LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

BRANDON BLUMBERG
A synopsis of who I am what I have done and how I do it

TABLE OF CONTENTS
My Background Info

Who I Am

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Those Closest to Me

My Family

Conversion Story

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My Journey to Christ

Call To Ministry

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My Service to Christ

Rsum Ministry Skills/Values

What I Do Best

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My Experience

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Philosophy of Ministry
Those Who Know Me Best

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How I Serve

References

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WHO I AM|MY BACKGROUND INFO

Overview I was born in Fresno, California in 1983 and grew up in a very small community outside of Fresno, the kind where everyone knows you by name. I played every sport possible including soccer, baseball, and basketball in high school. I had a great family life growing up, although religion was not a part of our home. I didnt come to know Christ until I was a sophomore in high school. My parents divorced while I was in college and it had a drastic impact on my life then and now. I have learned a lot from it and will be forever adjusting to this change (multiple holiday celebrations, new family members, etc.). It was soon after this that my brother came out and announced that he was homosexual, adding another element of adjustment in our family. God has really done a work on my heart in this area and I can honestly say that, though I do not condone their lifestyle, I have a heart for the homosexual community. Education Upon graduating from high school, I decided to attend Biola University in Southern California. I earned a Bachelors Degree in Christian Education Ministries and learned a tremendous amount about ministry and all that is required to be effective in it. I met my wife at Biola during our freshman year of college. Upon graduation, I continued my studies at Talbot School of Theology and earned a Master of Divinity. Talbot is where I really grew deeply and broadened my understanding of Scripture and the Christian faith throughout history. My time at Talbot was invaluable. Hobbies and Interests I LOVE sports and will talk football with anyone willing. And now that my team, the 49ers, are good again I finally can lift my chin up in pride! Though I enjoy yelling at the TV, I relish any chance to see a game live. I love basketball and grew up dreaming of playing in the NBA. I am always looking for someone to shoot with. I enjoy reading, watching movies, and currently I am hooked on the television shows Survivor and Shark Tank. My greatest joy is seeing people come to faith in Christ and growing in their relationship with Him. Nothing pleases me more than to be a part of Gods work here on earth and to see His kingdom expand.

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MY FAMILY|THOSE CLOSEST TO ME
My wife, Meagan, and I married in 2005 and have been married for 8 years. She is a full-time mom raising our three boys and is the greatest gift God has blessed me with. Before becoming a mom, she earned a Masters degree in Education from Biola and spent 2 years teaching 3rd grade. We have three boys who give us a run for our money. Jaxon is 5 years old, Lincoln is 2, and our newest addition, Sawyer, just turned 1. They are the joy of our lives. One of the highlights of my day is coming home to tiny little voices screaming Daddys Home!!! and then engaging in a no-holds-barred wrestling match with two little ones who do everything they can to take down Daddy. One of my favorite times of the day is praying with the boys before bed. Jaxons favorite things to pray are thanking God for his fish and that Rosie, our Yorkie, doesnt run away again! page 3

CONVERSION STORY|MY JOURNEY TO CHRIST

My father grew up Mormon and my mother grew up Methodist, yet both were non-practicing when they were married. They decided to not be involved in any church nor raise my brother and me in any church. They let us decide which church we would attend, if any. Since my brother and I had no knowledge of religion, we had no clue as to what different religions believed or even what we believed. I personally believed in some kind of God, but had no idea of who he was or what he wanted. I grew up with a close Christian friend who always had Bible clubs at her house that were similar to an AWANA program. In 8th grade my interest in God became more serious. While attending Bible club, I was presented with the gospel and Christs sacrifice. This was the first time I had been told that I was a sinner in need of a savior. I had never before heard that Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sins so that I would spend eternity with Him. Yet I still did not make a commitment to God and lived life as though He didnt exist. My sophomore year in high school, I knew my life was missing something. I began to think often about the message I had heard at the Bible study. It was then that I chose to follow Christ and started to attend church regularly. It was then that I began to better understand the gospel, which I had heard three years earlier. I started to grow in my faith as a new Christian and went to church twice a week, becoming one of the regulars. Eventually, I became one of the student leaders in my youth group and even had the chance to share the gospel at an outreach event to nearly three hundred students. Since then, my life has never been the same.

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CALL TO MINISTRY|MY SERVICE TO CHRIST

I felt called to serve in ministry in some capacity shortly after becoming a Christian. I became a Christian during my sophomore year in high school and by the end of my junior year knew God was calling me to full- ministry. My church, and more specifically my high school youth pastor, had such a great impact upon me that I decided I would dedicate my life to leading and molding others in a similar way. I changed my choice of career from architecture to ministry and changed my desired colleges from Cal Poly to Biola to attain a degree in ministry. I knew very early on that I was going to live a life focused on ministry and have never looked back since. This call has been confirmed time and time again from friends, mentors, my youth pastor from high school, other co-workers and staff members, and by my internal desire to serve God. Talbot has increased my desire to serve God in the church and given me many tools to do so, though I am by no means finished learning what God has to teach me. God is doing a lot in my life and changing me from the inside out as I seek to serve and follow Him daily. Not every moment on this journey has been pleasant, but it all has been good and through it all God has proven faithful time and time again. God has taught me what it means to consider it pure joy (James 1:2). It is my lifes mission to be a man who focuses on 3 things; (1) Inviting people to follow Jesus and join His mission (Matt 28:18-20), (2) Strengthening the relationships between fellow believers (Jn 17:20-23), and (3) Rehabilitating the reputation of Christians in the eyes of non-Christians (1 Cor 9:19-23).

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RESUME|MY EXPERIENCE
BRANDON BLUMBERG
EDUCATION
Talbot School of Theology | Master of Divinity | 2005-2007 Biola University | BA - Christian Education Ministries | 2001-2005

2105 E Poppy Hills Dr Fresno, CA 93730 Phone: (559)779-5081 Email: brblumberg@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE
The Bridge EV Free Church | 2007-Present Pastor of High School Ministry Fresno, CA (Church size 1800)
Planned and directed all High School events and services Planned and lead quarterly parent meetings Planned and lead monthly adult volunteer leadership meetings Planned and lead monthly outreach events Oversaw and trained our Connect Team (Student Leadership Team) Trained and supervised over 20 adult volunteers Planned budget and fundraisers Planned and lead 3 camps/retreats per year (winter, summer, and spring break mission trip) Helped plan, run, and teach at OGN (Operation Good News); an annual week long evangelism training conference @ Point Loma University Wrote weekly curriculum lessons for small group Wrote weekly Family Devotional for parents Created The Discipleship Experience, a 10-session summer discipleship course designed to take students deeper and broader in their faith. Topics included spiritual disciplines, lectio divina, prayer exercises, spiritual warfare, theology, world religions, fasting, evangelism, etc. Created monthly newsletter Oversaw all high school interns Visited school campuses and spoke at Christian clubs Member of The Central Valley Network of Youth Workers Helped create/lead UNITED Fresno (a city-wide network of churches working together to reach Fresno for Jesus. Planned and lead city-wide youth events and training seminars Spoke at various youth camps (both winter and summer) Ministry growth: beginning weekly attendance: 25; currently over 100

Church Staff Responsibilities

Performed weekly Pastor of the Day duties (counseling, hospital visitation, etc) Created, planned, shepherded The Attic service (a Sunday night church service) Served as the 3rd Service Live Venue Pastor (a Sunday morning church service) Attended conferences and training seminars (Catalyst, National Youth Workers Convention) Taught church-wide elective class on World Religions

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Grace EV Free Church | 2006-2007 Volunteer High School Leader Helped Youth Pastor plan and emcee outreach events Planned and run game time activities Planned and teach lessons when needed Participated in all leadership meetings/retreats

La Mirada, CA (Church Size 900)

Crossroads Community Church | 2003-2006 La Habra, CA (Church Size 900) Pastor of Student Ministries Responsible for middle school and high school ministries Planned and directed all youth events Planned and lead quarterly parent meetings Planned and lead monthly leadership meetings Responsible for weekly middle school and high school lessons Trained and supervised 25 adult and student volunteers/leaders Planned budget and fundraisers Planned and led four camps per year (two winter and two summer) Implemented small groups ministry Visited school campuses and Christian clubs Attended conferences and training seminars for professional development Assisted childrens ministry when called upon Participated in church dramas/videos Preached in churchs main service when called upon Ministry growth: middle school from 20 to 55 / high school from 15 to 65 Thousand Pines Christian Camp | Summer 2002 Crestline, CA Camp Counselor Supervised and lived with campers in 4th-6th grade, 24 hours a day, 6 days a week Facilitated camp activities and programs Assisted in the preparation of camp meals Planned and supervised devotions for campers Constructed equipment for camp activities and decorations at beginning and end of summer

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MINISTRY SKILLS|WHAT I DO BEST

Teaching
Ive been gifted in teaching and love to teach the scriptures. Speaking almost every Sunday here at the Bridge in our High School Ministry has been a great way to help me develop my skills as a teacher, communicator and presenter. This is the part of my job that I take the most seriously and continually seek to handle the Word of God accurately and effectively (James 3:1).

Leadership
I believe everything in life rises and falls on the quality and effectiveness of leadership. If a good leader is leading, things will succeed. If a bad leader is in charge, things will fail. This is just as true for the local church as it is for everything else. I work hard to make sure I am a good leader and who is always looking out for the interest of those I lead. I believe in leading by both example and by service. Leadership in my eyes is the most crucial link in the effectiveness of a church or ministry and I am always striving to become a better leader.

Creativity
I love thinking outside of the box. I dont want to just teach the scriptures, I want create an experience that moves and calls people to come face to face with the God who created them and surrender in obedience to Him. This is not always done through preaching/teaching alone and I love to incorporate different worship elements, environments, and experiences to allow people to experience God.

Planning
I am a very organized person when it comes to events, programs, and people. I can often anticipate organizational and what if scenarios before they happen and quickly think through any potential planning problems before they take place. I want to make sure the team is on the same page before we move forward with anything. This is usually carried out in monthly adult leader and student leader meetings.

Leadership Style
My leadership style is more democratic than dictatorial. I prefer to lead through consensus, but recognize that there are times when, after significant discussion, a decision needs to be made. In those instances, I feel comfortable making that decision. As a leader, I prefer to allow everybody on the team to be part of the process so that we can get the best ideas and solutionsnot just my ideas and solutions. I dont want to pretend to be the smartest person in the room. I also do my best to be a great encourager and coach, giving encouraging feedback to others so they may grow in their strengths-and I hope others will do the same for me.

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Spiritual Gifting 1. Teaching 2. Leadership 3. Pastoring 4. Evangelism Personality/Strengths Assessments 1. Strengths Finder 2.0 Activator Relator Woo Belief Ideation 2. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ENTJ Extroversion 89% Intuition Thinking Judgment 62% 38% 67% 3. DiSC Profile D-5 i - 7 S- 2 C- 3

4. Smalley/Trent Animal Temperament Otter

You have strong preference of Extraversion over Introversion You have distinctive preference of Intuition over Sensing You have moderate preference of Thinking over Feeling You have distinctive preference of Judging over Perceiving

Sermon Videos: http://vimeo.com/brandonblumberg Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brandonblumberg

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MINISTRY VALUES|WHAT I VALUE MOST

Biblical Instruction: I believe Scripture, and proper teaching/studying of Scripture, is foundational and of the upmost importance in the church. Though we live in an information age, biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high. I believe it is in my job description to properly teach Scripture and equip others to love and study it for themselves. This is the highest value of mine. Community: I believe that our greatest spiritual growth, feelings of acceptance, giving and receiving of love, and experience of grace comes in the context of a close community of people who desire to care for one another and walk the journey of Christ together. I believe strongly in the effectiveness and necessity of small groups in the local church. Vulnerability and Safe Places: I believe that as a leader, my job is to be an example to those I lead. This means being honest about my struggles, questions and dilemmas. Though I feel called to be pastor in the local church, I am by no means perfect and should not pretend to be. This not only helps me work out my personal faith, but allows for the church community to be a safe place for people to express who they really are, to ask questions, to express doubts, to talk about their struggles, so that God may be glorified and that grace may abound. Experience and Creativity: I believe in the use of many different mediums from visual arts, contemplative experiences, teaching, participation, etc., to assist in peoples experience of God. In our post-modern culture, people long to be challenged, inspired, and taught through experience. I like to ask the question, What do we want our people to experience? I try to always think outside the box and allow for people to experience God for themselves. Leadership Development: I believe ministry thrives when leadership is multiplied and freedom is given to those who lead. I believe in leading through others and training people to use their personal strengths/gifts to contribute to the church as a whole. I love letting others take the lead in ministry and seeing the joy they experience as they live out Gods call on their life.

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DISCIPLESHIP EXPERIENCE/PHILOSOPHY
Small Groups I believe church is should be run as a large network of small groups (though they may be termed something else) that meet together for a corporate worship service on Sunday. Thus, Sunday is a coming together of the various small groups for worship, celebration, encouragement, instruction, and edification. The primary means of the church carrying out its mission, the Great Commission, is always better through small groups than on a Sunday morning. True life transformation happens in community and within close relationships as people follow Jesus together. I believe whole-heartedly with the tagline, We are not a church with small groups; we are a church of small groups. In every ministry context I have been in, I have always implemented and operated small groups as the primary means of carrying out the ministry. This is where real life-change happens and where people can really grow into who God wants them to be. I currently lead 2 small groups, one for our High School Ministry and one adult small group (called a Life Group). In my humble opinion, small groups are not optional within a local church; they are essential for a local church. The Discipleship Experience Curriculum Every summer I teach a 5 week, 10 session class called The Discipleship Experience. Each session is two hours and is designed to take the attendees deeper and broader in their faith, exposing them to new practices, experiences, doctrines, etc. that many have never been previously exposed to. We teach/practice many spiritual disciples, practice lectio divina and other worship/prayer activities, assign scripture reading and prayer/fasting days, and assign service projects. We teach and discuss various topics including spiritual warfare, historical creeds, evangelism and apologetics, spiritual gifts, evolution/creationism, New Testament surveys, world religions, communion, and others. It is taught much like a college course complete with a course syllabus and even has assigned homework. It always gets rave reviews and is always a highly attended and anticipated class. Mentoring Relationships I also regularly meet with individuals for ongoing mentoring meetings. This is a favorite activity of mine and is something that God has used to both teach and grow me as well as those I meet with. I believe mentoring relationship and a mentoring ministry has perhaps one of the greatest potentials for spiritual growth in the lives of believers and yet is surprisingly neglected in most churches. I personally have benefit tremendously from mentoring relationships and they have provided me with some of the greatest personal spiritual growth. This, too, is something I have implemented in my current ministry and have trained/empowered my volunteers to mentor others on a regular and ongoing basis.

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PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY|HOW I MINISTER

Vision
To help people find Jesus Christ and follow Him fully
Colossians 1:28

Purposes
Connect (fellowship)
Weekly Worship Services Integrate music, drama, and art into worship Hang-Out events Events that encourage fellowship while having an enjoyable time Promote unity and community within ministry

Grow (discipleship)
Weekly Small Group Bible Studies Weekly Worship Services Camps/Retreats Train and empower adult volunteer leaders

Serve (ministry)
Ministry Teams Connect Team (student leadership) Service Projects Involve students in various ministries within the church Spring Break Mission Trip

Reach (evangelism)
Monthly Outreach Events Friendship Evangelism Operation Good News (Evangelism Training Conference)

Strategy
To move target audience up the pyramid: Core Committed Congregation Crowd Those who actively serve in the ministry and the mission of the Church. Those who are committed to growing in spiritual maturity. Those committed to Christ and the church. Those who attend the church occasionally or regularly. Those living in our community who are unchurched. Community

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REFERENCES|THOSE WHO KNOW ME BEST

Josh Hawley Phone: (559) 226-4100 x153 Jeff Zimmerman Phone: (559) 226-4100 x155 Ed Noble Phone: (619) 464-4544 Relationship: Current Supervisor Email: joshhawley@thebridgefresno.com Relationship: Current Jr High Pastor Email: jeffzimmerman@thebridgefresno.com Relationship: Previous Mentor/Pastor Email: ed@journeycom.org Website: www.journeycommunitychurch.com Relationship: Previous Coworker Email: hyepaul@gmail.com Relationship: Previous Business Director Email: nathan@brokenjar.com

Paul Haroutunian Phone: (559) 205-5475 Nathan Freeland Phone: (559) 905-2802

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