Dave is a veteran of the Midwest. Though he was born in Pendleton, Oregon in May of 1954, his dad was a logger and often had to travel to find work. Despite the relocations, Dave had a good childhood and graduated from high school in Bozeman, Montana. He took a few odd jobs, including logging with his father, before he spent three years in the Army in 1975. Upon discharge, he trained as a machinist at MontanaTech in Butte. Between machining and logging, Dave did well.

It was in Casper, Wyoming that Dave began to realize he was not happy with his life. The party scene did not fill the depressed and lonely void that began to grow in him. In frustration one night, he called his brother and laid his heart before him. They talked a long time. Eventually his brother led him in the Sinner’s Prayer over the phone. The impact of that phone call stayed with Dave, a miracle considering his state of sobriety at the time. He committed himself to Christ and began to attend a CMA church, and later committed himself to Christ in 1982. The effect of that commitment was profound. The partying stopped and Dave sold nearly all of his possessions and donated the money to his church. For the first time, real peace and joy filled his life.

When his machinist job ended, he followed his brother’s advice and moved to Idaho Falls where he received training in Nuclear Security. There he met a wonderful woman, Shawna Schwabedissen, at the church he was attending and in 1985, they married. Three years later, he took a job with Los Alamos National Labs. Today he is a senior security specialist for Protection Technology Los Alamos.

In 2000, with a growing family, he and Shawna came to Crossroads Bible Church, attracted by children’s ministry. Before coming to CBC, Dave had served as a church treasurer, but he is more enthused about the opportunity to serve as a deacon. As directed in 1Timothy he is ready to serve the practical needs of the church – primarily the widows and singles, but also to any who have need. The goal for deacons is to find that need and meet it.