 Get to know Pastor Anton from this Q&A! Tell us a bit about your beginnings. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? What did you want to be when you grew up? My hometown was Millinocket, Maine -- a small town of approximately 10,000 people in the northern wilderness, five to six hours north of Boston. I graduated from George W. Stearns High School in 1988 and left for Gordon College, later finishing my undergrad at the University of Maine. I was raised in a Roman Catholic family, and by the age of 9 wanted to become a priest. In some Roman Catholic families, having a priest in the family is prestigious. My family was nominally devout so it wasn't out of that motivation; I just sensed the desire to serve God. I also wanted to be a pianist and a physician. Tell us about your story -- your personal and spiritual story. As a young child, by the age of 9, I had a clear sense of my brokenness and sin. This was an innate sense. Sin weighed heavily on me, and I knew I was powerless to effectually deal with it. Yet I was taught that God held me responsible for it. In my discipleship in the Roman Catholic tradition, I had no assurance of forgiveness and redemption, and this caused me to become angry as a teenager -- that I was responsible for something I could not fix, that I could not be redeemed from it, that I was without hope. Through searching many different avenues of redemption such as Buddhism, Transcendental Meditation, and even Dianetics, I became more hopeless and desperate. Then at the age of 18, my girlfriend (who is now my wife) shared the Gospel with me. I was not receptive. But several months later I happened to open a Bible I received at my First Communion and opened to Ephesians 5:13 and read, "Awake, O Sleeper, rise from the dead and Christ will give you light." I awoke and arose. In that moment I devoted my life to Christ. What led you into ordained ministry? What excites you most about being a pastor? I sensed a call as a young child, but by my teen years I was deeply interested in microbiology and medicine. So through my 20's and into my early 30's I wrestled with that call, whether I should be in pastoral ministry or take a vocation as a physician. I took two months off and prayed. It was clear for me that the cure of souls was the higher calling above the cure of men's bodies. What excites me most? People -- and seeing the Gospel works its way through and bear fruit in their lives. As you embark upon your new ministry at Bridgeway, what opportunities and challenges do you see on the horizon? Bridgeway is an amazing multi-ethnic family that reflects our community. We need to be intentional about continuing that and nurturing it. In Bridgeway's DNA is the living out of the irreducible core of our faith: loving God, loving others, and making disciples. Because of this Bridgeway has an incredible opportunity to be a center for making disciples, imparting to men, women, and children a way of life that leads us to great devotion to Jesus, His church, and His mission in Haledon. Challenge? That we trust God for the amazing destiny He holds for us at Bridgeway and not hold back. What is one thing about you that people don't know? It can be something crazy, unique, or f ascinating, such as -- you're a contortionist, you eat Brussels sprouts for breakfast; you once played checkers with Margaret Thatcher ...  What is one thing you've always wanted to try but haven't gotten up the courage to do so, or haven't yet had the opportunity? Perhaps you've always wanted to travel to an exotic locale, dye your hair pink, ride an elephant ... I would love to spend a few weeks in Eastern Europe ... Prague is a place [in which] I think I could spend a huge amount of time! What's your favorite movie? Favorite type of music? Favorite Food? You get the idea ... Movie: Gladiator Type of music: Punk and Dark Wave Food: Sushi What are some of the things you enjoy doing in your spare time? I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids on road trips, days at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reading ...  |
|
|
Meet Pastor Anton Brown |