I was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and was raised Catholic, attending Catholic school up
through the eighth grade. In my high school years, I walked away from the Catholic
church and went on to a secular high school and college. I graduated from Arizona State
University with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. It was my intention to become a
police officer, but I decided to make a change in direction shortly after receiving my
degree.
I had worked for a large grocery chain since age 14 and continued in produce
management for several years after graduation. I learned much about running a
business in those years and am so grateful for the on-the-job training I received. I also
loved basketball and started coaching youth basketball, as a volunteer, for the
downtown YMCA. My love for basketball propelled me to continue my education so that
I could eventually work with kids.
In the meantime, we hired a young lady to start a floral department in our store. She
was a Christian and was not shy about her faith. She began to share verses with me
and we would often discuss things about the Bible. What impressed me was the fact
that she knew countless verses by heart. As she shared, I would write some of the
verses down. Later, I would look in my Catholic Bible at home to see if she knew what
she was talking about. To my amazement, she did! In fact, I was so impressed at how
many verses she knew by heart. Out of curiosity, I started to visit her church. Highland
Bible Church was a church consisting of about 100 people. The men in the church
latched onto me and made me their friend. These men would invite me to their men’s
breakfast and we would talk and pray together. One of these men was a dynamic
Sunday school teacher. His teaching was so convicting that I often wanted to get up and
leave, but I didn’t. I was convicted of my sin and the truth that he would present. God
had His Hand upon me and was gently bringing me to the place where I would realize
my need for a Savior. In April of 1984, at the end of one of our pastor’s messages, I
believed on Jesus Christ and accepted Him as my Savior. I finally came to the place
where I realized that I must put my faith and trust in Christ alone for my salvation. From
that point on, my life was never the same and many, many changes occurred.
One of the key changes that occurred was a career switch. I had continued taking
education classes, finished my student teaching and began to actively look for a
teaching position in the public school. Every place I would apply, there was a huge
stack of applications for one position and I continued to come up empty. A friend at
church suggested looking at some of the area Christian schools. One school, Western
Christian School, was looking for a social studies teacher and a varsity basketball and
baseball coach. My interview went well, but the principal stated that while he would love
to hire me, he felt that I was a baby Christian and did not have the spiritual maturity
necessary for a Christian school teacher. I continued looking for a teaching position with
no success. One day, I was driving home and was heading north on Interstate 17 in
Phoenix, when on the southbound side of the freeway, a bus was broken down. As I
passed by, I saw the name Western Christian School on the side. I took the next exit
and pulled up behind the bus (before cell phones) and offered my help while identifying
who I was. There were two classes of kindergartners on the bus, and they were out of
control. The teachers were beside themselves and didn’t know what to do, so I went to
call for help and then came back to stay with them. As a result, the administrator called
to thank me and invited me back for a second interview. I was hired and started my first
Christian school teaching and coaching job.
I had no intent of staying in a profession that paid little and demanded so much, but the
Lord used the first year to cause me to grow and depend upon Him. In addition to this,
God used this experience to shape a strong philosophy of Christian education in my
heart. We had our first daughter that year and received only about two-thirds of our pay
as the school was floundering financially. The high school closed down at the end of the
school year, causing us to move on to another Christian school in the area.
For the past 40 years, I have been involved in Christian school education. My five
daughters have known no other form of schooling. I have taught many different classes
from third through twelfth grades: secondary social studies, English, and Bible courses.
I have been an administrator of several schools for the majority of that time. For 13
years, I served as the school administrator and pastoral staff member at Fourth Baptist
Church and Christian School in Plymouth, Minnesota. A number of years ago, I
completed a Master’s of Ministry degree from Northland Baptist Bible College.
Additionally, I have served in churches while serving in a Christian school ministry. I have
served as an associate pastor, an interim pastor, filled the pulpit at many churches, and taught in
Sunday school, served as an elder, and headed up a parenting and evangelism group
ministry. The Lord led us to make a ministry change, and I have now been the senior
pastor of Maywood for two and a half years.
I have five daughters and fifteen grandchildren, and my wife of 38 years recently passed
from cancer. I am grateful to be here to serve a wonderful and loving church family.
~Pastor Alan
