Brian Townsend, Coach

Mr. Bee, as he was called, was the physical education teacher/gymnastic coach at Toronto Junior Academy. Coaches are important in the lives of young people, not so much for the sport they teach but for the other areas they can influence.

I recall several Sabbath afternoons when a group of us would gather at Coach’s apartment. Together we chose a life topic we wanted to discuss and then each of us selected one of his books by Ellen White.* We would locate our topic in the index and then read aloud to the group what we found on the relevant pages. As young Christians we needed guidance on how to be a disciple of Jesus. After reading and discussing, reflecting and praying together, we came away with a very balanced view of how to engage with the issues facing young people who desired to live life guided by a biblical moral compass.

When Brian had been in college, he was on a gymnastic team at Andrews University called Gymnics. That influenced my decision to attend Andrews a fews years later. I wanted to be part of that witnessing team that also performed gymnastics.

Brian was murdered on Christmas Eve, 2013 in Belize where he had been serving as a missionary. Age 64.

*This American author of the late 1800’s has written many books that have helped Christians—young and old—on their spiritual journey.