“I enjoy the fact that in GCI I have found a home,” says Heber Ticas who serves as a district pastor and pastors two Spanish-speaking congregations in the Los Angeles, California area. “Coming out of the Church of God Seventh Day and still being able to be in community with some of the pastors that we have journeyed with for years is a blessing. GCI made that possible! I have felt welcomed, loved and encouraged to do the Lord’s work.”
Heber was born in El Salvador, Central America and came to the US when he was nine. “Since then I have lived in the L.A. area. I pretty much have been providing for myself since I was 14 when I started selling fine candies and chocolates door-to-door.”
Heber and his wife Xochilt have been married for almost 23 years. “We have three children. Our daughter Ashley is a senior at Azusa Pacific University, our daughter Jessica is a junior at USC and our son Christian will be a freshman in high school.”
Heber did not set out to be a pastor. “I was going to Kings College out of The Church on the Way pastored by Jack Hayford. I was there because I was passionate for God’s word. I did not desire to become a pastor. I just wanted to serve the local church. At the time I was attending a small church where I assisted the pastor. All of a sudden he decided to leave ministry because of burnout and disappointment. While waiting for another pastor, it became clear that no one was coming. Eventually I agreed to be the pastor of that church.”
Heber entered the pastorate in 1999. Xochilt worked right alongside him. “My wife is the engine that pushes ministry forward. She leads women’s ministry and is involved in many other ways in structuring developing ministries.”
In 2003, Heber and his congregation were part of the Spanish-speaking congregations that became part of WCG/GCI under the leadership of Lorenzo Arroyo. Heber credits Lorenzo for being a good mentor in ministry. Heber says his passion is “people, Hispanic ministry and church planting. My greatest joy in pastoring is participating with the Spirit in making a difference in peoples’ lives—seeing lives transformed and hearts encouraged. It is a joy to be used that way by our Lord.”
When asked about his most memorable moment, Heber said, “It’s the day that a dying man with AIDS trusted me with his burial wishes. He had been coming to our church and I did not even know that he was dying from AIDS. He trusted that I would lift up a prayer for him the day he died and spread his ashes at sea.”
When does Heber feel closest to God? “I feel closer to the Lord in the midst of need, especially when I am ministering to someone going through difficult life struggles.”
Timothy (“Tim”) Brassell pastors the GCI congregation in Baltimore, Maryland and serves as a district pastor.
Tim’s father Rufus was a professional heavyweight boxer, so while growing up, Tim met many interesting and famous people. “My dad fought with Muhammed Ali, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Jerry Quarry and others. He had a winning record of 18-7 and was ranked as high as eighth. Like Ali, he trained with Angelo Dundee at the 5th Street Gym in Miami.”
Tim was born in Nuremberg, Germany, where his father served in the Army. “I grew up in Lima, Ohio, my parents’ hometown, and then in Bluffton Ohio. In my adult years I returned to Lima. In ministry I’ve lived in various places in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and now I live in Baltimore, Maryland.”
Tim and his family started attending WCG around 1973/74, “although my entire life I was under the influence of Armstrongism since my dad was a long-time Plain Truth reader.”
Tim began serving in pastoral ministry in Findley, Ohio. “Due to the doctrinal changes in 1995 our pastor left. The pastor from our sister congregation in Toledo became the new pastor, but needed help serving the two congregations. A coupon appeared in The Worldwide News that invited those sensing a call to pastoral ministry to reply. Many members in my congregation encouraged me to do so. I did, and was appointed to serve on the pastoral team in my congregation.”
Tim now is the senior pastor of GCI’s Baltimore congregation, serving with his wife, Donna. “Without her, there would be no ministry of Jesus through Timothy Brassell. She has been a great support and an active participant in the journey every conceivable way: relationally, physically, mentally and emotionally. We’ve always been on the same page–being reformed together. Through it all. she has held down a job and taken care of the home!”
Tim and Donna recently celebrated 22 years of marriage. They share family life with three others: “Our oldest daughter, Jocelyn, is completing her first year in the Coast Guard and serves in the Cape Cod area, pursuing a career in the intelligence field. Our youngest daughter, Autumn, is wrapping up 10th grade and already is pursuing a career as a cosmetic dentist while enjoying softball. Remy, our dog, still tries to lick us to death—but we’re ‘still ticking’ and loving on her!”
When asked what he enjoys most about being a GCI pastor, Tim said this: “My favorite thing is proclaiming the good news of the relational God revealed in Jesus; declaring, against the wisdom of the world, that every human is in him. I share this every way I can, full- time, starting with family. My love relating, thinking, living and speaking out of the love and life of the Father, Son and Spirit shared with all creation all the time—without the religion and right in the middle of the deep brokenness we all share! I greatly enjoy being in a world-wide fellowship of ever-reforming, loving, humble, accessible, free, open and risk-taking people (they hired ME! Ha!).”
Tim has many interests beyond his primary vocational calling. He enjoys doing commercial voiceovers “I have done voiceovers for national, regional and local commercials around the world. I’ve even been the voice of a roller coaster! I record voiceovers from time-to-time in my home studio. I would love to do more of these when I retire from working full-time as a pastor. Tim also enjoys watching movies and shows with his family; traveling to the Islands; listening to, writing, playing and recording music; collecting rocks and lots of reading.”
Tim’s most memorable moment as a pastor has to do with when he became one. “My parents told me all my life I should be one. Coworkers on my job told me I should be one. I felt I should be one and tried doing everything right and going to all the right places, but I was turned down at every point. Finally, in his own time and radical way, God brought it about. Wow!”
Tim feels closest to God when “proclaiming the gospel of the relational God revealed in Jesus, especially when preaching and teaching. He also feels close to God when thinking and praying, hearing about God in all kinds of ways from others and when dancing and seeing others dance distinctly and freely in the joy of the Lord!”
Going back to his early childhood, Tim shared that, “because of my dad’s fame as a boxer and because of my parent’s good character, our family had a lot of favor with many people. My dad trained many young kids in Lima to box, helping keep them off the streets. As a result, I experience favor to this day whenever the family name is mentioned.
Tyler Acton, grandson of retired GCI regional pastor Ken Williams and his wife Nancy, toured France in June with his high school choir. They performed in Paris, Versailles and Normandy (watch a short video of their performance below).
Ken reports that, “The time in Normandy was particularly moving for Tyler and the other singers. Seeing all the white crosses decorating so many graves, they shed tears while singing the National Anthem at the raising of the American flag. They worked a year and a half to make the trip possible. Nancy and I are very proud of Tyler.”
Joel Irusta, pastor of GCI’s congregation in Greensboro, North Carolina, tells of a family history that many only dream about. “My paternal grandparents were Basque immigrants from the old country. As far as we know, my dad was the first person on his side of the family to be born outside of Spain. Early on in the US, the Basque people were treated harshly; but through hard work they gained the respect of others and today are accepted. Growing up with exposure to this different culture and language, along with a strong work ethic, continues to influence who I am. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that everyone didn’t have grandparents who spoke and lived differently. My maternal grandparents owned a cattle ranch that was literally out ‘in the middle of nowhere’ in the foothills of Idaho. On that ranch we (my siblings and cousins) rode horses, helped brand cattle, gardened, fished and played and played. We hiked the hills for hours at a time. Camping and fishing were regular parts of our summers.”
Joel grew up in Boise with an older brother and younger sister. “My dad was a self-employed auto mechanic and my mother didn’t work outside the home. It was a simple life with a lot of family gatherings and activities. My dad taught us that common sense and thinking about others first was the most important education. My mother loved her life as a wife and young mother and made our childhood fun.”
After graduating from college in the mid-70s with a B.S. in chemical engineering, Joel went to work for a large engineering/construction firm. During that time he saw a telecast by Herbert W. Armstrong about hell and was intrigued. “Hell was a subject that troubled me because I just couldn’t accept a God who would punish people forever. At the same time, my mother who also was listening to HWA wanted to send for some literature but was afraid that the church would pester her once they had her name and address. So I sent for the literature myself and told her I would ‘let them have it’ if they bothered me because they promised not to. Together, we studied and began attending church services and were baptized. My dad was vehemently opposed to the church and what we were doing but we kept going. Eventually my sister joined us. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Joel’s job transferred him to North Carolina (his current home) to work constructing a new R.J. Reynolds tobacco processing plant. “I worked there as data processing manager, lead programmer-analyst and computer trainer. I met my wife Karen in North Carolina, so we decided to stay and raise our family there. I went to work for a small consulting firm and ended up going out on my own in the IT field where I’ve been self-employed for over 20 years. I blame my dad for that longevity!”
Joel and Karen have been married now for 28 years and have two children. “Our daughter Hillary participated in GCI’s Pastoral Internship Program and is now my associate pastor in the Greensboro church. She is also a student at Wake Forest School of Divinity working towards an M.Div. degree. Our son Jared who is a graphic designer is married to his beautiful wife Remmie. They are an active part of our lives and a joy to see grow. Our 16-year-old niece Katie lives with us and keeps us hopping with all the normal teenage drama and excitement.”
Since first joining WCG/GCI, Joel has served in some way. “I worked with the widows and single adults, I taught YES and YOU lessons and served in other areas as was needed. I became a deacon and then an elder. When the doctrinal changes hit, and through a series of circumstances over which I had no control, I found myself the pastor of the Greensboro congregation! Many told me that they definitely saw God’s hand in making it happen. Feeling overwhelmed, I went to seminary and earned a Master of Arts degree in Theology with a concentration in Christian Ministry. That was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done! Serving as pastor has been a joy and pleasure—something I feel I was meant to do.”
Karen serves right alongside Joel. “My wife serves with me in her own pastoral service—we do most things together and make a great team. She serves as the church treasurer. She grew up in this congregation, so she knows well the people here. As an introvert, she does her best work in one-on-one relationships with the ladies in the church. She listens, encourages and nurtures many.”
Joel says being a pastor is sometimes like being a father. “It has moments of triumph and moments of defeat. I really enjoy being involved in the spiritual formation of disciples of Jesus. Being pastor puts me on the front-line of that formation. Each person is different, so it’s a joy to get to know them personally and join them in their journey of transformation. Teaching has always been a joyful experience for me—something I look forward to each week.”
When asked about a most memorable moment, Joel mentions his son’s marriage. “I had the wonderful opportunity last October to officiate at the wedding of my son and daughter-in-law. It was a beautiful outdoor fall wedding—one of the most perfect days ever. It was a joy to have my handsome son and his beautiful bride stand before me and commit their lives to each other.”
Joel shared what many may not realize. “I am a confirmed introvert and comfortable being so. Many in our extroverted culture think there is something wrong with us introverts. But we are just fine and doing quite well! God has gifted us as we are. Being an introvert allows me to observe and learn things about others that extroverts might miss. That knowledge helps me join others in their spiritual journey. I’m honored to do so. Being an introvert, I sense God’s presence in little ways and places. When I’m preparing a sermon and the Holy Spirit brings the pieces together, I’m in awe. When having a deep one-to-one conversation with someone, I sense God’s presence and again I’m in awe. When someone says just the right thing at the right time, I realize that it came from God.”
This ties in with Joel’s chief passion in life, which is to know Jesus and make him known. “He entered into my life as a child and has been with me every step of the way! In him life is a beautiful, messy experience that makes sense.”
Joel loves to call GCI his home. “That’s what I enjoy—that feeling of belonging and being home. The people I serve are beautiful and a delight to spend time with. Our journey together in GCI has been an exciting move of the Holy Spirit. I look forward to our continued journey—seeing our younger leaders leading us into the future.”
Here is a short video with Stuart Mahan who pastors GCI’s congregation in Toledo, Ohio. Stuart talks about becoming a pastor and about reaching out to his friends.
Many Weekly Update readers will recognize the Egbert name. Jeb and Barb Egbert have influenced many people of all ages through their leadership in GCI’s US camp system. Both served as directors of SEP—the former GCI camp in Orr, Minnesota. Jeb also served for several years as co-director of Generations Ministries.
You may know that Jeb and Barb have three children: John, James and Brittany. What you may not know of is the exceptional musical talent of their son James.
For several years James has served at GCI’s SEP Rockies camp as a counselor and worship leader. For his career, James chose to be a musician—and he has become an outstanding one! James frequently performs concerts around the country and recently performed in Tokyo.
The genre of James’ music is Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Just recently he learned that one of his songs, a remix of Emeli Sande’s “Next To Me,” was used during Apple’s much anticipated presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. To listen to that song, click here. If you would like to drop James a note of congratulations, you can connect on his Facebook.
James serves as a worship leader and worship band percussionist at GCI’s Ground Zero Church in Denver, Colorado. He’s produced remixes of several contemporary worship songs that you can download for free at https://soundcloud.com/spiriteyesmusic.
James (at left) providing music in a church service
Jeff Chandler, pastor of the GCI church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, is less of a man than he was just a couple years ago—100 pounds less to be specific. “I am thankful for what God has been doing in my life in regard to health. It has turned into part of the ministry God has for me. I think I am a better tool for Jesus to use as a result of getting my health in check. As a result of Trish and my involvement with Fitness Bootcamp Unlimited where I lost the weight, the owners are now members of our church.”
Jeff’s grandparents were baptized in 1955. “They never attended regularly, primarily because there was no church in the area—my mother started going to WCG in 1968 when I was 2 years old. She drove from Milan to Memphis, Tennessee for several years until a church was started in Jackson. I was shy early in life even though I had four brothers. SEP in Orr, Minnesota (1982) and SEP in Big Sandy, Texas (1985) were a couple of the greatest experiences of my life up to that time. I loved to play sports, especially baseball, basketball and football, and I loved music, especially singing. Thankfully, our family took advantage of all the YOU and WCG activities.”
It was at a YOU activity that Jeff met his wife Trish. “She was 15 and I was 16 when we both knew we would be married one day. We went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy in 1986. We got engaged in Amman, Jordan in 1990 (she visited me during our Jordan Foreign Project). We married during the summer before my senior year. Then we moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas where Trish’s family still lives.”
Trish, Josie, Jeff and Legend at Josie’s graduation
Jeff and Trish have been married 23 years and have two children. “Our daughter Josie (18) just graduated from high school and will be attending Arkansas State University this fall. My son Legend (14) will enter the 9th grade this fall. Josie loves music and wants to teach art and music. Legend loves animals and thinks he will be working with them when he grows up.”
Trish is a director for SHARP, a health organization at a local hospital. “She’s better than me at most everything,” Jeff shares. “I truly married up.” Along with her job, Trish serves alongside Jeff doing something at church almost every week. “Trish is either leading Church Life or Communion, offering prayer or giving the sermon. She plays a vital role in organizing our special services at Christmas and Easter. Most of the growth in numbers we have had in our church has been a result of her personal relationships. She has the ability to draw people to her. Her unconditional love creates an inclusive spirit that is unmistakable and magnetic. Her prayers are deep and heartfelt—so much so that we have no doubt that we are kneeling right in front of God or sitting in his lap carrying on a conversation. She is a blessing to me, my family and the church.”
Jeff notes that following college, “Tom Blackwell, our pastor in Jonesboro, became my mentor. He guided me and encouraged me in Christian service. Then in 1996, we moved to Nashville, Tennessee and dropped from the church scene for eight years. We visited a few churches when my daughter Josie was invited to church by school friends. This is when we decided to visit WCG and became reacquainted with our church family. In Nashville I was privileged to have two mentors: Pastor Ray Gardner and Deacon Bill Floyd.” In August 2007, Jeff was asked to serve as assistant pastor to Ray after Ray found out he had prostate cancer. “He passed away in 2008 and I moved into the senior pastor position. I was able to meet with him every week for the last couple months of his life—it was a wonderful time of mentoring that I will always cherish. Bill continues to mentor me. I am so thankful for these father/grandfather figures in my life.”
“Yelling the good news” is what Jeff loves most about being a pastor. “I love the opportunity to participate in his love with others and to be given a platform to talk about God. I finally have a desire to yell from the rooftops that God loves us. When our focus was the law, my desire to tell people about what I believed was just not there. Why would I stand on rooftops yelling, ‘You won’t go to the place of safety if you don’t believe what I’m trying to tell you.’ But now I can yell the good news: ‘God loves you—and not only that, you are his—believe it!!!’”
Jeff and Trish
What Jeff appreciates most about GCI is its inclusive theology. “I love that we don’t think we have all the answers and that we continue to seek them. I love that we believe that Jesus died for all and that death applies to all. I love that we bring in people from other denominations to speak about the one God we all believe in. I feel this helps in unifying the body of Christ, the one church.”
Our theology leads to Jeff’s passion. “My passion is viewing people in light of who they are in Jesus. I teach English as a second language at Arkansas State University. The majority of the students I have been teaching are Muslims from Saudi Arabia. God put me in this position a year after he placed me in the position as pastor in Jonesboro. Holy Spirit has been showing me his presence in all my students. I have been able to experience a spiritual relationship with them that I would not have thought possible several years ago. I am able to make a love connection with my students because God is love. He is working on all my students as he works on me—through the Holy Spirit. Knowing how Holy Spirit brought me to understand who Jesus is makes me confident that he is doing the same with my students. Now, I simply connect with the Spirit—and that connection looks like love. I am compelled by his love to no longer look at my students the way I once did.”
Jeff also has a passion for relationships. “I love finding oneness in relationships. This oneness is not something I create, but discovering and then participating in the oneness already created by our Triune God. I describe my teaching at ASU as ‘relational teaching.’ God loves them through me—they love me through the Spirit—then we learn English.”
The most memorable moments Jeff has had as a pastor were baptizing both his children, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, two nephews, a niece and blessing one of his infant nephews. “There is nothing like connecting with family in this way.”
Asked when he feels closest to God, Jeff said, “When he loves through me and I recognize him doing so. When that happens, I find myself wrapped in his oneness. I feel closest to God in this chaotic and active lifestyle I find myself. These days I don’t have the privilege to visit with him often in quiet. With being a father, husband, bivocational pastor, full-time instructor at ASU, graduate student (seeking a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Azusa Pacific University) and maintaining an exercise program, life doesn’t often allow me to slow down and get quiet. Thankfully, I find God active in my life in all these activities—even in my exercise routine.”
In closing, Jeff commented: “As a result of Trish and my involvement with Fitness Bootcamp Unlimited where I lost the weight, we have started a Worship Workout service on Sunday evenings (see picture above right). For about a year now, we have had 20-30 people attend regularly. Worship Workout is a 30-minute aerobics workout done with Christian music (Toby Mac style) followed by a 5-10 minute message and prayer. Cornelius Lovelace, the owner of Fitness Bootcamp, leads the workout; I give the messages. This is one of the most rewarding hours of the week for me.”
Eric Warren pastors Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, a GCI congregation in Toronto, Ontario. He enjoys all-terrain biking in some of the more spectacular places in Canada. When he’s not out on his bike, he enjoys working around the house doing home renovation.
Eric grew up on a farm southwest of Regina, Saskatchewan. “I attended my first service at Regina WCG on May 8, 1976. My interest was sparked by my mother.” At that time, Eric never dreamed he would one day be pastoring the church in Regina. “Until I accepted Christ in the eleventh grade I was a quiet, bullied, social misfit with poor grades. It was far beyond my expectations that I would be in this role. The grace and gifting that flows from our Triune God is full of surprises!”
Eric went to Ambassador College in Pasadena and graduated in 1982. He met his wife Amy who was teaching third grade at Imperial Schools. “Amy Jordan and I married in August 1982. We have three children. Our son Brian (married to Melissa) is a high school art and music teacher. Our daughter Shannon is an ER and ICU nurse. Our youngest daughter Brittany is an esthetician. We have no grandchildren (yet!).
In 1982, Eric and Amy entered pastoral ministry in Halifax, Nova Scotia working with Jack and Betty Kost. “In 1986 I began pastoring churches in Moncton, New Brunswick and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. I believe the Spirit enabled these first stumbling steps into ministry and has been our increasing source of strength and direction since.” Eric also credits Amy as another Spirit-led source of strength and direction, saying, “Amy does a lot of volunteer work in the congregation and community and unofficially functions as an associate pastor.”
After serving in New Brunswick and Alberta, Eric and family moved to Regina to serve for 14 years at Pathway Community Church. This brings us to the present. “Amy and I felt led to move to Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Toronto in 2011 to succeed retiring Pastor Doug Smith. With his leadership, in 2007 the congregation purchased a building in the village of Mimico to passionately pursue community mission, to assist local businesses and help agencies in responding to diverse needs. Living within a kilometer of the church building allows us to experience these needs first-hand. Cornerstone is becoming a trusted member of the community and will receive an award for community service from the Business Improvement Association in July. There are an increasing number of people attending from the community, some of whom have been baptized.”
What Eric enjoys most about being a pastor is “the variety and challenge of assisting God in his redemption and development of people in the congregation and community.” Along with this, Eric shares what he enjoys most about being part of GCI: “GCI provides a basic orthodox statement of beliefs and a great deal of freedom for the congregation to customize itself for its context. It also provides significant resources and learning opportunities online.”
When asked about his passion, Eric referred to “all-age people development.” When asked about a most memorable moment, he referred to “performing our son’s wedding last year and performing those of our daughters within the next year.” Eric also refers to the value of mentoring by giving credit to pastor Dennis Lueck, a Lutheran pastor, “who walked with me in a mentoring relationship for 12 years; now retired and still a friend.”
Early Sunday mornings are among Eric’s favorite times. He calls these his “Sunday morning pre-service retreats” and says this is when he feels closest to God.
The day after Christmas in 2007, Mark and Joanne McCulley packed a truck and moved from Southern California to Arvada, Colorado to serve GCI’s Denver North and Colorado Springs churches. “It was both the fulfillment of a lifetime dream and the scariest thing I’d ever done,” Mark said. “Some five years later, I think both descriptions still apply!”
Joanne and Mark McCulley
Mark’s journey toward ministry began at about age eight. “I grew up near Wichita, Kansas and started attending the local congregation—then called the Radio Church of God—with my family in 1961. I remember praying one night, without knowing how, but realizing that I wanted to obey God (whoever he was) and needed him to take care of me.”
It was during his teen years that Mark became convinced he was to be a minister. “My first rude shock was that I was not accepted to Ambassador College like I was supposed to be and had to apply a second time. My second rude shock was, at the end of my junior year, two senior faculty members told me I wasn’t cut out for “the field.” So my senior year and graduation were a bit of a blur, because if I couldn’t be a minister, I really couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do. Two years later, I was able to land a job with the church’s Festival Office.”
Mark worked in the Festival Office for 19 years helping organize the fall festivals for WCG. After being laid off due to downsizing, he started his own business, organizing conferences for churches and other clients.
Mark has two children from his first marriage, Patrick and Heather. “I have no grandkids yet, but I’m keeping my knee ready for dandling, whatever that is.”
Mark met Joanne (whom he calls “The Lovely Joanne”) at church late in 2000. “We went from five-minute phone calls to two-hour calls to 1600 minutes per month on free mobile-to-mobile. We seriously thought about sending a wedding invitation to AT&T when we married in 2002. We still would rather talk to each other than anyone else. Joanne taught me (the native of a state with no discernible bodies of water) to enjoy the beach, and has even taken me on a scuba diving trip, on which I enjoyed watching her and the others dive. I also became a fairly decent snorkeler by the end of the week. She wants to retire by the beach, so I have to work on my metal-detector skills too.”
Mark says his most significant journey in GCI was “trying to comprehend and follow along with our denomination’s shift from legalism to grace. I learned what joy really was by being convinced, finally, that I’m saved by grace because of the immeasurable love of my Savior. But letting go of convictions I’d had since childhood was like letting go of one trapeze, not being sure I could catch the other one. As grace began to make more sense, and the more I’ve learned to focus on Jesus, the clearer everything else has become. I’ve described our experience as a denomination to be something like childbirth—those watching rejoice in the miracle, while the mother is screaming in distress!”
Mark had avoided talking to anyone about pastoral ministry for a long time “because I didn’t look forward to being turned down again. But in 2007, my wife and my dear friend Ken Williams both convinced me to ask to be considered for pastoral ministry for GCI. Soon we were buying airline tickets for Denver to visit two churches and see if moving there was the will of the Lord. Joanne had traveled to Colorado for business and was more than ready to move. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with the people in the churches there.” After praying with the leadership teams and all agreeing to seek God’s will, Mark and Joanne returned home. “When we landed back in California my phone had two voice-mail messages asking us to please come back. So nine weeks later, we waved goodbye to Los Angeles and started driving.”
Ken Williams continued to play a key role in Mark’s pastoral ministry by coaching Mark during his first year of ministry. Mark says he’s been blessed to have a number of good mentors in his life. “One of my bottom-line principles in ministry was given me by my dear friend Mel Dahlgren. ‘Love the people,’ he said. ‘You can’t change them, you can’t fix them and you can’t do anything else to help them except to love them.’” Mark also gives credit to Joanne. “She is about 97% of any wisdom I have in ministry. She loves on people in ways I wouldn’t have thought of, helps me figure out how to word difficult things and reminds me fairly often to follow Mel’s advice.”
Mark says he loves “reading the Bible and finding some nugget—usually with someone else’s help—that the Lord hid there to show me how much bigger his mind and love are than I realized. I love finding a way to explain that bigness to people by using stories or cartoons or physical examples.” Mark said finding that new nugget makes him feel like a kid in a candy store who just found a new flavor. “I wrestle with God in prayer, but I run and play with God in study. (Wow, I just realized that, and I’m blown away!).”
Being a pastor is hard work but quite rewarding, Mark shares. “Preaching is hard work. Sitting with people as they go through life’s challenges is also hard work, especially when I forget to wait on Jesus to say something first. Reading all the books I’m supposed to read is just impossible. But it’s all worth it when someone calls and says they’ve had a breakthrough in their walk with Jesus and others. It’s even better when that didn’t even result from something I said, because then I’d try to say it again. But I live for those breakthroughs! At the end of my time, I think the sweetest sound I could hear is that I somehow helped another person see Jesus better.”
PS: The Denver North GCI church is part of an inter-denominational group of over 50 churches in Arvada (www.artofneighboring.com). The group started five years ago and is focused on getting to know our neighbors and loving them in Jesus’ name. “We pastors are becoming friends and allies, helping each other find better ways to be the kind of neighbors we should be, doing kingdom work together.”
Rod Dean, GCI pastor in Sydney, Australia, grew up in one of the beachside suburbs of Sydney and had a childhood many dream of. “I had a typical Aussie background enjoying rugby, weightlifting, body surfing, cricket and golf. My grandfather fought in World War I and my father in World War II. So I grew up immersed in Australian traditions.”
Rod says he was one of the first state-school educated people to be selected for a university scholarship by CSR, a private school. “I got my Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New South Wales, majoring in statistics and trained as a chemist and factory manager. I did a research project and was about to computerize CSR’s central laboratories when I was asked to leave because of my beliefs.”
Those beliefs started when Rod heard The World Tomorrow program in February 1966. “The message seemed to be practical and relevant. I attended my first church service at the Blackheath Feast in 1967 and was baptized in 1968. I particularly delighted in two teachings: the concept of sonship and the optimistic hope for everyone. I also found a depth in understanding the Old Testament background to the New Testament. My first Lord’s Supper service was joyous and meaningful to me since it happened the day after I was baptized. I remember vividly coming home after baptism and saying in prayer: ‘I am your son and you are my Father.’ That sense of privilege has been with me through thick and thin.”
After losing his job with CSR, Rod thought about starting a new career as an actuary, though at the same time he applied to Ambassador College and was accepted. Rod graduated in 1973 and married Vicki, who was a transfer student to Ambassador College in Bricket Wood, England. They have two adult children, Jenny and Barry and two grandchildren, Beatrice and Claudia.
“After graduation I was sent back to Australia to pastor the Newcastle and Grafton churches under the supervision of John Halford, who was in Sydney at that time. I was ordained in 1974. Since then I have worked in Melbourne, Brisbane, Indiana (US) and now in Sydney with the Wollongong, Canberra and Bathurst congregations.”
“I have been through many of the ups and downs over the years. But I have to say the wonderful people who have invited me into their lives have kept me in ministry. I am continually overwhelmed by their generosity, especially to the needy. They relate spontaneously to Jesus’ example and teaching regarding those who are hungry, cold and without shelter.”
This generous spirit has enabled the congregations Rod serves to reach out to many GCI brothers and sisters around the world. “It has been the passion of this area to be a brother to our international family in Papua New Guinea, Africa, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar.”
Rod still enjoys getting out and enjoying the beauty of Australia. “I enjoy rowing, walking in my personal refuge at Bobbin Head, which has lovely waterways and virgin bush and is just a ten-minute drive from home. I also enjoy body surfing in the summer at Warriewood, my favorite beach. I always feel like a carefree child in my Father’s arms in these situations. I also have coached basketball for Special Olympics for almost eight years. This has always been a pleasure and I feel embarrassed when they thank me, since I enjoy it so much.”
When asked about mentors, Rod said there were several. “I have often thought about who I have respected and learned from. At Ambassador College, Leon Walker and Francis Bergin were formative. In the ministry, one can never forget John Halford, Dennis Luker and Dean Wilson. They all showed trust in me as a young man and allowed me a lot of freedom to grow and develop. I have tried to do that with the young men and women I have mentored over the years. I love the energy and enthusiasm, talent and creativity of young people. A highlight of my pastorates has been the 16 camps I worked at with our young adult team in Victoria during the middle 70s to 80s. Their children now have children.”
Rod mentioned a book that has also been influential in his ministry: Community and Growth, by Jean Vanier. “His reflections on life in community with those with an intellectual disability have influenced how I understand what it means to be a community in our congregations.”
When asked about GCI, Rod said, “I think the most important refocusing in the last few years has been how Jesus is the center of all our knowledge of God. I like this comment from Gerrit Dawson: ‘…All knowledge of God now centers in the person of Christ. All truth about who God is, is shown to us in the face of Jesus Christ.’”
