I wasn’t really interested in taking a job at Mount Hermon. Jan and I had just stepped away from institutional Christianity after leaving our Youth Pastor post and were fully enjoying living out the church in the everyday. A freedom and connection we have never experienced as a couple or in our connection with God. We were very grateful for our past experiences/relationships that were formed from our past church contexts, but quite content with living out a new reality. After a couple emails from respected friends who thought the Staff Pastor position at Mount Hermon would be a good fit, I dragged myself (more or less to appease my friends and my curiosity) into an interview that changed everything.
It was MUCH more a conversation than an interview, between myself and would-be boss Danny Wallen. After a couple hours of mutual sharing, there was very little doubt that I would be spending my summer in this role. With the role revolving around teaching and shepherding of the summer staff, I couldn’t have imagined a better fit. Little did I know that the highlight would soon become the lifelong relationships that Janny and I have been able to establish.
We have been blown away by the transparency and shared stages of life that we have encountered. I can honestly say that it was one of the last places I would expect to come into connection with so many Jesus followers who were/are asking hard questions about what it looks like to live out the church. As is often the case, Janny and I feel as though the mutual sharing of our stories, between us as the rest of the staff, has done more “ministering” to us than we have “ministered” to them.
It is now coming to the end of summer and the farewells are bearing down on us, but it is with more anticipation at what God is doing than in reflection of what He has done. We are sad and excited to see one of our closest couple friends, Jesse and Katie Rice(check out his new book! http://www.amazon.com/Church-Facebook-Generation-Redefining-Community/dp/1434765342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249685122&sr=8-1) move up to Portland, but their VERY similar story to ours has been incredible to share in this summer.
I have alot more to write (mainly because I am so bad at updating this thing), but I will stop for now and put in some pics from the past few weeks of Huckins’ festivity!
Our Family in Capitola
My Good Buddy Allen and I Conquered the Mighty Wharf to Wharf
Some of the Mount Hermon Staff at our Dirty Convicts game on the Boardwalk
I look forward to seeing the next chapter of your lives unfold. You are a special man (I assume your wife is special too, since she married you!) & I can't wait to see what God has in store for you. Too, I'm glad Mt. Hermon was such a blessing.
I am very blessed to know you, my friend. And VERY thankful that you agreed to that interview. Knowing you and Jan has made the summer very meaningful for Katie and I. Can't wait to see what God does next in all of our lives. Especially Harry's. He's an instrument of God, that pooch is.