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Northside welcomes new youth director

Brian Hammond is another new face at Northside Christian Church in Vandalia. He joins the Rev. Curtis Sweeney, who is stepping in to lead the church family as the Rev. Carl Rhodes is retiring. Carl and Pat, his wife, plan to spend some time with their children and grandchildren.

Brian, the new Northside Church youth director, is looking forward to knowing and working with the kids of various ages and personalities.
He has already equipped his office with not only objects and items of  interest and inspiration spiritually to the nourishment of  young minds and souls, but also materials for enjoyment and fulfillment of the youngest and never-too-old appetites for… food.
He has installed an M&M’s machine, for which he provides the pennies, but which the kids can also contribute to, through a rather unorthodox “collection plate,” a working parking meter.  Any change put in the parking meter goes to buy more M&M’s.
Brian, the son of Eldon and Eleanor Hammond, spent most of his life in Pana. “I grew up in Nokomis and Pana,” he said. “I was raised in the Christian Church there.
 “I’ve been living in the church and church life since I was born,” he said. “When I was 11 years old, we were having revival and our preacher came to me and asked if I was ready to be baptized … and I knew what I needed to do.”
He said that he always wanted to be a Sunday school teacher, “because of the teachers I had in Sunday school. And then, when I got into high school, I had a teacher who got me to thinking more of the eternal life,” Brian said.
“Then, I got to be a volunteer with kids, and there were so many kids and hardly anybody cared about them, and that just broke my heart,” he said.  “So I went back to my first desire, to be a public school teacher. I thought I had a mission field. I did that for 17 years.
“In Washington, Mo., I volunteered for the library, etc. It turned into a full-time job; I spent 16 years in Montgomery County, Mo., and I started out (life) in Montgomery County in Illinois,” he said.
As he grew older and worked with young people, he saw the need for them to have strong willpower and strength, to be strong spiritually, physically and mentally when they were around friends who were trying lead them into a different life, into things that they don’t need to be involved with, and to stand firm for what he believed.  
After graduating from high school, he attended St. Louis Christian College. Meanwhile, he met his wife-to-be, Janet Miller,  
“We spent four years dating and then got married, We have two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom are in the ministry, and a grandchild,” he said. “Our son, Brandon, is in Missouri, and Jenna, our daughter, is in California.”
Brian is staying in Vandalia now while he and Janet are looking for a house in this area.
“I spent about 25 years in the youth ministry before I went into a different field, public education, special education, grade school, junior high and high school. I got my teaching accreditation from Missouri.”
“I love working with kids, getting on the floor playing with Legos and playing tag,” he said.
“I just decided that I would get back into the youth ministry and get kids ready for their eternal life, not just for public life.”
And Now, Northside Christian Church
“They (the church members) looked at my age and what I’ve done with kids, and they let me come to work with their kids, and here I  am,” he said.
Looking Ahead at Northside
“First of all, “ he said, “I can’t wait till the weather changes, so I can get my bicycle out and start riding around town and visiting families.”
“One of my favorite things to do is bike riding,” he shared.
“I had kids meet me at my house when I was in Missouri and ride to school with me, then some would wait for me after school, because teachers can’t leave when the kids do, and ride home with me at the end of the day.”
And the Youth Program
“Right now, I am figuring out what work they have done, to tweak it a little bit, and what changes to make, if necessary. We will be meeting with the sponsors and the parents, find out what they want to see out of the program, and the kids, find out what they want from the program, and try to fit it to their needs, as well as reaching out to the community.”
“It is going to be fun, it is going to be interesting and it’s going to be a challenge to get the youth program back on its feet and running again, but I’m looking forward to it and, hopefully, the kids are looking forward to it also..”
He is also interested in is using his experience with working with public education, making contact with the schools, subbing, reaching out to the kids, helping if needed.  
His focus now is on getting the kids back into the youth program and into church. He is answering his obvious calling to ministering to the youth with dedication, understanding them and guiding them to living a Christian life that leads them to an eternal life.
His Office …
… is not large nor pretentious, but is casual, welcoming and inviting, with a limited, but comfortable amount of seating, and the contents interesting, to say the least. In addition to the colorful inspirational banners, flyers, etc., he proudly points out the M&M’s machine.
Office Hours
“Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings are for the kids, with no age limit” he said.
For other available hours, he also has a coffee pot and cups for adults for “anyone beyond their teens.”

Brian and Janet Hammond

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