Q & A with Pastor Dennis

Q: A little background history: Where are you from, where did you go for undergrad, what's your family like? Let's start with those kind of basics, because frankly, I don't know any of that stuff.
A: Well, I was born in Marquette, Michigan, celebrated my first birthday in Texas, but grew up for the most part in Queens, N.Y. I went to high school in Manhattan and went to Binghamton University (SUNY) for my undergraduate years. I ended up graduating with an English degree, primarily by default (I thought it would help me in seminary). I come from a home of four, consisting of my parents, a younger sister, and myself. I love them all dearly. I grew up as a nominal Catholic when I was younger, and my family attended mass on rare occasionsÑusually for Christmas and Easter. I met the Lord when I was a freshmen in college: heard the gospel for the first time at a campus Christian fellowship and gave my life to Him at a fellowship retreat. It was the best decision I made in my life.

Q: What brought you to Emmanuel? To Biblical? To Philly? Any particular reason why?
A: Let me start with why I came to Biblical Seminary (all the way here in good ole' Hatfield, PA). I decided that I was going to seminary early on in college and since college I only had one place I really wanted to go. Biblical was my dream school, my "Harvard" of seminaries, if you will. Back in college, I remember drooling over the pages of the school catalog. Why, you ask? It was simple. I truly think you can tell a good seminary by the fruit that it produces. When I saw the seminarians from Biblical, all of them were people I could look up to. It was their humility, honesty, and sincere love for the Lord that drew me to their common source, Biblical. It's cheesy, but it's true.
I came to Philly because of Emmanuel. I heard about the church even before I ever came here, and I heard good things about this ministry and about Pastor Paul. Being here, I can truly see that Emmanuel is doing great ministry. It's a pioneering English ministry which I hope will become a working model for other churches. Praise God for the fruit that Emmanuel Church is bearing: the college and graduate student groups, the working group, as well as great community outreach - it's all here under one roof! How exciting is that?

Q: If you could be any cartoon character, who would it be?
A: Now that's a good question. Can I choose a superhero character? Well, since you can't say no, I would want to be Batman (don't laugh). I used to collect comics when I was a kid, and I was always fascinated with him. He's just an ordinary man, with no superhuman powers, but he's able to hang with the big boys - Superman, the Flash, Aquaman. You know what I mean? He's real. Plus, I love Sherlock Holmes, and Batman is the Sherlock Holmes of the 21st Century. "Deduction, my dear Robin!"

Q: What exactly is your role at Emmanuel? How is it working with the four other pastors?
A: You know, I don't know. I believe it's a work in progress. I guess I was brought in as a staff person who would mainly work with the overall administration of the church. Let me just tell you straight up, administration is not my great passion. I don't wake up in the morning and dream about whom I should send e-mails to and when I should set up meetings, but I do believe that a good church needs to have good administrative support. That way, the church can focus on the greater issues.
Working with the four other pastors? It's great. All of them have been such a great encouragement to me ever since I got here at Emmanuel. They've been great, and they're all so unique.

Q: What's one thing that stood out to you when you met each of the pastors? Personality, habits, first impression kind of thing.
A: P. Paul - his humbleness; P. Steve - his honesty; P. Dan - his LOVE!; and P. Dwight - his down-to-earthness.

Q: If you had a time machine and could go back to any point in the Bible, where would you go and why?
A: Too many questions, ahhh!!! I feel like I'm being interrogated.... Good question, though this one is hard. It's hard to choose just one period, but I would have to pick one of the episodes in the Gospels. I would love to see the face of Jesus - God, who walked the earth. Hmmm...I would have to say, the time of Jesus' birth. (I don't think I could handle seeing Jesus on the cross; I don't know what I would do if I saw that.) But, to be in Bethlehem and see Mary and Joseph holding baby Jesus in their arms, this would be awesome. Can you imagine, the Savior of the world being held in the hands of mere mortals? Joseph and Mary couldn't have fully comprehended whom they were caring for. God eternal in the body of a baby boy! It's mindboggling to think about it. Praise God for Jesus.