Dear Briarwood Presbyterian Church Congregation,
Grace and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is with joy and gratitude that I write to share with you that the Lord has faithfully answered our prayers to identify for us our next Briarwood Christian School Superintendent. In God’s kind Providence, our Session has unanimously approved the recommendation of the Search Committee and the Hiring Commission to extend an offer to Mr. Gus Martin and he has humbly accepted our offer in complete reliance on his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Mr. Martin is a man who deeply loves his Savior and lives to fulfill the Lord’s calling on his life to see young people evangelized and discipled through intentional Christian Education framed and founded on the word of God. Born and raised in Australia, Mr. Martin has been a Christian educator for 25 years, with 14 of those as a proven and successful Head of School on two different continents. As Head of School, his first 9 years were at Genesis Christian College (High School) in Brisbane, Australia – a Reformed school that is known as the largest Christian school in Australia. By the grace of God, under Mr. Martin’s tenure at Genesis Christian College, many young people came to know the Lord and along with others grew in their relationship with Him while the school also achieved status as the #1 academic school in the State and the #1 athletic school in the Country. He has spent the last 5 years as Head of School for Life Christian Academy in Tacoma, WA, which was a founding member of CESA – Counsel of Educational Standards and Accountability. Mr. Martin was raised in a Reformed church and blessed by a Reformed heritage throughout his family, and he is grateful to be coming back to his Reformed roots at Briarwood. Mr. Martin has many special gifts and talents that make him a unique leader – prior to becoming an educator he was a successful professional tennis player for 11 years. He is also a multiple Australian Ironman Championship finisher. Mr. Martin has been able to use sports in his ministry and it is an important part of his testimony. Mr. Martin is married to Felicity (for 22 years) and has three children: Jake (rising Senior at Grand Canyon University), Gabby (rising Sophomore at TCU) and Jani (rising Junior in High School).
I want to thank our Search Committee who has worked tirelessly and prayerfully throughout this process which began in April 2022. In the wisdom of our church Session the committee was established with diverse backgrounds, all of which were vital during the process. The committee members consisted of: Zach Ivey (Chairman), Jeff Olin (Vice Chairman), Dr. Don Furuto, Dr. Cheryl Blackmon, Christopher Frost, Kellie Stewart, Lance Black and Nathan Sasse. From day one we prayed for unity, wisdom, discernment, and most of all, that the Lord would bring a strong Bible-believing Christian leader with a heart for Christian education to BCS. The Lord has been faithful in all our prayers leading us to unanimously recommend Mr. Gus Martin. This recommendation was affirmed by the unanimous and enthusiastic votes of both the Hiring Commission and our Session which were able to spend extended time with Mr. Martin hearing his heart for the Lord, his commitment to the word of God and his call to Christian education. Mr. Martin will be able to quickly transition to Birmingham and begin as our Superintendent on the 1st of July. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Finally, I want to thank each of you for your faithful prayers during this process. As we welcome Mr. Martin with Christian love and encouragement, please continue to pray the blessings of our Lord and his family during this time of transition along with the faculty and staff of Briarwood Christian School.
Nathan Sasse
BCS Board Chairman, 2023-2024
Zach Ivey
Superintendent Search Committee Chairman
Mr. Martin is a man who deeply loves his Savior and lives to fulfill the Lord’s calling on his life to see young people evangelized and discipled through intentional Christian Education framed and founded on the word of God. Born and raised in Australia, Mr. Martin has been a Christian educator for 25 years, with 14 of those as a proven and successful Head of School on two different continents. As Head of School, his first 9 years were at Genesis Christian College (High School) in Brisbane, Australia – a Reformed school that is known as the largest Christian school in Australia. By the grace of God, under Mr. Martin’s tenure at Genesis Christian College, many young people came to know the Lord and along with others grew in their relationship with Him while the school also achieved status as the #1 academic school in the State and the #1 athletic school in the Country. He has spent the last 5 years as Head of School for Life Christian Academy in Tacoma, WA, which was a founding member of CESA – Counsel of Educational Standards and Accountability. Mr. Martin was raised in a Reformed church and blessed by a Reformed heritage throughout his family, and he is grateful to be coming back to his Reformed roots at Briarwood. Mr. Martin has many special gifts and talents that make him a unique leader – prior to becoming an educator he was a successful professional tennis player for 11 years. He is also a multiple Australian Ironman Championship finisher. Mr. Martin has been able to use sports in his ministry and it is an important part of his testimony. Mr. Martin is married to Felicity (for 22 years) and has three children: Jake (rising Senior at Grand Canyon University), Gabby (rising Sophomore at TCU) and Jani (rising Junior in High School).
I want to thank our Search Committee who has worked tirelessly and prayerfully throughout this process which began in April 2022. In the wisdom of our church Session the committee was established with diverse backgrounds, all of which were vital during the process. The committee members consisted of: Zach Ivey (Chairman), Jeff Olin (Vice Chairman), Dr. Don Furuto, Dr. Cheryl Blackmon, Christopher Frost, Kellie Stewart, Lance Black and Nathan Sasse. From day one we prayed for unity, wisdom, discernment, and most of all, that the Lord would bring a strong Bible-believing Christian leader with a heart for Christian education to BCS. The Lord has been faithful in all our prayers leading us to unanimously recommend Mr. Gus Martin. This recommendation was affirmed by the unanimous and enthusiastic votes of both the Hiring Commission and our Session which were able to spend extended time with Mr. Martin hearing his heart for the Lord, his commitment to the word of God and his call to Christian education. Mr. Martin will be able to quickly transition to Birmingham and begin as our Superintendent on the 1st of July. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Finally, I want to thank each of you for your faithful prayers during this process. As we welcome Mr. Martin with Christian love and encouragement, please continue to pray the blessings of our Lord and his family during this time of transition along with the faculty and staff of Briarwood Christian School.
Nathan Sasse
BCS Board Chairman, 2023-2024
Zach Ivey
Superintendent Search Committee Chairman