Places I've Lived
1956-1966: Huntington, Ind.
My parents met at Huntington College, and we lived there my first nine years, through the end of third grade.
1966-1969: Harrisburg, Pa.
We lived on a beautiful four-acre property. I attended grades 4-6 here, plus the first half of 7th grade. We all loved living in Pennsylvania. I played little league baseball, became a Christian at summer church camp (Rhodes Grove Camp in Greencastle, Pa.), and got baptized by my future boss, Ray Seilhamer (then my pastor at Devonshire UB church in Harrisburg).
1970-1973: Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
We moved here in January 1970, halfway through my 7th grade year. We stayed until the end of my 10th grade year, when we entered the ministry. We started out in a trailor, moved into a rental home, then bought our own home. I played freshman and JV basketball, and was on the chess team. These were the best years of my childhood. I loved the desert. Roamed all over on my Honda 100. Our Bible quiz team at the church was superb, and we went to the nationals in Huntington, Ind., four times.
1973-1975: Pixley, Calif.
This was our first pastorate--and, in fact, the only place where I was a live-at-home preacher's kid. I was here for my last two years of high school, graduating in 1975 from Tulare Union High School. I just barely made it into the top ten percent academically. I sat the bench on the JV basketball team as a junior; the varsity won the San Joaquin Valley championship, which is a big deal, and our second-best player, Greg Deane, played several years for the Utah Jazz. I also played two years on the varsity tennis team, the last year as captain. We won the conference championship both years, and ended up third in the Valley.
1975-1979: Huntington College in Huntington, Ind.
These were my college years. I lived on campus for three years, then moved off-campus with two friends during my senior year. I played four years on the tennis team--three years at the number 2 slot and finally, as a senior, at number 1. No championships. I started working at the United Brethren Headquarters at the end of my junior year, just part-time.
1979-1989: Huntington, Ind.
For my first ten years our of college, I lived in Huntington while working at the United Brethren International Offices. I was very active in the New Hope United Brethren church in Huntington, which is where I met Pam. She began attending there are a student in 1980.
1989-present: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Pam and I both moved from Huntington to Fort Wayne in January of 1989. We were in different apartment complexes about five miles apart. We were married on July 22, 1989, at Emmanuel Community UB church. In 1998, we became part of a core group which did a "restart" of the Third Street UB church near downtown Fort Wayne, a church now called Anchor Community Church.