How did I get here?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In September of 1997, I found myself in the Homer Babbidge Library at UConn, reading an article in Christianity Today on trends they were seeing in youth and young adult ministry. I was a senior at UConn, thinking about where I would end up when I graduated. It had been quite a journey at UConn. On the second day of college, I had committed my life to Jesus. Since then, I had gotten involved in a Christian fellowship group called InterVarsity, joined the staff of a parachurch ministry called Musicon, and served two summers as the Youth Program Director at South United Methodist Church in Manchester, making many wonderful friends along the way. As I entered my senior year, I knew that I wanted to keep following Jesus wherever He might lead.

As I read the article, my eyes landed on a picture, a close-up of a young woman in worship, eyes closed and hands slightly raised. Something about that picture captured my heart. I knew in that moment that I wanted to be a part of leading young people to worship Jesus. I loved the young people I had ministered to at South United Methodist and at Musicon, and I knew I wanted to give my life to helping teens in the greater Hartford area connect to God. I wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like. All I knew is that I wanted to disciple young people, I wanted to stay near Manchester, and I wanted to minister to more than just a local church.

One month later, I ended up in Glastonbury with Joy, the junior high group of Musicon Ministries. Musicon was a ministry based out of New Britain that gathered teens together for the summer to learn about Jesus, learn a Christian musical, and then take it on tour for a week or two during the summer and four weekends throughout the year. This year, the play was about a youth pastor taking his youth group on a retreat and teaching them the book of Ephesians. I was playing the youth pastor. For Sunday of our fall weekend, we had been invited by Tracy Wu, one of the Musicon cast members, to her church, a small church that met at Academy School called NewLife Christian Fellowship.  

We had a great time of ministry, worship, and fellowship. After the service had ended, the pastor of NewLife, Peter Dewberry, approached the director of Musicon, Jon Colegrove, and told him that the church had been praying for a youth pastor, and that if Jon came across anyone who might be interested, to let him know. “Actually,” Jon replied, “I might have someone for you.” He introduced me to Peter. The next week, we met up at Friendly’s by the UConn campus. Peter told me that they were looking for someone who had a heart for discipleship, not a fun and games style of youth ministry. He said they were a regional church, and they wanted someone with a heart for not just one church but the region. And, of course, the church was in Glastonbury, just to the south of Manchester. Everything I was looking for was everything they were praying for. It seemed clear that God was in this.

I came on as a part-time youth pastor during my last semester at UConn, with the understanding that if things were going well, that I would go full-time when I graduated. In May of 1998, I moved to Manchester and came on staff full-time. Four and a half years later, I left for seminary, and in 2006, I returned as the Senior Pastor.

This Sunday, we are celebrating our 30th anniversary of a church. It is easy for me to look back at the missed opportunities, the conflicts, the failures, and all the ways that I and we have fallen short of God’s glory. But I need to remember that those 30 years also include stories of God at work in my life and the lives of others, loving us, leading us, refining us, and using each of us in the service of His glorious gospel. I am thankful for God’s leading in my life, and I am thankful that God led me to NewLife.