If I had to describe what Contenders Bible School and Village Missions mean in my life, I would use the word “grace.” After returning from 10 years in Germany with the US Air Force–where my wife (Serena) and I had decided to give everything to our Lord–we were assigned to McChord AFB in Washington.

After arriving in Washington, Serena and I began to look for a church. We wanted one where we could do more than show up on Sundays; we wanted to become part of a family that would help us grow in our walk with Christ. However, we found the search more difficult than we expected. The Lord always guides, and He opened the door for us to buy a small home. It happened to be two blocks from Elk Plain Community Church, a Village Missions church located in Spanaway. For the next four years, Elk Plain was our church home (the people of Elk Plain will always be our family).

Pastor Len Phillips began to guide me toward the Contenders program, However, at that time the Contender classes were only held at Machias Community Church, more than 80 miles away. I would have to drive to class two to three times a week after getting off duty at McChord, AFB. It seemed impossible! But then again, we should remember that God often blesses through the seemingly impossible!

After meeting Pastor Ron Sallee at a men’s retreat, I started attending classes the following week, and an amazing journey began. Although I had to drive almost five hours round-trip, the drive never seemed that long because I often spent it praying and meditating over what we were studying in class.

Pastor Len allowed me to use what I was learning as he got me involved in the programs at church. He discipled me and, over time, moved me into the role of assistant pastor. To put it simply, the time I spent being discipled by Pastor Ron Sallee through Contenders, along with the discipleship I received from Pastor Len Phillips (both Village Missions pastors) radically changed my life and my family.

Following my time in Contenders, where I learned to study and cherish God’s Word, we chose to retire from the military and apply to Village Missions.

To say that God used the Contenders Bible School program in our lives is an extreme understatement. What we  experienced in our first 10 years with VM, as we saw a struggling church grow from 20 to 90 people and saw lives changed – especially ours – has been nothing short of “GOD’S GRACE,” and we praise God for both Village Missions and the Contender’s Bible School program.