The Last Week...

The last week of September marked the end of an era in my life.

I have been a youth pastor for the last 20 years. I began as a college freshman in September of 1988, as I led the youth group at Grace Chapel Worship Center in Green Lane, PA, until December of 1992, when I accepted a full-time position at Full Gospel Worship Center in Philadelphia, PA. Our years after that made stops in Mount Holly, NJ, Monroeville, PA, Shelby Township, MI, and lastly in Hermitage, PA.

It has been a truly incredible ride, as I have had such great experiences in being welcomed into the lives of so many teenagers. I think it was my friend, Doug Sayers, who said that youth ministry is likened to that of a roller coaster ride. The life of a teenager is filled with so many ups & downs, twists & turns, etc... He went on to describe effective youth ministry as being one that enables teenagers to desire to invite us to ride the coaster with them, experiencing every turn and loop that life throws at them, and what a great privilege that it is to be invited for that ride.

I couldn't agree more.

I have been so blessed to have been a part of the lives of students for so many years. Today, many of these same students are some of my closest friends and confidants. It has been extremely rewarding to see students move from that "Hey, funny-man...entertain me..." posture, to the point when it seems like the "light bulb" goes on in the understanding of the Words of Jesus. There is nothing like watching a young person see the face of Christ in those he serves on a missions trip, or to recognize the great need for God that her friends at school have, seeing that they might be lost for eternity, should she choose to ignore God's call to reach them.

I am routinely amazed at the students God has allowed Jodi and I to minister to. It is so awesome to think of those who serve God with distinction in churches, the business world, the military, and their local Jr & Sr high schools even today. I am incredibly fulfilled and blessed in what God has allowed us to be a part of.

Sunday night, September 28th, our church family in Hermitage, PA honored us with a going-away party. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who took the time to bless us with their presence. Pastor Ken & Marlene Martin have been great friends and mentors, and surrogate parents to Jodi and I. The church family in Hermitage has been so supportive of us, and we are forever grateful for your unending friendship over these last few years. Lastly, the students of Re:volution. We will miss you all so much. We've shared so many great memories together, from Tacky Thursday, to El Salvador, to Willdom, to delivering takos together, to the "Thing-A-Thon...the list goes on and on. It's been fun...except for the fact that on the night of the party, Emily Woods and her band of thieves vandalized our car. (You'll pay, Woods! Watch your back!)

I know that some of the tone of this post seems down, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the time since our move, I have had much trouble finding my socks, much less the time to post the many introspective thoughts I have had. While I will miss being directly involved in youth ministry as in the past, I am so looking forward to the future ministry that God has for us. I walk daily with a sense of destiny, feeling that all of our past experiences, both good and bad, have been allowed in our lives to make us exactly who we need to be for this moment in Millvale. I can't wait to see what God does! Tomorrow I will begin to blog about the next chapter in our lives.

MILLVALE.

A Great Saturday

Saturday was awesome. JoLyn and i took a ride on Old Bessie Lou (OBL...my motorcycle) to the Monroeville area. Christmas invited our family (Jodi & Jacki stayed home because Jodi's mom was in town) to his Engagement and Graduation Party.

Chris and his fiance', Mandy, will be married at some point next year, and currently are serving as young Adult pastors in North Jersey. It's incredible to see how God is leading them both, and I had a great time seeing them, and catching up with old friends.

After the party, I went over to Pastor Lance & Lorie Lecocq's house to get JoLyn (she had gone home with them soon after we arrived at the party). We talked for a while, also, and it was nice visiting with them.

On the way home, we stopped in Pittsburgh to see another friend, Merissa Yusko, and her beautiful new baby girl, Lianna Rayne Yusko. Merissa and her husband, Jason, are two of our absolute best friends. Many of you know of the "interesting" times we spent in Michigan, following God's call to work in youth ministry at Lakeside Assembly. Jason and Merissa went with us, based upon feeling that same calling to grow an effective student ministry in that church. Things, of course, did not work out, but Jason amd Merissa have remained cherished friends. Their baby girl is beautiful! Congrats, Jason & Merissa!

Iron Mike

This guy amazes me. Mike Buczkowski (we call him Butch...it's easier!) was a student of ours at Crossfire. Four years ago we graduated one of the absolute strongest classes we had ever seen in all of our years of ministry. Butch was one of that group, and I would even go as far as to say that he was a quiet, driving force of Spiritual leadership. He wasn't usually the guy that took the mic and spoke up, as much as he was one of the guys that influenced behind the scenes.

Students like Shawn, Christmas, Fitty, and several others who got saved as a result of a domino-like effect of salvation we saw in our youth ministry at that time. Behind all of it was the influence of two students; Nate Rosswog and of course, Mike Buczkowski. Because of their pursuit God, and their ability to stand in the face of sin, the lives of so many students in their school and our youth ministry were affected in a positive way.

I asked Butch what he was doing now for God. As he talked, he quietly expressed that he didn't seem to be doing much. This spring, he graduated from Duquense University and is a systems analyst (I think...I might have it wrong...blame my ADD). I said, "Dude...what about missionally...what are you doing with your life to serve God?"

Mike told me that he supports Nate, as he's on a two-month missions trip to Central America. Also, he's been able to influence a couple of friends he has who ask lots of questions about God. Mike is also going to look at getting more involved back at church, now that College is over. One more thing I loved hearing from Mike was about how he was continuing to save his sexual purity for his future bride.

It was great to see him not only living for God, but still doing all he can to live for God and lead others to Him. Butch's description of "not much for God" always seems to add up to a lot, so I'm looking for even more "big things" for God from Butch.