John Collins

Where did you grow up?
I started off in Cincinnati, Ohio and in 9th grade moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I went to Milligan College in Tennessee where I met my husband. We moved to Pennsylvania after graduation and have lived here for 31 years.

How did you become a Christian?
I became a Christian on Easter Sunday in 1966. When I was a teenager, I rededicated my life at church camp and knew at that time I wanted to serve God wherever I could.

Tell us about your family.
I married my husband, Archie, 13 days after I graduated from Milligan, on May 28, 1977. We have one beautiful daughter, Kelli, who was born on October 5, 1981. She is now married, as of April 12, 2008, and we are very happy to have our son-in-law, Todd, as a part of our family.

How did you get into ministry? How did you end up at First Church?
After graduation from Milligan, I had really wanted to teach in a Christian school because at that time being a children's minister was not even an option. God choose for me to teach in a public school which I did for 25 years. During that time, I began helping out wherever I could in the churches where we attended. This included mostly with children's choirs, Vacation Bible School and Camp Christian. I started being a dean at camp about 15 years ago and began to meet many wonderful people in our brotherhood including the people at First Church of Christ. Lee Nevel, who was working at FCC at that time wanted me to do a Christmas musical with her children. I did, and she also said they were looking for someone to do a summer intern with their kids. I thought this would be great and was able to do it. John Collins asked if I could stay on part time and 3 years later it became a full time position. I took an early retirement from the school district and have been here ever since. God is great and so is working here.

What is your greatest desire for your ministry here at First Church?
My greatest desire for my ministry here at FCC is that all of the children know that there is a church full of people that love them very much and that there is a God in heaven that loves them even more and that He will always be there for them.