| Brian’s work in Ethiopia
with the Gore Home helped him discern a vocation in peacebuilding
and reconciliation. When his term of service ended in April 2003,
he entered a master’s degree program in conflict transformation
at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He
returns to mission service better equipped to understand and confront
structural injustice.
“I believe that as Christians we are called to stand in
solidarity with those who are poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged,”
writes Brian. “As someone fortunate enough to be sent in
mission by my church, I feel I must commit to educating myself
about how the need for the Gore Home came about. What are the
conditions—political, economic, cultural, religious, spiritual—
and events that brought about the tragic and unacceptable reality
that I witnessed during five years working with orphans? With
education comes the obligation to act on what we have seen and
accepted to be true. I realize that, sometimes, all that is possible
is to walk with those who have been left behind.”
In addition to his master’s from Eastern Mennonite University,
Brian also holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Radford
University in Radford, Virginia.
Brian was a youth counselor at the Boys & Girls Homes of
Maryland in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1995-1996. In 1996-1997,
he was a prison guard for the Virginia Department of Juvenile
Justice. During this period he also served as a peer mentor for
Family Preservation Services in Roanoke and Lexington, Virginia.
Brian is a member of Windy Cove Presbyterian Church in Millboro,
Virginia.
Birthday: February 15 |
