I grew up in Smithsburg, MD, just a few miles from Camp David. My family started going to church when I was about 7 years old. I began to learn just how much God loved me in spite of my own failures. Even at a young age, I had a great deal of things that I wasn’t telling anyone, that only God knew I was wrestling with. I made my decision to follow Christ at age 8, but I’m still figuring out what that means every day.
In high school, I joined a small group and this spurred all kinds of strange growth in my life. My youth pastor encouraged me, a backward and bashful 14 year old, to serve in leading worship, teaching a small group, and servant leadership. God really surprised me by using me in areas I thought myself weak. It still doesn’t make sense. I realized just how hurting the average teen was and how many secret burdens they carry. I became passionate about helping kids realize that God’s love comes in their size. By age 17, I decided I wanted to reach out to youth.
Just before leaving for college, I went to Ecuador with Christ in Youth. This trip had a profound impact on me. From 2001-2005, I studied at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. I majored in Christian mission and also English writing. At college, God impressed on my heart the need for Good News and for authentic Christians in other countries. The result: six months in Kenya and another month in Burkina Faso. I can’t shake the sense that we aren’t the church when we don’t have a mission, both locally and globally. My hope is that the youth ministry can be a nurturing ground for future missionaries and that the rest of the church will follow suit.
In 2003, I met Larry Veach. He and the leadership of New Life took a chance on me and allowed me to serve on a short-term basis. Thanks to their faith in me, I learned so much and got to see where God wanted me post-college. In May 2005, I graduated, was ordained, and moved to Winchester. I’ve fallen in love with New Life, which surprised me with its warmth and community. I’m never more comfortable than when I’m surrounded by teens or kids. Perhaps my biggest surprise, I met my best friend and future wife, Anita Zutaut. We’ll be married in March 2008. To sum it up, God knows what he is doing.
Now the full time “youth and missions guy,” I hope that I can give all the pieces of my own life and story so that our church can reach the world and that our kids can join the family of God, fall in love with God’s word, and follow Christ’s call.