Who's the New Guy & What's He Doing Here?

February, 2006

by: Tim Carns

Life has interesting turns and twists, doesn’t it? Writing this article is one of them for me. I was trained as an engineer with minimal vocabulary and no creative writing skills whatsoever. Yet, here I am trying to write something that would maintain your interest and help your growth in Christ. For an electrical engineer to write creatively and give something that is interesting is like telling a snail to slither on salt—it just doesn’t come easy and can be very painful! So, here’s my attempt at my very first Calvary Review article as the Adult Ministries Pastor.

I thought I would take the opportunity in this first article to let you know a little more about me and how the Lord has brought me to serve here at Calvary. I won’t give my entire testimony since you can find it on Calvary’s website. So, I’ll start from the time I became a Christian. After spending several years growing in the Lord at Grace Community Church, getting married to my wife Tina (we just celebrated our 16th anniversary!), and finishing my schooling in engineering, God took us to a remote part of the United States—Boise, Idaho! It was while we were looking for a church there that we met this couple who had kids close to the ages of ours. They were very involved in the church and likeminded to us in many ways. We decided to stay there and serve with this couple. Who would have realized that over 11 years later I would be working alongside that same man I met, no longer an engineer, but as a fellow pastor? Yes, it was Jack and Lisa Hughes that God brought along our path one Sunday in July of 1994.

After serving in leadership and being involved in various fellowship ministries I desired to get more training to be able to study and teach the Scriptures more effectively. I also wanted to spend more time with people and help them be more like Christ. Thus, God put it on my heart to go into the ministry full-time, so we returned back to Los Angeles so that I could be trained at The Master’s Seminary. We did not have to spend any time looking for a church to serve in when we got here. The natural choice was Calvary Bible Church and not just because Jack and Lisa were here. This church was a key part of our lives during some difficult times that came about during my wife’s pregnancy with our youngest daughter. You saints at Calvary faithfully prayed and some even corresponded with us even though you did not know us. In the two years that we have been here we have been blessed by the many of you that God has brought into the lives of our family. Originally, we had not planned on staying in California. We thought we would come to Master’s to get the training and then return back to Idaho to serve there. Well, the Lord had different plans for us. The doors for ministry had closed in Idaho and God opened new ones for us to be able to stay here at Calvary and for me to be the Adult Ministries Pastor.

Now some of you may be saying, “What is an Adult Ministries Pastor and what will he be doing?” Well, I am glad that you asked. Initially, I will be working part-time as I still have about 20 units left for seminary which I will finish, Lord willing, this December. The areas of my responsibility include overseeing the Counseling Ministry, all the Adult Ministries (after College Age), and some administrative functions with the staff and the elder team. Much of my initial focus will be organizing the counseling, continuing the Parenting Class, assisting the Men’s Ministry, and working with the staff. I’ll also be looking in on the different adult fellowship groups to better familiarize myself with all the ministries that go on here at Calvary. So, you may see me pop into your Sunday School class from time to time. As I transition to full-time toward the end of the summer I’ll take on more responsibility in these areas as well as some others. Tina and I are grateful to be here and look forward with anticipation as to what God has planned for Calvary in 2006.

Now that I’ve let you get to know me a little better, I’d like to get to know you. Please feel free to call me (extension 106) or drop by my office (upstairs next to Brock) when you have time.