‍Where do you work?

My wife Susan and I work in Italy in a town north of Milan of about 12,000 people.  

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Describe what you do.

Sue and I are one of three couples on a church planting team.  We serve an Italian Protestant congregation of about 60 people and an International English-speaking congregation of about 30 individuals. I am the assistant pastor and help with leading worship, preaching on occasion, and doing pastoral visitation. Susan uses her musical talents to lead up our worship teams.  She has also enjoyed teaching conversation English in the local Italian public schools. 

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Why did you choose your ministry? What led you to that ministry? 

My wife and I met in 1983 at a Christian camp in PA.  I was led into missions through the ministry of Hawthorne Gospel Church, where I had many opportunities to discover the joy of serving the Lord, and where I was exposed to global missions. After getting married and attending a year of Bible training at Moody Bible Institute Sue and I joined a mission organization and were directed to serve full-time at the same camp where we had met three years earlier. For the next 16 years, we served in Christian camping ministry - 5 years in the USA followed by 11 years in the country of Italy.   In 2003 the Lord led Sue and me to change mission organizations and spend 10 years serving at Black Forest Academy in Germany, a school dedicated to offering a Christian education alternative to missionary and other ex-pat families' children after which Sue and I accepted the challenge to return to Italy and serve where we have now been for the past 71/2 years.

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When did you make the decision to serve in missions - how old were you?

I was about 24 years old.  My wife, Sue was impressed with the idea of missions as a teenager while serving on staff at camp.

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Why did you decide on serving in this way? Why missions? 

I discovered the joy of serving the Lord as well as my gift of working with children at HGC. So, when challenged at a mission’s conference to serve "full-time" as a missionary I said yes, feeling that if the Lord kept that door open and led me in that direction, I would follow.  I was counseled by the pastors of HGC to pursue Bible training and to pray about finding a wife.  During my first year of Bible school, I met my wife-to-be, Sue.  Sue was influenced as a teen by the stories and lives of missionary women who came to speak at camp as missionaries of the week.

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Have you had other occupations?

After graduating from college with a degree in Environmental Science I worked for 3 1/2 years at a state park in NJ, where I worked as a park ranger and on the maintenance crew.  I also worked for a consulting forestry service on the side. Sue worked as a nurse's aide at two different nursing homes in the Hawthorne area. 

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Hobbies or other interests?

I have always loved the outdoors and science.  I grew up fishing and hunting and I enjoyed camping out with the Boy Scouts and with my friends.  Wherever we have lived I have also enjoyed bird-watching and keying out wildflowers and trees. I also like studying theology, apologetics, creation science, and intelligent design. Sue played softball in high school, volleyball in college, and learned to play the guitar. She also loves gardening and yard work and being involved in the lives of teenagers.

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Your favorite sport? Favorite team?

 She would probably say that her favorite team would be the Mets, as they were her grandparent's favorite team.  Having lived most of our 37 years of marriage in Europe we have become soccer fans as well.

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