At Briercrest, we love seeing the different journeys our alumni take after graduation. Some use their passions and gifts overseas, while many others are dispersed throughout Canada and the United States. Yet there’s small number of alumni whose journey takes them back to Caronport (which is exciting for us!).

Denver Barg is an alumnus whom we said “goodbye” to in 2016 after his graduation from the College. At the time, we didn’t realize it was going to be a “see you soon,” as Denver plans to return in August to join our staff as the residence director in the Eliason and Sundbo 3 dorms.

The summer after graduation, Denver contacted a number of different churches in hopes of finding a pastoral position to begin in the fall after tree planting season.

“I spent that summer worrying about what the fall would bring for me, since no churches seemed to be replying to my resumé emails,” Denver said.

“Eventually, I got in contact with the pastor who was my childhood pastor and is still a good family friend,” he explained. “I asked him what his church would think of maybe adopting an intern for the year. He replied immediately that he thought that would be a great idea, and that I should prepare to move to the great state of Nebraska in the fall.”

After tree planting season ended, Denver ventured south of the border to begin his internship in the small town of Waverly, Nebraska. During his eight months with the church, Denver spent most of his time working with the youth group, as well as the elderly people in the community.

“I never thought I'd be hanging out with 80-year-old Nebraskans after graduation, but I'm really thankful that I had the opportunity to do so,” he said.

As his internship drew to a close, Denver planned to continue his studies by pursuing a master’s in theology in Toronto.

“Then, not a week after receiving my letter of acceptance, I was told that there would soon be an opening on the Student Development team [at Briercrest]. So I spent a number of weeks being really torn between going to school and working at a school. As I considered it more and more I realized how much I miss Briercrest and the culture that is fostered there, so I sent my resumé in,” Denver said.

Denver adds that in the past, he jokingly tried to persuade the Student Development team to create a position for him so he could continue to be part of Briercrest.

Having successfully convinced Student Development to hire him, Denver is eager to return to Briercrest and be part of its mission.

“Since my graduation, I have realized how influential Briercrest has been in so many lives, and I had always thought it would be rad to have a chance to participate in that influence,” Denver said.

“I often miss the opportunities to worship, pray, discuss, and debate with other people, and I believe Briercrest provides a unique setting to do each of those things. I’m excited to watch people grow as they study and learn together. I’m excited for the academic element and walking with people as they struggle through new concepts. I’m fired up for all of it!”

We are looking forward to having Denver back with us on campus and are excited to serve alongside him in our community.