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God provides growing music ministry for Thuan In the short time Thuan has taught himself to play the acoustic guitar, God has developed in his heart a passion for worship.
"The thing is his humbleness," says Mark Rudd, minister to junior high students in Mobile at Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Thuan's home church. "With everything Thuan has experienced in life, I don't know too many people who have a better heart for worship than he has." Thuan recently purchased a new acoustic guitar with his own savings. No doubt he energetically wore out several guitar strings in summer 2005 when he, at age 18, served as worship leader on the Texas Team of WorldChangers, sponsored by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. For seven to eight weeks, he traveled throughout the Lone Star State to coordinate and lead evening worship services, each with 500 to 600 junior high and high school students and adults. "This was huge!", exclaimed Rudd. "Usually, WorldChangers wants someone who has gotten at least one year of college done. This speaks highly of Thuan's ability to handle a lot of responsibilities at one time.” Last summer was Thuan’s fourth summer with WorldChangers. During a summer with WorldChangers in Huntsville, Alabama, God spoke through youth pastor Jack Hester about Thuan getting involved with music ministry at Cottage Hill Baptist Church. Soon after he returned from Huntsville to the Children's Homes campus in Mobile, Thuan disclosed Hester's advise during conversation with two of his strongest supporters, his houseparents Marie and Jim Marchetti.
Growing up in gang neighborhoods and poverty before coming to the Children's Homes, Thuan never could trust any adults and was always disappointed by them, he says. The Marchettis and other Christian, adult role models he has had at the Children's Homes have influenced him to develop greater respect for adult authorities and, most of all, God. ABOVE: Thuan, pictured center, is joined by Children’s Homes houseparents Marie and Jim Marchetti for dedication prayer at commissioning service for WorldChangers. "When Mark Rudd asked me to become Junior High Praise Band leader, I was going to say yes too quickly, but Mr. and Mrs. M encouraged me to pray about it," Thuan acknowledges. "The best advice I could get is from Mr. and Mrs. M." Marie Marchetti describes Thuan as one of the most respectful young men she has met. "I think the only spiritual experience he had before the Children’s Homes was a little Buddhism," Marie says. "Through devotionals at the Children’s Homes, church involvements, and friendships, he has seen what he wants his life to be. It's amazing to watch his hunger for Jesus Christ grow." At Rudd's invitation about four years ago, Thuan became worship leader for the junior high students' Wednesday night assemblies at Cottage Hill. He coordinated all praise and worship music for the gatherings, and he led tryouts for and oversaw accountability for the Junior High Praise Band. As a high school senior, he had valuable opportunities to positively impact the lives of younger teen-agers all week since all of his fellow Praise Band members were ninth graders. Rudd told Thuan that a lot of middle school students had developed a passion for God due to the Wednesday night praise services. "Thuan became more and more confident in his outspokenness about God during the worship services and throughout the rest of the week," Rudd says. "He is not by any means cocky, but he's definitely confident that God can use him in any situation." Thuan surrendered to God's call to full-time Christian ministry on March 6, 2005. His musical outreach has extended beyond the Baptist church. Since December 2004, he has played in a band at a coffee shop ministry of Knollwood Assembly of God in Mobile. He has also led worship at local Episcopal and Anglican Church events. "It's neat to minister in many settings and realize that God is doing awesome things inside and outside my home church," Thuan reports. In Mobile and with WorldChangers in Texas, Thuan has tried to make sure that worship services are relaxed. While he says he loves "laid back and mellow praise and worship songs," he includes upbeat, energetic selections. "I make sure that none of the students are pressured by anything during the services," Thuan notes. "I can't force anyone to worship God." God often shows Thuan songs that relate to things he learns in Bible study and prayer. "I'll pick songs for a service and not even know they go perfectly with the message that will be preached." |
Most of the time, Thuan is quiet and introspective. A college student and participant in the Independent Living Program at the Baptist Children's Homes, he spends a lot of time in his bedroom at the Mobile, Alabama campus to pray and learn new guitar chords. Put him onstage in front of a crowd of students, however, and he quickly comes out of his shell.
"Mr. and Mrs. M. are like second parents to me," says Thuan, American-born to Vietnamese parents. "I know Mr. and Mrs. M are not perfect, but in the seven years I've lived at the Children's Homes, I've felt a sense that they really care about me and want to help."
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