We want you to get to know every one of the leaders and what brought them to plant within Reunion. In this week's Newsletter, we want to introduce you to our youth pastor, Justin Glass. Below is his story of how he came to be part of the Reunion Church team.
How did I get involved with Reunion Church? Well, it’s a funny story. But first, let’s go back to 2003. when I first met Andrew. I was sitting in my freshman year biology class, the new kid on the block. I had just moved here from out of state and knew nobody. No one really gave me a second look, except Andrew. Eventually I found myself in a bad place with some bad kids who, in a way, took me in and called me a friend. I was new and desperate to make friends and so I ended up doing things with these new "friends" that I still regret to this day. Andrew, knowing that I was hanging out with the wrong crew, started to invite me to a youth group where he was one of the student leaders and the youth pastor's right hand man.
For months, Andrew continued inviting me, and I continued refusing. After my life began to spiral downhill quickly, I finally cracked. I thought, "I could probably use some of this Jesus stuff in my life." So I went, and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. As my freshman year was coming to a close, I was invited with the youth group to go to this event called Acquire the Fire. It was at that event I gave my life to Christ.
I ran to Andrew in tears of joy, shouting, "Ok, I did it! I gave my life to Christ! What's next?!" Andrew smiled and said, "Now, I disciple you." Not really knowing what that meant, I was on board and excited. As the years went by, Andrew invested his time and heart into me. He showed me true discipleship and what it means to teach the Head, Heart and Hands of Jesus.
It is now 2021. My wife and I had just moved outside of Reunion and were looking for a new church to be a part of. I got a text from Andrew asking if I wanted to grab some lunch and talk since it's been a while. Excited to see this big lug, I was all for it! We sat down and he told me he was planting a church in Reunion and was looking for a youth pastor. He said to me "I would love for you to be our youth pastor." Without hesitation I just said "YES!"
My passion has always been youth ministry, teaching, disciplining and growing with my students. At this point, I've been doing youth ministry at a few different churches for over a decade now. Watching my students grow passionately in love with Jesus, while serving and being the hands and feet of Jesus to their friends, family and communities is my goal in life. Not to just teach them Jesus, but come alongside and do life with them, just as Andrew did with me all those years, helping me seek Jesus and not the world.
