This is Talent! Join us in welcoming this new talent to the Brigade team.

Most of our Regional Directors come to us because they have in some way been involved in Brigade. That totally makes sense. But sometimes God hands us a new person in a way that only He can. That also makes sense! God like to surprise us.

When our President, Scott Haima, bumped into Stephen Ingis on the disc golf course neither of them had any idea that their paths would soon join and Stephen's life would be altered forever. We're thankful for his unique perspective and talents, which include, as mentioned above, disc golf, but did you know he's been calling square dances since he was 12?!

Read more about Stephen and how he came to be our newest Regional Director in the interview below.

Of Possoms, Banjos, and Making Disciples...Meet Keith, filling a vital new role for CSB

 

One of the biggest challenges we face as a ministry, in addition to some of the strong cultural headwinds that seem to be gusting hard right now, is simply the fact that many people and churches don't know who we are. That's why we want to introduce you to our newest team member, Keith Reinsel.

Keith will be leading our electronic communications efforts moving forward, focusing on social media awareness raising as well as helping us with a strategy for getting our resources into a digital format that will make them more accessible and useful to our leaders.

Keith not only fills a greatly needed role for our ministry, but also brings some of the more interesting hobbies I've yet seen from our staff!

What do Possums (yes spelled correctly), banjos, and discipleship have in common? Take a look at this short interview with our newest staff member, Keith Reinsel.

Boys Need Heroes

 

Now more than ever boys need heroes. Sometimes those heroes swoop in during a moment of crisis, but other times heroes are the men who sacrifice everyday investing in the lives of boys.

The month of June we want to celebrate these heroes through short videos as men share about the heroes that helped shape them.

Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss the videos we will be posting through the month.

Eager to serve you,
The CSB Team

His Brotherly Joke Saved My Life

I should be dead. That’s what the doctor told me last Saturday Night as she stood in front of me as shocked as I was. My heart and lungs were riddled with blood clots, which didn’t make sense. I am active, in good health, and am used to just pushing through the aches and pains of my 57 year old body. I thought it was a pulled muscle when I woke up Friday morning, but that night the pain got to be bad enough that I had trouble sleeping. But that’s par for the course of middle aged activity right?

I woke up Saturday morning, in pain, but excited to attend my weekly men’s bible study. I consider these men brothers. I’ve known them for over 20 years, many of whom serve together with me in Christian Service Brigade. I have come to know deeply I need this time with my brothers; a little pain was not going to keep me away. I pushed through the pain and drove to the park. Sitting at a picnic table my pain was obvious enough that one of my Brigade brothers off-handedly commented, “it could be a blood clot.” That was a dumb idea. Clearly it was muscular or possibly an infection, nothing serious. But not able to endure the pain, I left the bible study early and drove home to put my leg up. Even a man as stubborn as me can be manipulated by enough pain. I finally gave in and went to the hospital. After a few short tests the hospital staff marveled along with me at how close I had come to death.

This has become an anchor point in my life story, a point to look back on and be grateful. I have another day to fulfill the mission God has given me. More specifically it brought new weight to the importance of the band of brothers I have in Brigade, as well as the role God has given me serving as President of CSB Ministries.  

Throughout the month of June, Brigade will be sharing videos of men honoring their Brigade heroes. 

Without hesitation I now know who my hero is. It isn't actually one man, it’s five. The men who have served alongside me for 20 years and have become my brothers. In addition to the countless ups and downs they have walked through with me,  God used them that Saturday to plant the seed in my head, or I would likely be dead today. Heroes are not always the men who swoop in one time to rescue you. They are often the men who sacrifice in friendship by sticking by you even when you are stubborn!  Every boy needs a hero in his life as he walks the difficult path to manhood.  My story proves that this doesn’t stop when we become men. We all continue to need training, affirmation, and every so often a swift kick in our stubbornness!  I cannot think of a better context for both boys and men to find their heroes than in Christian Service Brigade. 

Now more than ever boys need heroes.  Your donation helps us equip men to build strong boys into the godly men of tomorrow.  I’m thankful God has given me another tomorrow, I plan to live it for Him. 

Serving with you,
Scott

Jay Trainer, Eastern Great Lakes RD

At the time we are writing this we are in the middle of all the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. But in the midst of the craziness God is showing His grace and we see growth as individuals, families, churches, and as an organization.

One way that God has blessed us at this time is with a new Regional Director. Jay Trainer is replacing Rob Dickerson in the Eastern Great Lakes Region. It took us four years to find Rob, but when Rob decided to serve on the National Board and to focus on his pastoral ministry, God handed us Jay almost immediately. There was no gap in service to the Eastern Great Lakes Region! We thank God for this gift and hope that you are as encouraged as we are by this provision. We trust that the God of all comforts will comfort you in this time even as he provides for your needs as well.

And we hope you will enjoy reading this short interview with Jay.

Vitals:  

• Age: 41  
• Married: 16 Years to Marie
• Children: Mya (14), Seth (11), Breah (8) and the dog Lacey (2) 
• Hobbies: Kayaking, running, long quiet walks on the Erie Canal (with my pup) 
• Interesting fact(s): I have been working as a public address announcer for different sporting events for the last 25 years. I have announced for professional basketball teams, football teams, hockey teams, and auto racing events.
  

Brigade Connection: What is your vision for CSB in your region?

Jay: My hope and passion is to see men, young and old, have the chance to first and foremost respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to help train those that are already people of influence that are equipping men in their churches and ministries. I also hope to encourage those that are feeling tired and weary spiritually further in the ways of the Lord.

Brigade Connection: How did you develop a love for the intergenerational discipleship?

Jay: I began developing a love for intergenerational discipleship when serving as a youth pastor for over ten years. Seeing the desire of young people to want to grow and mature in Christ also helped fortify this drive and passion!

Brigade Connection: How did you first encounter Brigade?

Jay: My involvement with Brigade first happened in Buffalo, NY attending Randall Baptist first as a Tree Climber and later on as a Stockader. 

Brigade Connection: How did you come to be on Brigade staff?

Jay: A couple of years ago, I was asked to consider applying to be on staff with Brigade. The Lord had different plans at the time. With some different transitions happening in our family, I was asked to consider applying again and agreed to go for it. 

Brigade Connection: Brigade Connection: How would you describe CSB in 2 or three sentences?

Jay: Brigade is a foundation point in the spiritual growth and development for both men and boys with the Lord. It offers opportunities to equip and resource intergenerational discipleship.

We got a Warncke for Christmas! Welcome our new Regional Director.

We are entering this last week of Advent Season with much for which to be thankful. God is blessing us with ever clearer vision, opening doors, supporters like you have been very generous, and God answered our prayer quick;ly for a new Regional Director in The New Jersey/New York Metro Region.

For those of you who have never met Steve Warncke, and especially for those who will be impacted by his ministry, we provide some vitals and some interesting details for you to enjoy. Please reach out to him with a warm welcome: swarncke@csbministries.org

Steve Warncke Vitals: 

• Age: 25
• Married: 1.5 Years
• Hobbies: rock climbing, disc golf, fishing, video games, board games/tabletop games, breeding rabbits, photography
• Interesting fact: My wife walked down the aisle to a song from The Lord of the Rings, and we left the ceremony to a song from Star Wars.

The Interview:

Brigade Connection: How did you develop a love for the inter-generational discipleship?

Steve: Seeing just how evil the world around us is, and seeing fathers who are close to me display sub-par fathering skills, I have felt strongly that I have to do whatever it takes to assure that doesn’t happen

Brigade Connection: Please provide an embarrassing camp story:

Steve: I was riding my bike down the road when I was about 10 years old. (maybe even younger) I hit (at the time) a huge rock as a jump, and bashed my face on the road which was made with pebbles.  The nurse did great work on my torn up face, bandaged me all up, sent me on my way, and I was the coolest kid in camp! Years later, I look back at the massive rock that I hit, and wonder how on earth it got so small!  Maybe I wasn’t as cool as I thought I was.

New Regional Director, passionate for racial reconciliation and urban churches

Alexander Smith is our newest Regional Director now serving the Midwest Region. Alexander is passionate, energetic, and  brings unique and vital perspective and vision for helping Brigade minister particularly in the area of racial reconciliation and growth in the urban environment. Below you can hear him in his own words as he interacts with The Brigade Connection.

Alexander Smith Vitals:

• Age:38
• Home town: Born and raised in Baltimore and Detroit
• Married: Shari, 8 years
• Children: 4 (Brandon-17, Madison-10, Ezra-5, Jodi-Marie-1)
• Hobbies: Collecting fragrances, listening to country music, and ballroom dancing
• Interesting fact: Current attending Moody Theological Seminary

Brigade Connection: Alexander, what is your vision for CSB in your region?

Alexander: I pray that God allows me to use CSB as a tool to tear down the walls of racial hostility. I pray that I can infuse CSB even more into the urban community.  The world is full of so much hate. One of the tricks of Satan is division through racism. Racism has plagued our churches and communities.  So many young men have racial tension in their hearts. I truly hope God uses me as an instrument to make change by teaching young men to overcome the world’s obstacles with His truth and helping churches in communities to do disciple by equipping them through CSB ministries.

Another New Regional Director: New England's Steve Rivers!

Steve is the Superman with the super-beard standing in the back!

We are pleased to announce another new Regional Director, Steve Rivers!

Steve will be serving in the New England region and is already familiar with the region, our philosophy of ministry (he's an alumnus), and many of the churches in his region because he is also the Executive Director of New England Frontier Camp.

Steve's complimentary role puts him in a strategic position for leadership in the new England region.

Here he is in his own words:

New Module: Building a Siege Catapult

New Stockade Modules are coming your way and the first one will be available in the store in May!

Build a torsion-powered catapult and explore "God Our Fortress" with the SIEGE WEAPONS Module.

As Christians we often feel under siege, and though it is we who are taking the battle to the gates of
hell it is good to remember that we are in the middle of a spiritual battle. And when the fiery darts of the enemy rain down on us it is vital we train our boys to remember that God is our refuge during trials, that he comforts us, and that in the same way we've been comfort we are to comfort others.

In an age-appropriate way this new Stockade module will help boys investigate the persecuted church, brothers and sisters currently experiencing this battle in a profound way. They will also learn in all circumstances how they can help and show compassion for those around them.

The full-size catapults they will be building are approximately 2' x 5' and fold down when not in use. They can launch a bean bag 15' to 30' depending on the quality of construction. You will need a chop saw and drill to build the catapult.

View in the store

Our New StocKar Derby Website!

View the new StocKar website!

The StocKar derby is not only one of the most popular events for many of our men and boys, but it offers a rich opportunity for teaching practical skills and vital spiritual truths.

The StocKar Derby is not just about building cars ... it's about building boys.

Because StocKar is so important to our men and our mission we have designed a website dedicated to promoting and supporting the Stockar Derbies in your regions.

This fun new website features:

•  Kits, products, and ideas for making cars
• Resources and materials
• Help on running a derby

 Take a look and keep coming back as we add new resources and features in the coming months!

View the website

Meet Rob Dickerson! RD For Eastern Great Lakes.

We are thrilled to announce the addition of two new Regional Directors to the ministry: Rob Dickerson and Steve Rivers. These men fill two vital roles in the ministry and are both enormous answers to prayer.

This month we’ll be introducing you to Rob, and in next month’s issue of Brigade Connection we’ll introduce you a bit more to Steve.
----
Rob is the answer to a long time prayer for a new Regional Director in the Eastern Great Lakes Region. Until now Scott Haima has been filling the dual role of CSB President and Regional Director.

We are already seeing the huge benefit to Scott being freed up to lead the ministry from a strategic perspective without the additional responsibilities of a region to maintain.

Rob brings years of ministry experience, a great family, and a love for discipleship in the outdoors. We hope you will enjoy this short interview with him.

Rob  Dickerson Vitals:

• Age 49
• Shaped like a sports car
• Lead Pastor of Life Quest Church, Rochester NY
• Married 25 years
• 4 Children ages 13 to 19
• Hobbies: Parenting teen angst and hammock camping

Brigade Connection: How did you develop a love for the inter-generational discipleship?

Rob: I grew up in Royal Rangers, a ministry similar to CSB but affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination. Our roots in Royal Rangers is deep, so there are three generations of Dickerson in what we might call faith based scouting. More importantly, though, you could say my family is the poster child for inter-generational discipleship.

A lifetime of spiritual growth

Consider this powerful call given at the beginning or our updated Herald of Christbooklet,

"The Herald of Christ seeks to challenge you to a lifetime of spiritual growth."

The Herald of Christ is both a recognition that a young man's life is bearing the fruit of Christ's work in him, but it is also a call to a life journey and commitment to God and service to others. The Herald of Christ is not an end in itself, it is a means to a much greater end.

What's New:

Over the past year a specialized team of CSB staff, all Herald of Christrecipients, spent many hours turning something good into something even better, including:

• A greater focus on input from mentors throughout the process
• Tips to mentors on how to make the most of the experience
• More flexibility for the young man in choosing Biblical readings and service projects.
• Aids for both the young man and the team surrounding him as they reach for the goal together.

A Challenge for You:

If you are leading a Battalion we encourage you to purchase a copy or two (do so on our shop) and challenge the young men in your unit to consider reaching for this life changing goal.

Every member of the Herald of Christ Revision Team would tell you that their pursuit of this goal was worth all the hard work.  We are grateful for the menwho sacrificially invested in us and pointed us to a life of commitment and service.

The Updated Herald Of Christ

The core of the Herald of Christ Program has remained true to it's roots but we recognized the need to

These additions and improvements include:
provide additional aids and emphasis through the process.

• A greater focus on input from mentors throughout the process
• Tips to mentors on how to make the most of the experience
• More flexibility for the young man in choosing Biblical readings and service projects.
• Aids for both the young man and the team surrounding him as they reach for the goal together.

Take a closer look

"The rabbit trails that eventually led me to Jesus."

Making disciples is the point of our ministry and all the tools we provide.

Aaron (pictured above) is a good example of how our tools and the weekly CSB meeting are being used to make disciples and change lives for eternity.

Here's a quick snapshot in Aaron's own words,

"When I was 11 I started using Adventure Trails as a part of being in our Battalion. Part of Adventure Trails was to get partnered with a mentor. I'd started to develop a friendship with an older gentleman because we shared an interest in guns. Because I already had the start of a friendship I thought he would be a good and godly Mentor. As we started to go through Adventure Trails we would often get on rabbit trails based on things that the book would bring up. As we continue down these rabbit trails we would once in awhile start talking about our personal relationship with God and God's will. The first time we started talking about our personal relationship with God I realized I didn't have one. I realized then that I wanted to have one; the thought of having a relationship with the creator of the world was really exciting to me.

It was because the adventure Trails required me to find a mentor and build a relationship with him and provided good content that we were able to have the rabbit trails that eventually led me to Jesus."

New Activity Leaders Guides

6 New Missions

These updated and modernized "Mission Guides" make the content of the weekly meeting even more
relevant for Battalion leaders using our best practices to help men easily lead each meeting.

1. Astronomy
2. Knot Tying
3. Global Outreach
4. Small Engines
5. Treasure Hunting
6. Photography (will be available soon)

Mission Guides will be printed on 3-hole punched paper, to make it easier to photocopy Squad meetings and other pages that you have permission to copy.  Each will include a tabbed cover divider, so we have Mission Guide Binders available for you as well to keep all your Mission's in one place.

Take a Closer Look

TWO New Adventure Trails to Choose From!

Adventure Trails: The Guide

This approach to helping the boy grow draws from classic editions of Brigade and Adventure Trails,

including:

• Self-setting and accomplishing discipleship goals
• Bible studies and memory at your pace set in themed packs
• Focus on whole person; Athlete, Academic, Artist, build on strengths in each area
• Apply biblical thinking to life and activities

 Take a closer look

Adventure Trails: Quest

With a greater emphasis on connecting with a mentor and connecting learning to activity, the Quest

• Guided by mentors on the discipleship path
• Directly connects biblical learning to action and life skills
• Biblical life focus through Christian disciplines
• Fresh and thorough update of most recent edition of Adventure Trails

Take a Closer Look

Mentoring Out of the Box: Mentoring made Easy

Visit the dedicated website!

Mentoring Out of Box gives dads and other men relational and activity-driven tools so that they can disciple their sons and other boys. It's the same approach to discipleship we've championed for 80 years packaged in a simple to implement, low commitment, "turn-key" package.

If you have thought about starting a Brigade unit in your church but wonder if there is a way to introduce other dads and men to investing in boys; consider a Mentoring Out of the Box Adventure.

These simple four week packages can stand alone, but are also an easy introduction to starting a Brigade unit for those who need to test it out first. 

Take a look at the cool MoB website!

FAQs

What is Mentoring Our of the Box?

Helping You Disciple Your Sons

Discipleship must begin ... at the beginning, It can't wait until they're "old enough." Tree Climbers is a part of our ministry designed to help dads with boys between 1st and 2nd grade to have a context and content on a regular basis to build a strong relationship with God and each other.

In this short but impactful video Tree Climber dad Kevin Mwafula talks about how the Tree Climbers ministry has helped:

• Equip his boys to develop an appetite for The Word of God
• Teach his boys to love service
• Him, as a dad, keep the right focus,
• Him grow in his own walk with Christ
• Him "see God moving in their hearts in a way that I'm not a part of it. This is becoming their own faith now."

Meet a good friend of mine who has taken a big leap of faith to serve Jesus

Josh (on the right) with Arden Musselmen, his friend, mentor, and now fellow worker.

I’ve known Josh Tallman for almost 30 years. In that time he’s grown from a quiet little camper, to a successful computer engineer working around the world, and now I have the privilege of working alongside Joshua as our newest full time Regional Director serving in Southern California and the Southwest. 

I have personally experienced the incredible gifts and character God has given to Josh and am excited to have the privilege both to introduce him to you through the interview below and to look forward to years of serving alongside him!

My favorite parts of the interview:

• Trying to use orange soda to heal a gunshot wound
• Hearing  him describe the huge impact CSB men made in his life
• The midnight rescue mission
• Minimalist camping gone bad

Serving you so you can serve the next generation,

Dave Gregg and the CSB Team

Our Young Teenager Was in a Dark Place

God used the men in Battalion and the call to serve as a key means of saving a young man from the darkness into which he'd fallen.

We live in a dark world. The Bible is clear that we ought not to be surprised when "we face trials of many kinds." But when our children encounter this darkness for the first time it understandably rocks their world. This is what happened to the young man in the following letter when he experienced "a heartbreaking loss." His faith suffered and his parents felt they had lost their "sweet gentle son." But that is not where his story ends! God used the men in Battalion and the call to serve as a key means of saving this young man from the darkness into which he'd fallen. You can read more in the following letter from his mother. 

Dear CSB Ministries,

I want to let you know what a difference you have made in our son’s life. We’ve taught our children about Christ since the day they were born, had them in Sunday school, and even taught Sunday School, ourselves. They participated in Bible Study groups, children’s programs and we read from the Bible together as a family. They were baptized when they were 8, understood and could relay the gospel to others. They knew their decision to follow Christ must be personal and that following Him was more than lip service.

After experiencing a heartbreaking loss, our young teenager was in a dark place. We sought help and prayed constantly for him. During this time, my husband and I told our son that he must attend his choice of either Battalion or Youth Group. I questioned whether it was right to “force” him to participate in church activities when he was so resistant to do so. Because of the great leadership who reached out to our son and continued to encourage him, he chose to attend Battalion, but still fought us every week because he didn’t want to go to either activity.