John Cleghorn Appointed Evangelist.

What are your goals this year as an evangelist?

 I have several goals for this year.  My first is to assist in raising up youth leaders and upper classmen to effectively lead in the youth ministry. I would like to build the youth and family ministry to a point where we are not only seeing the children of disciples coming to Christ but also teens from our local high schools and their families turning to Christ as well.  Through the youth ministry, I believe many families can and will become involved in reaching out to lost families around us.  I would like to also help the young marrieds group grow in their personal faith and marriages as well as become a group who is making an impact on the lost world around us. I would also like to assist in helping the church to develop God’s heart for the lost. 

What does it mean to you to be appointed an evangelist?

 I am humbled, honored, and grateful.  I have served God and his churches full time in the ministry for over 13 years and from about 3 months old as a Christian I knew God was calling me to be an evangelist.  My hearts desire was to be a man of God that could effectively minister and preach the gospel not through mere words but through a life lived in sacrifice and service to God. To be appointed as an evangelist here where I became a Christian surrounded by the men and women who trained me, loved me, and discipled me meant a great deal to me.  I, in many respects, am an evangelist today because of the great men and women in my life here in the Cincinnati Church.  I was also very grateful to be appointed an evangelist by Jim Fulcher.  Jim has been a constant friend, leader, trainer, discipler, and example to me in his short time here.  He is an exceptional church builder and to walk alongside him has been one of the greatest gifts God has given me in helping me to become an evangelist. 

Does it change your day to day schedule?

Yes and no.  In many respects I began leading and living as an evangelist before I was appointed.  During the last 2 years I have been given more and more responsibility in training and preparing me to be an evangelist.  Those responsibilities were given to me a little at a time to allow me to grow without overwhelming me. So over the last 2 years my schedule has changed dramatically as I continued to do all my youth ministry responsibilities and have added all the evangelist responsibilities entrusted to me by the elders.

What is your charge to the congregation as a new evangelist?

 To Love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. And to Love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Share some of your personal dreams and goals.

My first two are listed above!  I really want to do those two things to the best of my ability.  I want to lead my family in a way that pleases God and help each  of them to love God.  I want to be a good disciple and I believe this is one of the greatest roles for me as an evangelist!!!  I want to become more effective at preaching God’s word and ministering to God’s family.  I want to continue to learn how to raise up those around me to help them be more effective at using the gifts God has given them.  I also really want to help some of my neighbors to become Christians.  I want to become an evangelist who raises up other men to be evangelists who then in turn can be sent out to build up God’s kingdom. 

Resume: I was converted on July 28, 1993 on UC campus.  I served as a campus intern here in Cincinnati for 3 summers under Tomm and Laurie Wilson.  On March 22, 1997 I was married to Shannon and after returning home for one week we moved to serve in the youth ministry in Chicago with Tomm and Laurie.  We served in the West Region of the Chicago Church of Christ for 4 years.  During our 4^th year in Chicago I contracted cancer and fought a hard battle for several months.  After surviving cancer we moved to serve in the North Region youth ministry for 2 years under AT and Marci Arneson.  After serving there for 2 years we decided to step out of the ministry and move back home.  We were then hired here to serve as the youth ministers in the fall of 2004.  

 HOPE worldwide Cincinnati Blood Drive 2010 with more donations this year than last! Totally successful! 88 registered to give, and 79 pints collected. A number of people tried to give, but low iron counts and other reasons prohibited them. They still got to eat the cookies :)