Challenged to Risk

By Michael Corp

One of my favorite shows on The Discovery Channel is Deadliest Catch. The program is about the life of commercial crab fishermen in Alaska, where fishing in the Bering Sea is extremely dangerous. The crab season is tightly regulated and unusually short.

When the fishermen put out to sea there is no guarantee of a good catch. In providing for their families these men literally risk life and limb. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice when a boat sinks or fishermen are swept overboard into the bone-freezing waters. It makes me appreciate the “all-you-can-eat” plate of Alaskan crab that much more!

One of my favorite fishermen is the apostle Peter. He”s a man”s man, a real risk-taker. Peter was rough around the edges, at times courageous and at times cowardly. What I really appreciate about Peter was his willingness to take risks””personal risks, faith risks, and kingdom risks.

Life Before Florida Christian College

I can identify with Peter”s personality in many ways. I was born and raised in a small town in Rhode Island. After my dad served a tour with the U.S. Marines in the early 1960s, he and his brothers started a business in textiles manufacturing, a trade once dominant in New England. It was mill work””hard work. As an owner”s son I got my hands greasy. Dad made sure I appreciated what hard work was all about.

But my father also knew it took more than hard work to shape a young man”s character. He was an adventurous man who loved to fly, sail, and fish. As a native Rhode Islander, I was fed a steady diet of “chowda” and clam cakes! I knew how to dig for clams before I learned how to dig in my sandbox.

However, man does not live on “chowda” alone! We were members of a conservative Baptist church in our hometown of Coventry. Dad and Mom were active in ministry and instilled biblical values in their children until the time we each left home.

During my senior year of high school I enlisted in the U.S. Army. During this time I began to drift from the Lord. I no longer placed a high priority on my relationship with Jesus. And as the hymn writer expressed, I was “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” That”s exactly what I did.

When I left for the Army I also left my high school sweetheart. I missed her so much that halfway through my enlistment tour we married before I shipped overseas. My bride completed her nursing program in Boston and joined me in Germany. We had an 18-month-long European honeymoon, courtesy of the U.S. Army. But the “honey” part soon ended.

After my honorable discharge in August 1984, we went back to our hometown. We bought a 108-year-old house and began a family. I needed more excitement and adventure than the textile trade had to offer, so I became a firefighter. Our daughter was born in December 1985 and our son came along in February 1990.

Life at Florida Christian College

The 1990s were a turbulent time. Two days after our son was born, my grandfather died. From birth our son experienced multiple health issues that from time to time landed him in the hospital. Meanwhile, my relationship with Jesus had grown cold.

As a firefighter I worked weekends, holidays, and nights. I happened to be working one Easter Sunday when my wife called to say she wasn”t going to church anymore. I vividly remember telling her, “It”s Easter, you have to go to church!” Although Christ and his church were not part of my agenda anymore, I wanted my family to make it theirs.

For the first time I began to see how my wandering had wounded my wife”s heart. That phone call on Easter 1991 was the beginning of a soul-searching quest. And yes, my wife did take our kids to church that Easter morning!

Although my relationship to Jesus was “cold,” I never had any doubts about the existence of God, the credibility of Scripture, or the claims Jesus made. It wasn”t a faith crisis. Simply put, Jesus just wasn”t a priority.

My soul-searching began with serious Bible reading. I began a systematic schedule of reading through the Bible in a year. I began attending church again. God used those times to bring people into my life who supported and encouraged me. Within a year my heart and mind were transformed by the power of God”s truth, God”s grace, and his people.

After 1997″s harsh, cold winter I decided one change would involve a move to Florida. In the spring of 1998 my family relocated to the Sunshine State, the result of a family business venture. We settled in the city of Apopka, minutes from downtown Orlando.

We found a local church that quickly became family to us. Lake View Christian Church, now Journey Christian Church, was our first exposure to the Restoration Movement. I joined the worship team and was personally mentored by the worship minister. In 1998, he encouraged me to enroll full-time at Florida Christian College in Kissimmee. Lake View Christian Church invested in us and even helped provide tuition through its student scholarship program.

In May 2003 I graduated from FCC with a preaching degree. A few months prior to graduation I joined the staff of First Christian Church of Orlando as minister of worship. We have had the opportunity to serve in ministry as a family. My wife has helped in small groups and women”s ministries, our son leads worship for students, and our daughter is in college pursuing a counseling track. It has been an exciting journey to see how God has been leading, shaping, and providing!

Full Circle

While my relocation plans brought us to Florida, we believe God has brought us here for his plans. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Two years ago I met Dan Clymer of Restoration House Ministries of New England. Dan is the executive director of this ministry, focused on planting Christian churches in the New England states.

An opportunity for a ministry in Rhode Island is beginning to take shape. My wife and I believe God may be leading us to plant a church back in our home state! At present there are no English-speaking Christian churches in Rhode Island.

Restoration House Ministries of New England is partnering with us in this future ministry. We have completed the initial assessment process and are in the early stages of planning, training, and team development. The time line and target date for our first service is spring or fall of 2009.

Ministry requires personal risk, faith risk, and kingdom risk. Leaving firefighting before retirement seemed like a crazy career move. Becoming a full-time college student stretched our faith in God”s ability to provide. These experiences have challenged me to risk once again.

The state motto for Rhode Island (the Ocean State) is “Hope.” Our prayer is that our fellow Rhode Islanders will come to know there is indeed real hope for their present and future. The people of Rhode Island need someone willing to take the risk to invest in their lives by establishing relationships, loving them, and leading them to Christ””our only hope and glory.

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14, 15).

 

 

Michael Corp now serves as director of elementary groups with Journey Christian Church in Apopka, Florida.