In June 11 young men set out to live together, purposefully. We will have two house managers and all 11 participants will be in small groups that will be integrated with other Pacific Lutheran University students. In the first year we will have the opportunity to impact 30 young men’s lives. John Lewis (PLU alumn) and I will be spearheading this venture and we will be partnering with several ministries and local leaders in mentoring these young men. We will expose them to people, mission, the world and opportunities that will begin to align them with their passion(s). Here’s the Mission Statement:
Mission: Station 39 will be a place where young people seek to follow the life and leadership of Jesus Christ and participate in His vision for the world.
To that end they will initiate and participate in opportunities to integrate faith and leadership, campus and community, the spiritual and the social, calling and compassion, truth and practice, commitment to people and commitment to institutions, love for each other and love for the world, life at the house and life everywhere else.
The Name of the House? John “Nellie” Nelson died this past August and served as an inspiration to many in the PLU community. He served as an assistant football coach at the University, but his service extended beyond the football team. John was abandoned as an infant in Singapore . It is because of his lasting testimony of service for Jesus that the young men would desire this home to be referred to as “Station 39.” 39 was the jersey set aside for “Nellie” many years before his death because when he got to heaven he wanted to play football.
Nellie was born on Dec. 20, 1964, in Singapore with the disease Arthrogryposis, which locked all of his joints from the neck down. He also suffered spinal cord problems and had depended on a wheelchair for mobility all of his life. He first became aware of the PLU football program in 1989 while a student at the school, and his involvement in the program helped him see a purpose for his life. He could be found motoring up and down the sideline at Pacific Lutheran football practices and games, offering words of encouragement to the players that became his friends.
