Five on Friday

Featuring Mark Holcomb, assistant professor for the School of Theology and Christian Ministry

1. You were recently elected global president of Nazarene Youth International. What is your vision for young people of the Church of the Nazarene?
Well, I'm glad it doesn't just rest on my shoulders. I work with an incredible group of leaders from literally every corner of the world: Bangladesh, South Africa, Germany, Guatemala, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, the Micronesian Islands, Philippines, and of course, the U.S.

We have a shared vision to equip and empower young leaders in the church all over the world. As you might know, the age of the church outside of the U.S. is very young. As a matter of fact, in most corners, they are the church! The youth are the worship leaders, the prayer warriors, the evangelists, the purveyors of social justice - they are leading the church. We don't have to hope they lead; our task is to enable them to lead well.

One of the ways we do this is by trying to create opportunities for them to be together, to be encouraged by being in the presence of each other. We have an event one year from this month called Third Wave. The first was in 2003 in Quito, Ecuador; the second was in 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa; and next year we'll be in Bangkok, Thailand. We will be sitting around tables, discussing church issues, praying for one another, worshiping in languages we don't know and leaving with new friends.

These new relationships we develop change how we view what happens in places like Iraq, Sri Lanka and Haiti. They aren't just faces; they are our friends.

2. How do you juggle all of your responsibilities as professor, NYI leader and resident director?
I'm not really sure, to be honest with you. I think I do what everyone else does every day: one thing at a time, make the most of every day.

I know one of the things I've neglected and I'm trying to change is the time I take to read. Isn't that usually true about all of us, though? We tend to ourselves last, or taking care of ourselves slides very low on our list of priorities.

In order to keep things balanced, I listen to my wife. She is very good about letting me know when I'm getting out of sync. She is my advocate, and I have learned to listen to her when she speaks. At times, she tends to take better care of me than I do myself.

3. What do you enjoy most about your role as resident director in Old Oak?
Well, I was a youth pastor for 23 years before joining the teaching faculty at Olivet, and I love the incarnational side of what an RD gets to do. I have permission to walk into any guy's room at any time and steal a hunk of brownie, watch a football game or just ask them how they're doing - and they don't think twice about it! I get to do so much more than tell them when their hair is getting too long or when they have missed chapel too many times; I have the opportunity to live among them.

They ask us to pray for them, to go to a basketball game with them, to watch a football game with them; those all create memories that become a little more difficult to come by once I'm not an RD. As an RD you have to be intentional in developing relationships ... believe me, there are some who would be OK with never seeing me! But this position has allowed me to be seen as one of them, at least from the standpoint of living among them. I'm part of their community, literally. I'll miss that.

4. You and your wife just became second-time grandparents. Care to brag about your expanding family?
You bet we did! We have two daughters who are presently doing their part at helping our family grow.

We have a 2 1/2 year old grandson, Brayden Edward Sanders, whose parents are Luke and Kristin '06 Sanders. He recently gained a cousin, Jackson Christopher Bowman, January 7, whose parents are Chris and Kelli '08 Bowman. What makes this fun is that Kristin is expecting her second any day. Terry, my wife, is currently in Texas awaiting the arrival of Bradley Sanders. Needless to say, it's a fun time in our home!

5. What is your idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon?
I wake up, have breakfast with my wife - preferably toad in a hole (eggs fried inside bread). We usually drink our share of coffee, lay around, then get cleaned up for the day. This time of year, there's nothing better than watching an Ohio State basketball game. (In the fall, my whole day revolves around the Ohio State football game, dressed in scarlet and gray!). Then I'll go to an Olivet game, football or basketball. Of course, they'll both win.

These days, it will most likely include a trip to Chicago to visit Jackson. Luke, Brayden's dad, gets out of the Army soon. So if they move closer to us, we will begin the rotation. We're hoping that starts some time in April!