MICHAEL BEARDEN
Ministry Passion: To see people who are indifferent or hostile to the Gospel message come to faith; to see people set free from the living hell of addictive behaviors come into living lives of joy and service; to see people healed of hurts, habits and hang-ups.
How did you land at New Life?
Bob asked me after a Thursday prayer time if I could come in and help New Life through a rough time in their Healing and Recovery ministry. I said “Yes” and started doing that, then as we met with Ron it came out that I was about to be a “free agent” in the world of local ministry (was just ending a 20 month period of serving as Interim Pastor for another local church). We prayed together (and separately) for 2 weeks, and came to believe that God was calling me into service here. I accepted the call on October 1, 2006.
In a Nutshell, what do you do at New Life?
(well…I don’t know about you, but I keep my calendar in a nutshell…)
1) I am ministry head for Celebrate Recovery (formerly Healing and Recovery), responsible for leading the ministry and training small group leaders.
2) I work with the Sunday Morning Sound (audio ministry) and the Stage Lighting crew to provide support to the worship leaders and pastors and actors through the lighting and sound equipment and operators.
3) I serve with the Programming team to provide drama, music, special additions and video for our Sunday morning service.
What was your most memorable moment of the past year?
1) Sneaking in backstage at Willow Creek during a rehearsal to see all of their equipment and set-up
2) Touring our facility-to-be and envisioning it full of people worshipping who have come into new life in New Life
3) Last Tuesday night when I saw the fulfillment of a dream I have had for Celebrate Recovery since 1993.
How do you like your coffee?
Two ways-either 1) black or 2) latte.
Name 3 adjectives that describe you:
Prayerful
Humor-loving
Caring
Hobbies
Building and driving electric vehicles (photos available)
Farming (fruit and vegetables)
What Makes You Laugh
My wife, Galena (she is a very funny lady!)
Oliver (our Bichon cross puppy) - he is always good for a laugh!
Bob Merwin (!!)
Top 5 things in life
1) The love of an Awesome God who can take a self-obsessed grain of sand (with a really big mouth!) who hated both church and Christians and turn him into a pastor who will lay down his life for other people
2) Easter (HE IS RISEN!!)
3) A church which is the living body of Christ
4) The beautiful wife and daughter I get to share this part of the journey with.
5) The home that God has provided us with here in Petaluma
Bottom 5 things in life
1) Quarterly and year-end tax filings for my small business
2) Being rushed or hurried
3) Plumbing (and /or dealing with plumbers)
4) Anything to do with the California EDD
5) Cigarette smoke
Favorites
Books
1) The Bible
2) Any good crime mystery (writers like Lee Child, John Lescroart, Tony Hillerman, Jonathan or Faye Kellerman, John Grisham)
3) Classic good vs. evil fantasy (writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, George Martin, Terry Goodkind)
4) Biographies of people in Church History
TV
Does watching them on DVD count? We have never had television in our home…but Galena has gotten me interested in some of her favorites-now available at the video stores-- Criminal Minds and CSI (she likes 24, but I think that may be an acquired taste…)
Theater
Full-on stage musicals like Les Miserables, Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Man of La Mancha
Websites
E-Bay, Craig’s list, Amazon’s used book dealers
When did you become a Christian?
Which time?? Baptized in 1960, re-dedicated my life in 1968, went to Seminary after college, fell away again, re-dedicated my life again in 1993…I do believe that this one is for good!
What did you ‘do’ before ministry?
I spent most of my working years for 36 years working in live theater production.
I also spent every spare minute for many years on some kind of boat.
How long have you been a pastor?
I began preaching in 1995-was asked to step from serving as elder to assistant pastor in 1998, called as pastor in 2001.
What part of ministry ‘lights you up’?
Seeing the light go on for people, when they truly understand the how God’s amazing grace can make them complete, and how His power can truly change their lives, no matter how far they have fallen. I live to see people healed and set free.
What’s you & Galena’s story?
On a winter day in 1973 I was standing in the rain on the side of the Bohemian Highway at Camp Meeker. A nice woman in a VW bug stopped to pick me up…boy if she only knew what she was getting in to!!! Anyway, we got married in 1975 in a real 70’s hippie-type wedding service. We moved to Petaluma in 1980 after I started working at Sonoma State. Rosella came along in 1992 to make us a real family, and Jesus gave us the power and ability to stay married to each other. (!)