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John Fuller
The active mind of a child does not mesh well with
instructions to sit in church with folded hands. John Fuller
remembers feeling bored as a child and constantly looking with envy
at the “other side” – at the church choir, for example -- and
feeling that singing in the choir must be more interesting than
sitting in the congregation. Choir members are having a good time!
Years later, he joined the Meeting House Choir the
day he joined the church.
In doing so, he proved that you don’t have to be a
trained musician to sing in the Meeting House Choir. John had taken
piano lessons for four years, then quit in the seventh grade. “My
mother told me I’d be sorry some day, and she was right,” he says.
Not sure of his vocal range, he positioned himself
between the tenor and bass sections and found it pleasing to follow
along with tenor David Nussman. For the more advanced works, Tracy
Shirk, Director of Music Ministries, provides recordings which John
uses to learn his part. For everything else, he “tunes in to other
tenors” and has David as his “choir parent.”
A Vital
Role
The role of music usually heard in church is well
defined for John, in spite of his fondness for every kind of
auditory artistic expression, captured in “gigs and gigs” of music
on his IPod. “Church music,” says John, “is for many people the
primary channel for the expression of joy and for invoking the Holy
Spirit.”
(Son Jake shares his love for all kinds of music,
classical, jazz, even rap. His wife, Jolene, prefers country
music.)
John grew up in Topeka, Kansas, and earned a degree
in computer science from Washburn University in that city. Topeka
was not exactly another Silicon Valley. Unable to find a job in his
field, John joined the Navy and served in the first Gulf War,
tracking food and airplane parts for the supply department on an
aircraft carrier.
Re-enlisting after the war, he was assigned to the
Bureau of Navy Personnel in Washington D.C. He left the Navy as
Petty Officer First Class and remained on the job as a civilian.
When the Navy decided to move his department to
Memphis, Tennessee, it offered out-placement assistance in the form
of a network engineering course. That helped John find his current
job in Houston.
No
Out-Sourcing!
He’s with a family-owned company that doesn’t indulge
in the out-sourcing common in technical companies today. John’s
employer sells services related to call centers, help desks, and
bill collection. John serves as database administrator, keeping
computers healthy, up-to-date and accurate.
It’s a job that suits him well, constantly serving up
projects he hasn’t done before.
In addition to his fondness for the variety and
challenges of life today and for music, John likes to read the Bible
and read about physics and history.
He offers this history lesson on his home territory:
“I’m a child of the Santa Fe Railway corridor, with Santa Fe being
the abbreviated term for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
Railway, he says. “Riding the Super Chief passenger train to
Grandma’s house is one of my fondest memories.”
“Both Jolene and my mother are from the same small
town in the area. Late in the 19th Century, the Santa Fe
encouraged Mennonites to use their farming skills on the land
surrounding the railroad’s main line. Mom’s family members were
originally Mennonites.”
When he was growing up, his family belonged to a
Congregational church. His comparison with his present church is
interesting:
“As was the case in my home church, if you move my
cheese, I can complain without being told I’m not with it. I went
through confirmation with one-on-one sessions with my pastor, who
had no problem with my off-the-wall beliefs. And I liked the
intention of not excluding anyone, although we didn’t then have an
open and affirming initiative. So some things do change — and very
much for the better!” he says.
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