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Coming and Going

One of the items at the top of my to-do list this past weekend was to finish a book I had been reading. As can happen when reading a skilled author, I was sucked in to the adventure and couldn’t wait to find out what happened to the characters I had come to know. The suspense was riveting! That’s h ow it is with our lives, especially during times of change. So often, we want to skip the drama and fast-forward to the end to see how it all turns out. If we had this ability, however, we would miss so much of what life, and God, has in store.

The North Carolina Family Policy Council is presently experiencing such a change. Bill Brooks, my dear friend and mentor, is entering a new chapter of his life after serving the families of North Carolina so faithfully as president of the Council for 20 years. Bill and his wife Ruth have been a great blessing to the Council and to our state, and we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude!

Meanwhile, I am humbled and excited to have the opportunity to return to the Council to serve as its next president. Having worked with the Council for 12 years, I am keenly aware of the critical role this organization plays in researching, promoting and shaping pro-family policies and influencing the culture of North Carolina for the better.

God, the author of our lives, has written an. unique and exciting adventure for each one of us. As the Council moves through this time of change, we would value your prayers for Bill and Ruth, for the Council’s Board of Directors and staff, and for our supporters. God always has far more planned than we can ever think to imagine, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for the NCFPC! Blessings to you all!

John Rustin is the incoming president of the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

 



After my second year with the Council I realized that in order for the organization to grow, I would need some help in the legislature. I had gotten to know a young man named John Rustin, who was not too many years out of college at the time. John was already an experienced lobbyist, and I knew he was a strong Christian.

So I began talking to John about coming to work with us. As I recall, we had about nine serious conversations, some might call them interviews, but John was not seeking a job; I was courting him. Finally, he agreed to join our staff. Over the next 12 years at the Council, John proved that he was not only one of the top 50 lobbyists in the state, but that he was capable of running our organization. In addition to his duties as director of government relations, John also served as vice-president, editor of Family North Carolina, editor and principal writer for our weekly fax, which later became our weekly email, as well as heading up our voter guide project three election cycles. When he left in 2009, it was a loss but we managed, and John did a great job bringing another nonprofit back to life, working with business and industry lobbyists to build a solid program and sound financial footing for the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation. Now, their loss is our gain, as John returns to the NCFPC.

After I decided to step down as head of the Council, I had lunch with John and encouraged him to apply for the job. He did, and I am pleased that our Board of Directors chose him.

John brings a wealth of experience, a successful track record, and is a committed Christian man. In addition, and this is important, he has an understanding of and passion for the issues on which we work every day. John knows that strong families are the backbone of our state and nation, and that if we don’t get public policy right in this area, we will not be successful with the rest of it.

In addition to our Board of Directors, and all of our staff, John has the support of his lovely wife Laynette, and their two children as he takes over here at the Council. He inherits a solid program, but one that needs to stretch and grow a bit. Time does not stand still, and the challenges facing our families are greater than they have ever been. My prayer is that John will have your support and your prayers as he rejoins our staff as the Council’s fourth president and executive director.

Bill Brooks is the outgoing president of the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

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