Edgard Torres became the Youth Pastor at First Baptist Church in August of 2007. Coming from Southern California he took a rather roundabout, yet sudden, way of getting to a small town church in south east Kansas. Not being a PK (Pastor's Kid), Edgard Torres isn't the stereotypical 'Christian kid following after dad's footsteps into the ministry.' He didn't grow up in what most would consider a typical Christian home. In fact, he didn't accept Christ until he was 18, when the consequences for the decisions he had made finally caught up to him. He knew that he couldn't handle things on his own, and that he needed help from an outside source. After hearing a brief message about a God who can save us , even from ourselves, Edgard knew that his life needed saving and that Christ was the only One who could provide that salvation.

From there, he became close to the man who first truly told him about Christ: Steve Roberts, Youth Pastor at First Baptist Church of Hesperia, California. Steve took him under his wing and gave him something to keep himself occupied while teaching him about the Lord. Mostly, Edgard would set up chairs, but boy was he good at it! Soon, as Edgard worked behind the scenes in this youth ministry, he began talking to the students, asking them questions, and leading them to the answers in scripture. Steve asked him if he wanted to teach a class and, reluctantly, he accepted. The Lord used this to reveal the calling He had placed on Edgard's heart: to follow Him in ministry, and to minister to teenagers in particular.

Edgard served as a member of the lay staff at FBC Hesperia for a number of years before moving into an assistant director position of the student ministries department. Throughout his ministry at FBC Hesperia, Edgard attended a local college and obtained an Associates Degree. He hopes to continue his education in the future.  Though most of his income needed to go toward to obcene cost of living in Southern California, Edgard held other jobs as well.  While working in the ministry he supported himself with a supplemental income from a few luxurious places of employment such as Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, a computer board manufacturing plant, a window shade factory, a vending company, and for the Adelanto School District as security, an Educational Assistant, and an after school math enrichment teacher. Though he rose to management in many of those places, they were simply a means to an end, a way for him to make a living so he could continue working in the lives of young people in today's world.

So, California to Kansas? From the sun and the surf to the starting point of Dorothy's journey? Well, the journey for Edgard started with a talking donkey. No, we're not still talking about a fanciful tale full of winged monkeys. A friend of his mentioned a website that listed positions for youth pastors all over the country. Edgard, wanting to be called somewhere in a 'legitimate' way, ignored his friends advice. One day after coming home from a long day of working at George Magnet School (he can still hear the screams of a hundreds of elementary students not happy because the after school program forgot to give them juice before sending them to class ...) he looked at his computer and thought, 'If the Lord can speak through the mouth of a donkey (see Numbers chapter 22), then surely He can speak through a computer screen. So he looked up that website, sent Dan DeWitt an email and a month later he had packed up his things and drove to Kansas.

Edgard loves the Lord's creation and is thankful to be in a town that has more trees than concrete and steel. When he needs to clear his mind he will sometimes take off and drive down a random country road while praying (eyes open, of course). He loves the Lord and is grateful to be in a position to help the coming generation through those awkward teenage years that he nearly fell to.

Edgard is also open about himself and would be more than happy to share more. If you want to know more about him or the youth ministry, or just feel like a chat, drop him a line and he'd love to talk and pray with you.