Dominic Rivera, Finance, 2001

Involvement in NLCF: I played guitar on the worship team and for home group, helped start and facilitate a campus-wide worship and prayer night, and I was an intern at Myrtle Beach LT in 2000.

Since Graduation: I moved to Charlotte, NC from 2001-2004. I worked for Bank of America Securities and led worship at a church plant. In 2005, I joined a church planting organization in Europe called Christian Associates and moved to Aix en Provence, France. I’ve lived in France for over six years. During that time, I met my wife, Hilary, and I now serve as the Lead Pastor of an international church in Aix. Hilary started a wine education business, WineInProvence, doing wine tastings and tours in the region. I still follow VT football (through chinnbox – thanks Wendy and David!) My experience at NLCF was life-shaping, and it affects how I live and do ministry every day. I love what God has done through NLCF and we hope to visit again soon!

Tim Fescoe, Marketing, 2001

Involvement in NLCF: I started going to NLCF my first weekend at Tech, after a guy on my hall invited me. During my years there, I went to three LT’s, led an all night prayer meeting and a life group or two, and worked with the video team on several NLCF classics that have since been destroyed and forgotten.

Since Graduation: Since I couldn’t get enough of the NLCF folk, I headed out to Los Angeles with a sizable cluster of alumni to help start Kairos and pursue crazy film dreams. I eventually found myself working in Visual Effects with fellow NLCF alum Jay Lalime, doing improv comedy with alum Joe Blum, and writing scripts and planning productions with other alums Jeremiah Lewis and John Irwin. Occasionally, I interacted with people who didn’t go to NLCF. Seriously, though, it’s been very awesome to stay in touch with and work with so many friends from college days. In Christian terms, that’s good community built on a strong foundation with a unified vision for soul expression and touching lives through popular cultural mediums…or something like that.

I tend to bounce back and forth across the country very frequently, so maybe you’ll see me in Blacksburg or Boston or some random other place in the next few months.

Joe Blum, Communications, 2005

Sarah Blum, English, 2005

Involvement in NLCF: I (Sara) started going to NLCF when I was a sophomore in high school. I would go on Sundays with my brother who was leading a home group and got more involved as the years went by. During my time at NLCF, I attended LT, led three life groups, a home group and hosted a study group for women around the book “Making Peace with Your Past.”  And I met my husband! Joe started going to NLCF his freshman year and led life groups, home group and was a famed “announcement guy” with John Irwin. He went to two LTs and was an intern at one.

Since Graduation: After graduation I spent a year in Santa Cruz with my best friend Shana Siler studying for my GREs and working. I decided to go to UC Longbeach to get my MA in English and moved to Los Angeles while I went to graduate school in 2006-2008. Joe went straight out to Los Angeles after college and dabbled in the film business. On December 31, 2007 we got married and after I finished graduate school we moved to Syracuse, NY for Joe to attend SU for a MS in photography and multimedia studies. We’ve been in Syracuse for almost three years now and are planning to stay for an unknown amount of time. Joe is starting a business, is heavily involved in the improv comedy community, and is teaching at a community college while I keep bringing home the bacon and supporting him in whatever way I can. We are striving to live in a way that showcases love and welcome to the people in our life.

Dustin James, Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003

Involvement in NLCF: Someone dropped by my dorm room during the first year as a freshman and invited me to Sunday’s worship service. I went and the rest was history for me. As the years rolled by I got involved in life groups, home groups, and short-term mission trips to Honduras.

Since Graduation: I came with the Los Angeles church planting team from NLCF to California after graduation. I worked for several years as a civil engineer and then joined the Kairos Los Angeles church staff as a part-time member of the team. Lately, as I’m getting older, I’ve been learning to accept who God has made me to be more fully. And the more I accept where I am, who I am, and what I’m doing in God’s service, the less I have been trying to anxiously control my future and my destiny. In short, I’ve been learning the well-worn lesson of contentment.