Some personal chronology:
This is mostly for my own
sense of time passing. You might
want to return to the main page. I haven’t tried to prioritize any
of this information. If I were to do
so, the highlights would be something like this: Being born into an interesting family
that loved me, being found by Jesus, falling in Love, being a musician,
having children, entering ministry.
All the other stuff below is kind of random and subject to constant
editing.
Born: Sewickley,
PA 1956.
Earliest Years: Hopewell
Township, Beaver County Pennsylvania.
1st
Grade Hopewell Elementary School. (62)
A Kid: Moon
Township, Pennsylvania
Bon
Meade Elementary School (63-66) Three great loves: fishing, music, comic
books.
Moon
Junior High School (67-70) One love—music.
A Teenager: Moon
Township, Pennsylvania
Moon
Senior High School (71-74)
Penn
State Beaver Campus (74-76)
Became
a Christian 1971.
St.
Stephen’s Episcopal, Sewickley PA. (71-78)
Jesus
People (71-76) where did they go?
Younglife (72-73)
Grace
Haven Farm, Mansfield, OH (72-73)
I
was very active in all these groups and they took most of my time.
Read
the Bible.
Wrote
poetry.
Loved
German & English classes. Some of the teachers might be surprised!
Played
guitar and sang in coffeehouses, school events,
and
anywhere people could stand it. (1971-to forever)
Met
and fell madly in love with Vicki Markley at Grace Haven farm (Summer 1973)
Twenties: Moved
to State College, Pennsylvania (76-89)
Park
Avenue (76-78)
By
the Duck Pond! (3 months 78)
Fairmount
Avenue (78-85)
Golfview Avenue (85-89)
Married
Vicki, November 24, 1978
MY
Parents moved from Pittsburgh area to Indio, California (1979)
Began
attending a Mennonite Church, January 1980. Would become increasing involved there
for the next 9.5 years.
After
a rocky undergraduate career graduated from PSU in 1981.
Taught
myself Spanish. Spent a lot of time
on this.
Formed
a rock band and began a 10 year musical career—1978-1989. Wrote songs, played gigs, won, lost, did
some
things right, made mistakes. Lived poor (very poor at times) and sacrificed for
my art. Being poor was
romantic for a while, then mostly hard
and demoralizing.
Worked
at numerous short term and unglamorous jobs to keep music and family alive.
Erie
Technological Products ( a factory) (1 month, 79)
Penn
State maintenance (seasonal) (1 month, 79)
Odd
Jobs— For a
Rabbi’s widow (2 or 3 weeks, 79)
An
eccentric professor (1 week, 79)
And
so it went…
Dandelion
Market (health food) ( part-time, except for the final six months, 79-82)
1981
In Mexico for about two weeks—Mexicali to Guadalajara by train,
Guadalajara to DF by bus.
1982
Isaac Santiago Sairs born, had to get a more high-powered job!
1982-1986:
Accu-weather.
Technician.
1985 Eli Emilio Sairs born. Had to get an even more high-powered
job!
Thirties: 1986-1989:
Mid-State Employment and Training Consortium (JTPA administration)
1987 Ira Manuel Sairs born.
1988 Decided to wrap up my professional music
career and move into church ministry. Completed transition in…
1989 Went to Alabama to work as lead pastor
of a struggling
Congregation—Mobile
Mennonite Church (89-99).
Lived
in “Driftwood Acres”—Charmaine
Circle (89-2002)
Forties: 1989-2002
Worked at Mobile Public Library—Main, Parkway, Moorer.
Circulation, automation, reference.
1997 M.A. University of Mobile.
1999-2002. Led a small church
planning—Freedom in Christ.
2002—Moved
to London, Ohio, to teach at Rosedale Bible College and direct the Library.
Fifties: 2002-06
Main Street
2006 - ? High Street (The first house we’ve owned and not rented).
2003-
? served first as an elder and since 2007 as an associate Pastor at London
Christian Fellowship.
2006 On the way to Africa to teach for two
weeks in Africa, stopped in Switzerland (~4 days), Germany (~2 weeks)
(1 afternoon in France!)
2007 MLIS from Kent State University.