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Brian was born and raised in Ohio and trusted Jesus as his Savior in 1991 as a freshman at the University of Toledo through Campus Crusade for Christ. He and his wife, Beth (Cherrydale’s children’s ministry director), met at a Campus Crusade meeting in 1994 and they were married in 1996. Brian’s academic and ministry experiences include two years of campus ministry in Toronto, Canada, a Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in Saint Louis, two years as associate pastor and three years as solo pastor at a small church in Ohio, a PhD in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC, and many volunteer teaching trips to Africa and Asia.

Brian and Beth first came to Cherrydale in 2011 when they moved to the DC area for Brian to attend grad school. He served the church in various volunteer roles until they moved from the area in 2018. They returned in 2023 when Beth was hired, and Brian joined the pastoral staff a few months later. They have three adult children – Megan, Joe, and Kate.

Where you were born:
Alliance, Ohio (home of the scarlet carnation)

Hobbies:
I enjoy watching sports with my kids (especially baseball and football), hiking, and an occasional round of golf. We have a couple of older Jeeps, so car repair has necessarily become a hobby – and I (usually) get a lot of satisfaction from it.

Favorite Food:
I really enjoy kofta kebabs, but if I could get my hands on a good, gluten-free, Chicago-style pizza, that would be the winner.

Favorite Book:
The Pleasures of God by John Piper was transformative for me.

Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream:
Vanilla with peanut butter and chocolate in (or on) it.

Fondest childhood memory:
One year, my family and my cousins’ family were at my grandma’s house for Christmas when a power outage resulted in the Christmas Eve service being cancelled. We ended up having our own service by candlelight in my grandma’s living room. As I reflect on that memory, I am grateful for a family that still celebrated as we would have at church.

Favorite Scripture Verse, passage, or book of the Bible:
I love Ephesians, both because I have studied it more thoroughly than any other book and because it gives some unique glimpses into God’s cosmic plan. The verse that gets me most excited (or emotional) is Revelation 11:15 – “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”

If I had a different job I would be . . .
Probably a pharmacist, since that’s how I made a living for the 13 years before joining Cherrydale’s staff. But I would rather be a professor than a pharmacist.

Nobody knows that I still . . .
Have all the baseball cards that I collected as a kid. (That is, nobody knows except the people who have helped us move multiple times.)

If I could ask God one question it would be . . .
Who wrote Hebrews?