A Life of Service
Do you remember your 2010 New Year’s resolution? By the end of October, most of us have long forgotten what we vowed in January. For Faith members Bob and Jeanne Blahnik, however, their New Year’s resolution has been a daily practice. On December 31, 2009, they committed to praying daily in 2010 that God would provide a career change.
Bob and Jeanne were high school sweethearts, both raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They attended Iowa State University, where Bob majored in Construction Engineering, and Jeanne studied to become a teacher. After six years of dating, they were married in 1972, and joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where Bob was an officer. After three years, Bob and Jeanne moved back to Iowa to run the Blahnik family construction business. God blessed them with three children: Kelli, Kara, and David. Their lives were going according to plan. However, everything was about to change.
Jeanne grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ at a Young Life event in high school. Bob also was a life-long church member and active in the church. He was a deacon, and faithfully attended services (which he deemed a “social responsibility”). However, something was missing. On the outside, life couldn’t be better. He had a beautiful family, a successful business, and his dream home. But on the inside, Bob felt empty and lost. Through mutual friends, the Blahniks were asked to join a small group. Bob was uncertain about the whole idea (having never studied the Bible before) but agreed to go. After several weeks, the leader wisely realized that while Bob certainly was religious, he had never given his heart to Christ, and shared with him the simple gospel message. A month later, while driving late at night, Bob pulled his car to the side of the road and spent the next hour pouring out his heart to the Lord. That night he trusted Christ as his Savior.
Suddenly, at age 27, Bob’s life began to have a distinct purpose. Bob and Jeanne changed churches and quickly became vital members of an evangelical church. “I did anything and everything a lay person could do,” said Bob with a smile. “Evangelism, elder, deacon, student ministry, Sunday school teacher, small group leader, counselor…you name it, I did it.” During the next 9 years, God would use these experiences to mature Bob’s faith – and calling – and show him a distinctly different agenda for his life.
“I realized that I was finding all my satisfaction in ministry,” said Bob. “The business world and my construction business no longer appealed to me. God was calling me to something different.” That difference would mean a major cross-country move for Bob and his young family. At age 36, he decided to hang up the hard hat and go to seminary – moving his wife and three kids from Iowa to Denver, Colorado to attend Denver Seminary, where he completed a double major Master of Divinity/Counseling. In addition, while in seminary, he served as an Associate Pastor of the Bear Valley Baptist Church for three years.
For Jeanne, pulling up roots in Iowa was extremely painful. Leaving family and life-long friends was only part of the struggle. Seminary meant that she would become a pastor’s wife – a role she didn’t immediately embrace! They were living the American dream…would God call them to give it all up? Late one night when Bob was away, God tugged at her heart, and she finally surrendered. Now she was free to experience God’s plan and God’s provision.
After seminary, Bob and Jeanne were called to be the Senior Pastor of Suburban Bible Church in Highland, Indiana, where they spent the next 15 years. Under Bob’s leadership, this struggling church of 250 flourished and grew to nearly 1,000. However, after 15 years, the Blahniks began to feel God’s tug toward something different. Their now 18 years in pastoral ministry had led them to understand the tremendous pressure most pastors face. Their own experience of rest and renewal at SonScape Retreats led them to their next ministry – helping pastors and missionaries.
The Blahniks joined SonScape in Colorado in 2005 as Retreat Leaders – helping those in full-time vocational ministry find refreshment amid feelings of burnout, fatigue or depression. They crafted pastoral retreats that focused not only on pastors in crisis, but also for those who needed a safe place to come away and regain identity in Christ and calling from God. Because retreats were not continual, and because their daughter, Kelli Trujillo, and her husband, David, lived in Indianapolis, the Blahniks decided to make Indy home base while traveling back and forth to Colorado to lead retreats.
David and Kelli already attended Faith Church when Bob and Jeanne moved to Indianapolis, and they started attending as well. They immediately liked the church, and began to plug into ministry. Although their travel schedule meant they were out of town a lot, the Blahniks still managed to teach adult classes, lead a community group, and participate in the A-team. Bob began playing percussion in the praise band. Soon, Faith Church was home.
The Blahniks loved being in Indianapolis and close to grandkids, but, after five years, the constant travel back and forth to Colorado to lead retreats was exhausting. God began nudging them toward a new direction. They determined that God wanted them to stay in Indianapolis, and committed to pray every day of 2010 for new direction. Then, in March, sitting in the service one Sunday at Faith Church, they heard Pastor Tom announce that the church plant was moving forward, which would vacate the Associate Pastor of Adult Ministry position. Could God be giving them a chance to serve the church they already knew and loved?
“To be given an opportunity to serve the church we love is truly a gift from God,” said Bob. “After 10 months of praying daily for a ministry in Indy, this position fits us perfectly.”
Want to learn more? Read Equipped for Service.
