A Leap of Faith
I left Crosby in 1991 to study Civil Engineering at Newcastle University. After graduating with my first Masters degree I joined a design consultancy in Newcastle and enjoyed a very fulfilling career with them for nearly 15 years. When the company experienced a delayed reaction to the 2007 economic crash, I was laid off in early 2010. I was fortunate to attend a 3-week executive placement scheme that helped me to examine my options for future employment, and resulted in me having a defining moment of clarity to pursue a new direction towards vocational Christian ministry.
I had come to a personal faith during my 6th form years at MTS and have been involved in volunteer/lay leadership in the churches I have attended ever since, so this was not so much a ‘new’ thing as it was a re-orientation of my passion and priorities. With the full support and encouragement of my wife and sons, we relocated as a family in 2010 to Pasadena, California for me to study for a second Masters degree in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. I graduated at the end of 2012 and was subsequently called to serve at a local non-denominational church in Pasadena where I was ordained as a Pastor. I am now serving with an incredibly diverse team that reflects the diversity of our thousand-strong Los Angeles congregation.
My wife is now a Medical School Faculty member at the University of Southern California, where my oldest son has been awarded an undergraduate place to study World Business this fall. My youngest son is still at High School but has his sights set on applying for the Royal Marines after school. The decision to embrace a new direction (and location) at this stage of our lives has not been without challenges, but has enriched us all and led to unprecedented personal growth that could never have happened if we had not stepped out of our ‘sheltered nook’. It has shown me the tremendous value of embracing life-long learning and not being confined to our comfort zones.
Matt Dunn, 1991 Leaver
