add to that, I had also seen the deck we were tasked with staining, and I knew it would not be an easy job. 

All of that changed Thursday morning. It is like the Lord heard my concerns, and he called for an overcast day. The weather was perfect and it felt like it was meant to be. 

I am so proud to be a member of this year's class because I can tell the passion for service runs through each and every one of us. 

The Boys & Girls Club of Newton County is truly a special place and being able to play a tiny piece in the club's success was something that I am grateful for.

After lunch, the class sat down and explored our leadership styles and created a plan for our overall service project for the year. During this time, I was amazed to learn of all of the ideas and resources that our class could bring together. That is, after all, what this class is all about. 

This year's LNC class will continue to bring service opportunities and new experiences and I am eager to keep going. 

Stay tuned, as I plan to continue to provide updates on the class throughout the year and if you are interested in learning more about LNC or signing up for next year's class, visit https://gocovington.com/Chamber/Leadership-Newton-County.

Jackie Gutknecht is the editor and publisher of The Covington News. Her email is jgutknecht@covnews.com. Twitter: @jackieg1991