Meet John Phillips

Congregation members have asked for more information about Brighton First members who are involved in Vital Church Initiative Leadership. In the weeks ahead, I will offer introductions to many of our leaders. Today, I invite you to learn more about John Phillips. John is the chairperson of our Administrative Board, the governing board of our church. 

John comes to us from Muncie, Indiana. He is married to Kristin Phillips, and is the father of three adult sons, Benjamin (Tucson), Donald Scott (Portland, OR), and Daniel (Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL).  A United Methodist for 40 years, John has been a member of Brighton First United Methodist Church for 12 years.  He received his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1985 after graduating from Kettering University in 1979. John has been a practicing electrical engineer in the automotive industry ever since then and has just celebrated his first anniversary with Chrysler, where he works at the Chelsea Proving Grounds.  

Along with leading our administrative board, John has taught Bible classes and participated in mission trips. He was certified as a local lay servant, with specialized training for church leadership, in 2012.

John was part of both the Phase I and Phase II Vital Church Initiative teams that began meeting in January 2014. He is looking forward to working with the VCI Implementation Team.  

John shares this story: I found it difficult to feel part of the Brighton First UMC when I moved to Brighton. I had experienced being part of a congregation that I loved and that loved me in Indiana.  I found Brighton First to be a very friendly church, but I was looking for friends, not "friendly". When I became part of the Men of Faith Saturday morning men’s group, thanks to Bob Miller’s repeated invitation, I discovered that small groups are the key to finding the experience I was looking for.  As part of the VCI process, I hope to make it easy for guys to find their way into the life of the church.  Brighton First has a lot to offer, and I hope we can make it easy for people to share their gifts and contribute to the healthy life of the church.”