From New Mexico to Nashville, the Lord moved a young man

Archive: From Hostility to Service

by Tony Peña, UM Youth Service Fund Staff Person, Nashville, Tennessee

There I was in Toronto, Canada, casually conversing with Peter Moss—the head of the Youth Department of the World Council of Churches—about global issues facing the youth of today’s church. Suddenly, I thought, How in the world did I ever end up here? I have asked myself that question in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, and a couple dozen other places. “What am I doing here? How did I, a ‘good ol’ boy’ from New Mexico, ever end up living in Nashville, Tennessee, as a staff person with the National Youth Ministry Organization of the United Methodist Church (NYMO—the youth advocacy agency)?” Well, folks, I suppose it has something to do with the old saying, “The Lord moves in strange and mysterious ways,” because at times the Lord moves me in strange and mysterious ways.

I was born and reared in Clovis, New Mexico. New Mexico is the state just the other side of Texas and before you hit Arizona. Believe it or not, we joined the Union several years ago, and we are bona fide United States citizens. Many well-known people have come from Clovis, but I cannot think of any names right off the top of my head. By tradition, my family was Methodist with a few Baptists added in to flavor up the broth. So I, too, was brought up in the Methodist Church, and I was confirmed and joined the church before I knew what hit me. Unfortunately, not much “religion” sank in, and by the time I made it to junior-high and senior-high school I only went to church on rare occasions. When I started college I was a confirmed unbeliever, and I was hostile to Christianity in general.

My first roommate in college, by “accident,” was a Christian, and I am sure he thought I was his cross to bear. Every night he would read his Bible and then kneel beside the bed to say prayers. I had never seen anything like it! I thought it was hilarious, so I started kneeling by my bed exclaiming blasphemous, mock prayers, and reading the Bible out loud as irreverently as possible. All that, combined with some less than Christian habits I had, made my poor roommate move out before the first week was up. Nevertheless, through his actions the seed of faith was planted; and the seed was ready, waiting to be watered.

One month later the seed of faith got a little more watering than expected by the student president of the campus Baptist Student Union. I was one of about a dozen hippies on campus, but somehow or other I knew the BSU president. One day I passed him on the street. I said, “Hey, man, where ya going?”

He then, without blinking an eye, answered, “To heaven! Where are you going?”

I got the message, the seed of faith within me was watered good and hard, and I was madder than “an ol’ wet hen.”

Harvest time came November 30, 1971, Tuesday night after a Campus Crusade meeting. A newly converted friend had invited me, and why I decided to go I will never know. But I went, and the first thing I heard was that God loved me and had a plan for my life. When I heard those three simple words, “God loves you,” it was as if I had been hit by an atom bomb! I heard nothing else the entire meeting. All I could think of was, “God loves me.” After the meeting I went out to a quiet place, and I asked Jesus Christ to take over the control of my life.

From that time on I have lived happily ever after, and I have never had another problem. No, wait, let’s back up to that last sentence and try it one more time. From that time on, I have always known Christ is with me, and He helps me face my problems head on. Following Christ is not some kind of “wonderland” existence (that comes later in heaven), but it is a day-to-day commitment allowing His Spirit to be my Helper and Counselor.

It took me five or six years after becoming a Christian to return home to the United Methodist Church. During my studies in college (one of my majors was religion), I became intrigued by the life and teachings of John Wesley. I started attending the Wesley Foundation on our college campus. Wesley Foundations are college campus ministries supported by the United Methodist Church. The director and I became good friends, and we had many discussions about the United Methodist Church. No matter how much I argued, he kept making sense; and in the end the United Methodist Church won me back.

About the last week of school, two days before graduation, I noticed a job announcement on the Wesley Foundation bulletin board. It was a two-year staff position with the National Youth Ministry Organization. I had never heard of it and neither had my Wesley director. I applied, and I got the job! No one was more surprised than I.

Now I am the Youth Service Fund Staff Person. The Youth Service Fund (YSF) is the mission fund sponsored and supported by youth in the United Methodist Church. I work closely with national YSF projects and with the National Project Review Committee who actually picks the projects. I participate in Conference Youth Events all across the nation. If I had three more books, I could not begin to tell all of the things I have been privileged to do. The experiences I have had, the places I have been, and most of all, the people I met have all been wonderful. I thank the Lord for allowing me to have this chance to serve Him and the youth of His United Methodist Church.

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