Troy and Free

So the church I'm a part of in Ann Arbor, New Life Church, is currently sending some of its staff and members to East Lansing to help get a campus ministry going on MSU's campus. Of the people taking this huge step in faith are two close friends that are/were on staff with New Life. While both these guys have helped get me involved in the church, and I admire them both for their faith, they certainly are two different men. We are the Body of Christ and they are certainly two different parts of the body. Yet together they will make quite the asset for getting the campus ministry going. It is really hard to believe that they both came to Michigan as nonbelievers, while in Ann Arbor accepted Christ as their Savior, dedicated their lives to the work of the Church, and are now heading out to a new campus to expand the Kingdom.

Troy

Troy and I met at the start of the fall 2004 semester. I was in search of a church in Ann Arbor that I could get involved with, and New Life really fit the mold of what I was looking for. It is a church that doesn't bend when it comes to scripture, dedicated to introducing college students to Christ, and completely welcoming to anyone that is interested. However I wasn't sure if I would fit in, but Troy immeditately invited me to join his Small Group/Bible Study. I quickly saw that Troy was an exceptional man. Three words come to mind when I think of Troy; humble, loving, and honest. If I'm being honest, before meeting Troy it had been probably since grade school that I took anyones advice on my faith. I was pretty sure I had learned all I needed and could work on learning to listen to God's voice. Troy, without even trying, gave me tons of intruction. His humility told me that he wasn't trying to show how he was better than me, his loving nature assured me that he really only wanted the best for me, and his honesty helped me open up to him. I latter had the pleasure of leading the group with Troy, which allowed me to recieve direct instruction from him on my leadership skills...thanks Troy, you can't be replaced.

John Freeman

John is a pastor at New Life, but you will not hear anyone call him pastor Freeman, John, Freeman, but simply Free. What I quickly learned is that there couldn't be a more fitting name for him. He is both free from the pointless constraints of this world and basking in the freedom that Christ offers through the cross. While he seems a bit wild for a pastor (even a campus pastor), he is totally serious about the things that truly matter in the world (his wife and family, tending to the believers he has been entrusted with, and seeking opportunities to spread the Gospel). I never really got to know him until last summer when I began leading the Small Group while Troy was in Florida. Each week we would have lunch once, meet in a large group for discipliship, and usually get together to watch the Pistons or something fun. During this time I gained a lot of respect for Free and came to think of him as a friend.

These two men have really been a core component of our Off Campus ministry at New Life, and their absence will be impossible to replace. However I certainly know that they are doing the right thing leaving the church because they both were called by God (basically against their own wills). I was fortunate to have been instructed by these two, and blessed to have become their friends. I look forward to seeing how they will be used to change MSU's campus, and East Lansing isn't too far.