I was going to post this in the MHC vs MLG thread, but that one seems to be going in different directions.
There's been several comments about the crazy teenagers running around the America's Center in St. Louis trying to save you. They were there for their "convention", and we were there for ours. Were you wondering where all these kids came from? Well it's probably closer than you think.
The group is a Christian youth ministry called Dare 2 Share, if you judge by the name, that's probably why some of you were approached more than you are used to. It's kinda the point of the ministry, empowering youth to share their faith. At the head of this organization is a man name Greg Stier, one of the most dynamic motivators and public speakers you will hear.
So why do I know so much about this, well that's where it gets interesting.
When I was 15 years old, one of my friends from high school, called me up and said, "hey you want to go scare some people tonight?" I was like, yeah sure. He told me his brother in law and sister owned a local haunted house, and if I wanted I could go with him and scare some people there.
His brother in law was Brad, Brad had a couple of good friends that he met in high school a few years earlier, Greg and Rick, who helped him working at the haunted house. Rick was probably one of the best most energetic haunted house actors I have seen, and Greg was probably one of the best haunted house "guides" there has been, by many accounts.
Shortly after I began working at the haunted house, Greg and Rick went on to form, in Brad's living room, a church called Grace Church. Greg was the pastor and Rick was the assistant pastor and music/worship leader. This church grew and became the "church" of many of my friends, Brad and his family, and eventually me and my wife. Rick, the same crazy haunted house actor who I met as a 15 year old, ended up being one of the pastors at my church, and provided me and my wife with our pre-marital counseling. Greg had also formed a youth ministry named "Warriors for Christ" which ultimately was renamed and became Dare 2 Share, which has become one of the largest youth ministries in America. Greg eventually left Grace Church to focus full time on Dare 2 Share. Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, no, this haunted house was not a "hell house" type of attraction.
So coming full circle, it was wild to walk into the convention center during Transworld. Warren (who was also there as a 15 year old kid, working with Greg, Rick and Brad) turned to me and said "gosh this looks like Dare 2 Share", and sure enough it was. So there we were more than 20 years later, as haunted house owners walking into a convention center for our national trade show, while in the same building Greg was leading his youth ministry in one of their conferences.
It was funny when one of the youth pastors attending the conference approached me and asked me what was going on in the exhibit hall. I explained what we were there for, told him a bit of the story I am telling here, and let him know to tell Greg that Chris says hi.
Small world eh? So do these worlds intertwine? It appears as though they can, and do.
Chris
There's been several comments about the crazy teenagers running around the America's Center in St. Louis trying to save you. They were there for their "convention", and we were there for ours. Were you wondering where all these kids came from? Well it's probably closer than you think.
The group is a Christian youth ministry called Dare 2 Share, if you judge by the name, that's probably why some of you were approached more than you are used to. It's kinda the point of the ministry, empowering youth to share their faith. At the head of this organization is a man name Greg Stier, one of the most dynamic motivators and public speakers you will hear.
So why do I know so much about this, well that's where it gets interesting.
When I was 15 years old, one of my friends from high school, called me up and said, "hey you want to go scare some people tonight?" I was like, yeah sure. He told me his brother in law and sister owned a local haunted house, and if I wanted I could go with him and scare some people there.
His brother in law was Brad, Brad had a couple of good friends that he met in high school a few years earlier, Greg and Rick, who helped him working at the haunted house. Rick was probably one of the best most energetic haunted house actors I have seen, and Greg was probably one of the best haunted house "guides" there has been, by many accounts.
Shortly after I began working at the haunted house, Greg and Rick went on to form, in Brad's living room, a church called Grace Church. Greg was the pastor and Rick was the assistant pastor and music/worship leader. This church grew and became the "church" of many of my friends, Brad and his family, and eventually me and my wife. Rick, the same crazy haunted house actor who I met as a 15 year old, ended up being one of the pastors at my church, and provided me and my wife with our pre-marital counseling. Greg had also formed a youth ministry named "Warriors for Christ" which ultimately was renamed and became Dare 2 Share, which has become one of the largest youth ministries in America. Greg eventually left Grace Church to focus full time on Dare 2 Share. Now before anyone jumps to conclusions, no, this haunted house was not a "hell house" type of attraction.
So coming full circle, it was wild to walk into the convention center during Transworld. Warren (who was also there as a 15 year old kid, working with Greg, Rick and Brad) turned to me and said "gosh this looks like Dare 2 Share", and sure enough it was. So there we were more than 20 years later, as haunted house owners walking into a convention center for our national trade show, while in the same building Greg was leading his youth ministry in one of their conferences.
It was funny when one of the youth pastors attending the conference approached me and asked me what was going on in the exhibit hall. I explained what we were there for, told him a bit of the story I am telling here, and let him know to tell Greg that Chris says hi.
Small world eh? So do these worlds intertwine? It appears as though they can, and do.
Chris
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