Ellicott Baptist Church
24075 State Highway 94, Ellicott, Co 80808
719-683-2453
Nathan and Lisa Means
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NATHAN’S TESTIMONY AND CALL TO MINISTRY
I was raised a Unitarian Universalist. After
getting my undergraduate degree in math and physics I went on to
graduate school in physics to pursue my dream of being a professor at a
small university in the country. God had other plans though. I met Lisa
my last year of undergrad, and despite my plans to not get married until
I was in my 30s, we were married when I was 23. Lisa was not happy
living in New York so I was traveling back and forth between Colorado
and New York when Lisa started going to Windsor Baptist Church. I joined
her wearing shorts and Birkenstocks and fell asleep during the preaching
while I was in town. I started reading the Bible for cultural relativism
and when I went in to ask my pastor, Dan Preston, about questions that I
had, he wisely turned the discussion to my need for salvation. So, at 25
years old and getting my PhD in particle nuclear physics with my first
child expected in a few months I was gloriously saved and baptized.
Soon after I was called to full-time service but was not sure in what
capacity. I believed that I was called to teach but was not getting any
doors open to teach at a Christian school. God later revealed to me
through a message that the teaching I was to do was “teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Mat 28:20) My
pastor advised me to train in the local church and so I trained under
Dan Preston by taking some classes with him on Biblical preaching,
teaching classes and occasionally preaching.
When Pastor Preston was called to take Bethany Baptist Church in
Lubbock, TX, I was on the pulpit committee and we called Jeremy Wynn to
be out next pastor. Under Pastor Wynn I continued my training through
running the children’s ministry at Windsor Baptist Church, was the
chairman of the Board of Deacons, taught the College and Career Sunday
School class, ran Patch the Pirate club on Sunday morning, taught the
Wednesday night 3–6 year-old class, preached once a month on Sunday
Evenings, and was part of a group of men from neighboring churches that
filled an empty pulpit until a pastor was called to fill the position.
During this time, we were serving in the local church, we were waiting
for God to tell us that it was time to go out and do what He had called
us to do. We loved our church, but we had been called to plant churches
and did not understand why God kept us back. Through this time, we
learned how ministries work, grew in our relationship with Him, and that
we need to trust God in His timing and not ours. We did finally get
called to move, but it was not what was expected. When I was on a work
trip to west Texas, God laid on my heart to move there. Lisa was not
initially on-board with this, but when she started to say no, she felt
God tugging on her heart. After making a mini survey trip to the area we
knew that God did want us to move and to join Trinity Baptist Church in
Big Spring, TX. For the last two years we have been under the leadership
of pastor Scott Kirkland and have enjoyed seeing a different aspect of
ministry in both personality and size of church that we never would have
been exposed to otherwise.
In our first missions conference at Trinity, we met Tate and Nicole
Kennedy and I felt a burden for the Czech people that I had not felt for
other missions fields. The only other time that I had ever felt burdened
for a people during a missionary presentation before was when Jon and
Emilie Rettig had come to Windsor Baptist. God made it clear to me that
He was calling us to go to the Czech Republic. After talking with my
wife and praying about it we were assured that God is calling us to this
needy country and are looking forward to seeing what God will allow us
to accomplish for His glory in the Czech Republic.
LISA’S TESTIMONY
& CALL TO MINISTRY
As a child, I grew up going to church only on Christmas
and Easter. Even as a young teenager, I knew that I was missing
something in life and tried to fill the void with academics and sports.
At 17, still searching for what I was missing, I was intrigued by all
the different religions of my friends. I sought counsel on how it was
possible that Mormons, Catholics, and Christians of several
denominations could use the same scripture and yet believe such vastly
different things. I was told I was asking the wrong questions and I was
shown the Gospel of Christ and I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and
Savior!
I wish I could say that after accepting Christ, I gave my
life to Him and served Him. However, I did not like all the rules I was
being told I had to follow and turned my back on Christ to try to live
the way I wanted. I left home and went to a secular college where I met
Nathan. A couple years into our marriage, I was being convicted about
going to church and a dear friend repeatedly invited me to go with her
to Windsor Baptist Church in Windsor, CO. As soon as I attended, I knew
I had found my church home! During a missionary presentation I was
called into missions, but I did not understand how I could have been
called because Nathan was still unsaved at this point. Also, during this
time, my pastor, Dan Preston, talked to me about my need to get
baptized. Shortly after my call into missions, Nathan accepted Christ
and we both were baptized the following Sunday!
We got plugged into our church and served there in many
ministries including being youth group helpers and I was a nursery
worker. Nathan became the children’s director and we managed all the
children’s classes. We taught, at one point or another, in all the age
groups. We also served in the College and Career Sunday School class.
After 13 years of serving at Windsor Baptist church God moved us to
Texas.
We joined Trinity Baptist Church in Big Spring, Texas under Scott Kirkland. The move to Texas removed me from my comfort zone and God taught me that I need to place my trust and dependence completely in Him. I have been serving in the nursery and the jail outreach ministry. After a missions conference, God made it clear to us that our call is to go to the people of the Czech Republic. Knowing what God has done in my life so far, I am looking forward to watching Him move in our lives and seeing how He gets us to the Czech Republic! To God be the glory!
Website:https://www.meanstoczechia.com/
email: lnathan@meanstoczechia.com