Welcome our new board of directors to JoeTran316 Ministries. They'll help govern and lead this ministry to fulfill the calling God has placed on us. But before I go into who our board members are, I want to thank all of you who requested to join. We had very gifted and experienced individuals interested in joining and it was quite a challenge to choose who would be a good fit. After much prayer and analyzing, I chose to move forward with the following individuals. I've included their responses to the questions I asked every candidate so you can see why I felt they would be a good fit. -Joe Tran
"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." -Matthew 17:20
Colin Johnson
Why Do You Want To Help Lead This Ministry? As a pastor and someone who has a heart for people the message if sharing the gospel resonates so well. I want to see a million people in Indiana say yes to Jesus. I want to see 5 million in the Midwest and 100 million across the us. So the passion for that is my drive. I am operations driven and love to problem solve. Having planted a church during a pandemic, while also having God tell me to do it a little differently is forcing me to bring and look at new perspectives.
What Is Your Experience With Volunteering & Working With Non-Profits? Starting one with CHRCH we are fully 501c3. Outside of that just volunteer work during ministry.
What Do You Believe Is God's Purpose For Your Life? I kind of stated that in point one. My drive at my core is to help those who don’t know Jesus or who have been hurt by the church come to know what the real body of Christ is. So serving others helping them overcome and have a genuine relationship with God the father. Outside of the image that man makes God look like with all out mistakes. When we get there we become the body we find our identity and we then serve and care for those around us and in turn impacting the world.
Cristine Bakke
Why Do You Want To Help Lead This Ministry?
Most people would describe me as attentive to details, but I don’t think that accurately describes my perspective. I see and acknowledge details, but use them to form big picture ideas while still maintaining every facet of each minute particle. This is something I see as vitally important to non-profits. Because while the mission of a board needs to be focused on the people we reach, there are whole other worlds of ethics, liability, and legal responsibilities to consider. I believe I can help the board balance all these facets to make a healthy organization. I also have a unique background that doesn’t quite fit the mold of most US based non-profits. I have BA in intercultural studies (world missions), but one of the things my major really focused on was how to help others without causing any harm. In the mission field and in outreach it can be easy to focus on the details of a need and not see that sometimes how we fill that need actually causes more problems than it solves. I have been patiently waiting for God to lead me to a place where I can use this training in a real way and I’m hoping that this is an opportunity where I can employ some of it.
What Is Your Experience With Volunteering & Working With Non-Profits? I’ve been a volunteer Five Star Life since 2011, we focus on leading middle schoolers to their highest potential and encouraging their walk with God. Being a part of this organization for such a long time I have been able to see and sometimes be a part of the innerworkings of how a non-profit operates; helping decide what resources are allocated where, and how to best make use of time. Most of my work history has been for non-profits; I refuse to work for a place if their vision does not match my own. But my roles have usually been on the lower end of an organization’s hierarchy because I prefer to spend the bulk of my time directly with people. So this opportunity is something I’ve been wanting to be a part of for a while, the ability to take on more responsibilities while still maintaining a frontline relationship with the people we are serving.
What Do You Believe Is God's Purpose For Your Life?
I believe first and foremost my main purpose while on this earth is to worship God. We are beings created to first worship and honor our creator. I’ll try to be as specific as possible but I kind of take on a laissez faire position when it comes to “purpose”. I believe that God created me with a set of passions and qualities unique to me, and that His main desire is that I use them to honor Him and love His people. While God does call us to specific paths at times, and as obedient children we are to take those paths, I’m not sure that God has put a specific cause to devote my life’s work to, at least not yet. So until God calls me differently, I live my life by Micah 6:8, “what does the LORD require of us? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.” That being said though, this is why I decided to respond to your post. It’s not often that I get a strong sense from God to act upon something right away. But as soon as I read your post, the still small voice in my head said, “you should do that.” So here I am.
Chetachukwu "Joshua" Oliver
Why Do You Want To Help Lead This Ministry?
I believe that I will be a valuable asset to the organization because unlike most people in similar position, I thrive to go above and beyond. I am confident that I will bring unique qualities to the organization and provide many opportunities for improvement. Growing up, I always had the ability to connect with people on a deeper level, listening to their complaints / concerns and offer solution when necessary. I stuck with that because I knew it would be an asset to me.
What Is Your Experience With Volunteering & Working With Non-Profits?
Being born and raised in Nigeria, I know what it is like to not have, to be helpless, when I came to the states, I made inquiries as to how I can help serve the community, I was introduced to the food and clothing ministry in the church, I quickly joined the committee and every Tuesday and Thursday we gave out food and clothes to as many that needs it, I did that through my high school and college career, which is about 7 years. Every break I had from school, I’d rush home to help because there’s always work to be done and it gives me joy to see people leaving the church with smile on their faces and with food in boxes as well as clothes. On special holidays we would go out into the community and feed the community, before school resumes, we would give out school supplies, hair cuts, clothes, food and share the word of God. And yes it’s a non profit organization, the joy and the feeling of knowing that someone won’t go to bed hungry and consumed in thoughts is just the best feeling and I have references on that if it’ll be required.
What Do You Believe Is God's Purpose For Your Life?
I believe the calling of God for my life is to touch as many lives as possible, whether it be by ministering unto them, or feeding them, or by clothing them. I believe the calling of God for my life is to impact another life, just as Christ paid it forward on the cross of Calvary, I believe his calling for me is to reach out to people and teach his word and pay it forward also.