S TA F F S P O T L I G H T S
Brooke Toftoy
Q When did you start getting involved at CPC? Friends invited me to CPC when I was in 6th grade. I was totally the girl who was the big distraction, but I loved coming. In 8th grade, all the girls I had come to CPC with decided not to go on the Commitment Class Retreat. My parents said, “We paid the money. You’re going.” It was on that retreat where I really understood about Jesus for the first time. He completely changed my heart.
Q Why did you pursue a career in youth ministry?
Brooke Toftoy has served as the Associate Director of High School Ministries for seven years. Hometown: Edina, MN Favorite Bible verse: Philippians 4:4-7 Book you’re currently reading: Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr Favorite food: Sweet potatoes Hobbies: Holy Yoga, running, reading, seminary
Dan Anderson
As soon as I met Jesus in 8th grade, I felt called to ministry. A lot of people feel called to whatever age group they were when they met the Lord. When I look back at high school, I realize that I was going through a lot of stuff, but I really didn’t have an adult mentor in my life. It changes everything if students have adults who love Jesus and are walking with them and caring for them. This models Jesus in such a powerful way. When high school students and leaders have been together in House Groups for four years, they become family.
Q How do you stay balanced in the pressures of your work?
Because I was an English major and words are important to me, I connect to God through reading Scripture. My Bibles are so well worn they’re like journals, because I write people’s names in the margins or things that stand out to me. I was so devastated a while ago when my purse was stolen because my Bible was in it. They never found my purse, but someone found my Bible. It was a miracle. Because I’m an empathetic type of person, I often feel overwhelmed when I hear stories of brokenness. I started practicing Holy Yoga, and it has been powerful for me, because we focus on Scripture and breathe it into our bodies. So often we forget that the Holy Spirit is our companion and always with us, just like our breath. Holy Yoga helps me pay attention to both in an intentional way.
Q What are some of your roles in Congregational Care?
I visit people in hospitals, talk with those going through crises, help couples plan their weddings or their babies’ baptisms, write the curriculum for Sunday Communities, and work with the Nesters’ steering team. I love Congregational Care because I have the honor of acting as an Old Testament priest, sharing people’s concerns with God and sharing God’s Word with them. It’s an incredible privilege and a sacred place; it’s what I get to do. I love being with people, sharing in their journeys whether on the mountaintop or walking in the hard places of illness, death, and conflict.
Q Why did you pursue vocational ministry? Dan Anderson serves as Pastor of Congregational Care. He has worked at CPC for seven years. Hometown: Norwich, CT Favorite Bible verse: Psalm 103 Book you’re currently reading: The Secret Lives of Wives by Iris Krasnow Favorite food: Chocolate chip cookies Hobbies: Biking, cross-country skiing, gardening
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JANUARY 2012
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CPC LIFE
Back in college, I shared with my professor that I was considering psychology, botany, photography, youth ministry, and teaching. He said, “Dan, have you considered pastoral ministry? It includes youth ministry, teaching, and counseling. And photography and gardening can be your hobbies.” I said, “Oh, that makes sense.” After my first year of seminary, I had a summer internship at a church in Connecticut, and I felt incredibly affirmed that God had placed me in the right vocation. I went on to get my Master of Divinity and Doctorate in Marriage and Family Studies at Bethel Seminary.
Q Can you share a little about your faith story?
I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home. But in that environment, I was an actor: I learned what was expected and I did it. The biblical word for that is “hypocrite.” It was not until my late teenage years that the mask was revealed and I knew that I needed to make my own decision to follow Jesus. It’s a journey, just like it says in 1 John 3:2: “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”