I’ve been the one who has moved almost every year to a new state because of my dad's work.  And I’ve never enjoyed being the new kid.  I didn’t know what the people were going to be like. I didn’t know if I would make any friends. And I didn’t know when or if I was going to move again.  That is until I moved to Wisconsin.
Moving didn’t seem exciting, and since this was our next destination, decisions had to be made.  We had found the perfect house and the closest school to go to, but the right church was a struggle to find.  We tried five different churches until we came across one that stood out to us all: Crosspoint Community Church.
On the first day it was tough working up the nerve to talk to people, until a tall scrawny man came over, tripped me, laughed, and asked me my name then told me his name was Bryan.  I was shocked to find out he was my youth pastor.
As I sat down listening to Bryan preach, I noticed something about him...he was strange. He was up on that stage jumping around, yelling, preaching God’s word with an insane amount of passion.  But, his passion kept both me and my peers fully engaged and laughing. 
With over 10,000 people attending the church, Bryan always made sure to get to know  everyone personally.  And that is what I loved most about him. 
Every Sunday I was able to walk into church knowing that Bryan would be there to greet me and ask how my week had been going.  I was able to see him interacting with the other teens in the room asking them about their new dog or about how their vacation was in Florida as if he were one of them.  I was confident I would always have somebody to talk to when I walked in that building.   
He was exciting, energetic, and enthusiastic, but he was able to take time to be serious, supportive, and sympathetic when it was needed.  If I ever had I problem, I knew I could count on him to listen and give me advice.  I knew others felt this way too.  He made himself a pastor, parent, and pal to us all.
When I sat down Sunday mornings at 11:30, I remember being excited to hear the new story Bryan was going to tell or the skit that Bryan and John, one of the youth leaders, would put on to make us laugh.  All these fun ways of spreading God's word kept us wanting more, and that's what we got.  After the story or skit he would spend the rest of the hour preaching messages that got deep and personal or focused and insightful.
Bryan was like a four leaf clover--I was lucky to find him.  He used himself to spread the love God has for each and every one of us with a touch of his funky personality and a handful of his compassion.
Moving here didn’t seem exciting at first but now that I am here there is no way I want to leave.  Thank you, Bryan, for everything you have done for me.