Though Pastor Appreciation Month is technically over, we still want to take time to appreciate and get to know our church staff. Today we get to know Brooke Beyer!
What do you do at Northstar?
Discipleship Coordinator
Outside of Northstar, what do you do?
Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in the Accounting and Information Systems department
Where did you attend school?
Kansas State University for undergrad and masters, Oklahoma State University for PhD
What was your major/minor?
Accounting – If you have seen the recently released movie The Accountant, that should help give you a greater appreciation for what I do. Or maybe not.
What is something very few people know about you?
When I was in elementary school, I got shot in the head with an arrow. It was actually sticking out of my head until my dad pulled it out.
Tell me about your family.
My wife, Sarah, and I have been married for 20 years. We have six amazing kids: Anna (18), Leah (16), Faith (13), Julius (4), Cameron (2), and Lance (2). Sarah and I met in our high school youth group. We got married in college and have been through some difficult times in our marriage but God has taken care of us in so many ways. Our marriage today is a testimony to God’s grace and forgiveness.
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Christ-follower, relational, positive
What is your favorite book?
Only one favorite book? How about three? The Cure by Lynch, McNicol, and Thrall, Rejoicing in Christ by Michael Reeves, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Describe Northstar in 3 words.
Christ-centered, communal, authentic
What brought you to Northstar?
There were several different ways we feel like God pointed us to Northstar. It all started with Debbie Christian at the Pregnancy Resource Center and as soon as we attended Northstar, we felt the warmth of the wonderful community that is part of our church. Believe it or not, one of the other ways God directed us to Northstar is that my wife and I were reading through Kings and Chronicles at the same time and saw that Northstar was in the middle of a sermon series on Kings and Chronicles. Little did we know, it would take a couple of years to get through that sermon series. 🙂
From what Bible verse or passage do you draw inspiration?
2 Corinthians 12:9 – But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. It is so encouraging to see that throughout the Bible, God uses the weak to lead the strong. That is certainly the case with me. There is no reason based on my abilities and past struggles that I should serve as the discipleship coordinator at our church, but only for the grace, love, and power of Jesus Christ.
Other than Jesus, who is your favorite biblical character and why?
My favorite biblical character is Jonathan because of his great friendship with David. He is such a great example of what a loving and sacrificial friend should be like.
What is something that God has been teaching or showing you lately?
God has been showing me the great importance of unity within the body of Christ so that the world will know and believe in Jesus. (John 17:20-23) It was so important that Jesus prayed for the unity of his current and future followers. Our nation is pretty divided over the presidential election, but it is so important that, as believers in Christ, we are unified. We need to display the love and grace that God has so generously lavished on us.