Comments:
After High School, I spent a year in college in Springfield Mo at Evangel College (Assemblies of God Liberal Arts college). I didn't exactly know what I was going to college for and decided to go home and get a job (rather than to build up a huge college bill). I went home and worked at the Alton Box Board from 1971 to 1976. During that time, I got married on August 19, 1972, to Barbara, who I had dated through HS. In 1974 we had our son - Chris. He is married with two children - and works as a Computer Information consultant. In 1976, I quit the Box Board and move my family back to Springfield Mo and attended Central Bible College ... finished in two years with a B.A. in Biblical studies. Then we moved to Covington Indiana to work as a youth minister; While there my daughter Sarah was born (1978). Sarah is a single mom with two boys ... Cameron and Jaden. She got her Masters Degree in Human Resources but works for Express Scripts (not sure what her title is, but it has nothing to do with her degree).
Over the next several years after leaving the youth pastorate, I became the Sr. Pastor at a church in Decatur Indiana. Moved back to Illinois in 1981 to Pastor a church in Taylorville, then moved to Bethalto in 1984 to be the Sr. Pastor, and from there I moved to Troy, MO, (1987) to be their Sr. Pastor. We remained in Troy until 1998, where I experienced some personal family issues - serious enough that I needed to move away from the ministry. I thought that it would be temporary, but so far it has looked more like an early retirement from pastoring. Not sure how it happened altogether, but I felt like God opened the door for me to begin working in the financial industry, which is where I am still making my living. For the past 10+ years, I have worked for Scottrade (an online discount brokerage firm) - 9 of those years have been in the Compliance department. Actually, my skills in dealing with people going through problem issues have come in very handy in my present position, but my main focus is on making sure the company operates within the guides of Federal regulations (which are ever-changing).
As of March 2018, after almost 20 years, I retired from the financial industry and have returned full time to ministry as the lead pastor of City Temple Assembly of God in Granite City IL.
As of September 2019, I "Semi-Retired" (whatever that means) and have accepted the position of Senior Adults Pastor at Abundant Life Community Church in Alton, IL.
