I had made the long drive to Walla Walla University from Canada to visit my daughter. She was in her third year there, and my wife and I had not yet made the trip south to visit her at the during the annual WWU Parent Weekend. I had come a long way from Ontario, Canada and realized that I was only a four-hour drive from the Oregon Conference office, where I had recently been invited to become the new director of Community Engagement, Adventist Community Services, and Disaster Response.
It was a lovely October day when I pulled my car into the parking lot. As I slowly climbed out of my car, I looked around. I was immediately impressed by the vast, park-like property, seemingly right in the middle of a small city. I was even more impressed by the quality of people I would be working with soon. After high school graduation, I found myself, for my first year of post-secondary education, at Southeast Asia Union College in Singapore.
Now I was beginning a new phase of ministry in the Oregon Conference. But President Dan Linrud wanted something more for this particular position.
An intentional focus on mentoring pastors and inspiring leaders and congregations to become more engaged with their communities was the goal. Because of my 10 years of experience running several unique ministries of compassion at Church in the Valley in Canada, it made me a good match for inspiring positive change in the Northwest.
Since coming to this conference, my goal has been to meet pastors and church members and offer training and support. Suddenly there is purpose and an outward focus. My dream is that more of our churches will become less like private Adventist clubs and more inviting to everyone. When our churches start catching the vision for community engagement, it will spark a movement across the entire North American Division.
