I moved to Belmont, New Hampshire in the fall of 2006. So much for living near Boston. Anyway, here's what my bio was before I moved... I was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. (Quincy is the first town south of Boston) I live about a mile from the hospital I was born in. (That hospital no longer has a maternity ward ...hmmm) I have moved six times in my life, but I have never left Quincy. I am the youth pastor of the youth group I went to and I also substitute teach in the Quincy public school system where I teach along side of the teachers that once taught me. I didn't get far in life. It's kind of pathetic and kind of cool at the same time. I wouldn't trade it. I was able to eventually get land in Quincy (that's a miracle in itself) and build a house. I think I'll live here forever. I live across the only barn left in my city and I try to grow corn in my front yard during the summer. I have been a youth pastor at my church since February of 1989. My senior pastor at the time (Russell Metcalfe) asked me and my wife to teach 2nd grade Sunday school. I asked for two weeks to "pray" about it. I didn't want to weeks to pray about it, I wanted to weeks to come up with an excuse to say "no". I couldn't come up with anything decent so, out of respect for my pastor, I agreed to take on the task. In the fall of 1989 we (my wife, Jill, and I) had moved up to the 3rd and 4th graders. In the spring of 1991 we move up to the 5th and 6th graders. We named them the "Early Youth Group". I hated the sound of pre-teens (we're not teens yet), tweens (that sounds like country twins with no teeth), and had never heard of the "club 56" thing - which isn't too bad. We still work with the Early Youth and treat them almost like a Jr. High youth group. In the spring of 2001 I added the Jr. High group to my ministry and became part-time paid (full time work) at my church. I know the joys and pains of being a volunteer and the joys and pains of being staff. However, there is nothing more exciting than watching students grow in Christ and to have that opportunity to share that journey with them. I try to keep my wife away from the Jr. High stuff. She has a full time job and is the one that supports me. I don't want her to get burnt out. Working with 10-12 year olds can take a lot out of a person. She still spends time with the older students, many that we have kept friends with into and past college, but the majority of her time is with the Early Youth. Well, that's my short history of me in Quincy doing youth ministry. I love God, I love my wife, I love my kids (my youth group), I love my job. Even though it is sometimes stressful it is always fun working for and with God. My opinion on the best way to do any type of ministry is to be relational. To build up friendships with those that are around you. And through those friendships and bonds of trust God will present you with opportunities to witness and minister to those you have become friends with. ...one relationship at a time. I have one prayer that I pray often: Please Lord, let me see Jesus in those you place around me. And, please, Lord, let them see Jesus in me. -Amen -Brian