Cancer survivor helps immigrants and others
At the age of 50, Bob Brownell was diagnosed with melanoma cancer for the first time. He was given a 50 percent chance of living for another five years. At 53, he was diagnosed for a second time with the same type of cancer.
Brownell, now 57, knows that there is more to life than the things that one accumulates.
“Legacy is what you invest in people,” says Brownell.
As an ordained minister of e-Vin, the emerging vineyard church, Brownell works to make sure that people feel included whether they are a part of the church or not.
“We work with a number of people who are not anywhere near our religious persuasion,” says Brownell.
The church has been involved with youth groups, hosting Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and creating an innovative teaching program for use at the church with the English Skills Learning Center.
“I’ve always been frustrated with people coming to our country and not learning the language,” says Brownell. He knew that wasn’t the right attitude to have, and while walking through a neighborhood grumbling, he says that “God said why don’t you stop complaining about it and do something about it.”
The idea that he came up with was to have a group of people trained as teachers and then “leverage their schedules” to support each other.
The program started with teaching English and expanded to include citizenship classes and driver’s education.
“It’s a delight working with people who are hungry to learn,” says Brownell. “You really become a part of these guys’ lives.”
Employed by Airgas – Intermountain, Brownell is a full-time IT director but says that pastoring isn’t a part-time job.
Brownell has been married for 38 years to the “first woman I ever dated and the last.” He has two children, a daughter and a son. Both his daughter and daughter-in-law are involved in teaching the citizenship class.
This article was originally published at examiner.com as part of the America Inspires series. Links have been updated August 2016.
Brownell, now 57, knows that there is more to life than the things that one accumulates.
“Legacy is what you invest in people,” says Brownell.
As an ordained minister of e-Vin, the emerging vineyard church, Brownell works to make sure that people feel included whether they are a part of the church or not.
“We work with a number of people who are not anywhere near our religious persuasion,” says Brownell.
The church has been involved with youth groups, hosting Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and creating an innovative teaching program for use at the church with the English Skills Learning Center.
“I’ve always been frustrated with people coming to our country and not learning the language,” says Brownell. He knew that wasn’t the right attitude to have, and while walking through a neighborhood grumbling, he says that “God said why don’t you stop complaining about it and do something about it.”
The idea that he came up with was to have a group of people trained as teachers and then “leverage their schedules” to support each other.
The program started with teaching English and expanded to include citizenship classes and driver’s education.
“It’s a delight working with people who are hungry to learn,” says Brownell. “You really become a part of these guys’ lives.”
Employed by Airgas – Intermountain, Brownell is a full-time IT director but says that pastoring isn’t a part-time job.
Brownell has been married for 38 years to the “first woman I ever dated and the last.” He has two children, a daughter and a son. Both his daughter and daughter-in-law are involved in teaching the citizenship class.
This article was originally published at examiner.com as part of the America Inspires series. Links have been updated August 2016.