Meet The Directors

MEET THE DIRECTORS

Bert & Fran Rugg

(Updated Jan. 2008)

Meet Bert:

I grew up in a good moral home with my father and mother and younger sister, even though we didn’t have much church attendance I attended Sunday School in my earlier years, but didn’t understand about serving the Lord with a full heart. We were a very close family and my mother and father were married until my father’s death September 7, 1986 at only 57 years of age.

After many years of carpentry and sales experience and owning and operating New Englands only Rolling Shoe Store called the Shoe King, I found that I needed more in my life. After I lost my father to a long battle with Cancer in 1986 my life began to change. I watched him go from a big 250 lb. man to skin and bones. I know now I had a death wish and was working carpentry every minute I could to hide the pain I was feeling. At the same time I realized there was more to life than I understood.

As a teen and young adult even though I didn’t drink and smoke I had an unhealthy addiction to women and was deeply involved in pornography and had many X rated tapes in my home. When people would approach me to tell me about God and Jesus Christ I had no interest because I thought my life was just fine without God. It seemed whatever I wanted I could work for and attain. I wanted all the things this world had to offer including a Lincoln Continental, a 26’ Motorhome, new and used vehicles and recreational vehicles. While in business I often had $500.00 in my pocket . I didn’t know how to manage money and it went right through my fingers.

I began to search out God and began asking questions. I loved comedy and my daughter Kim had been giving me Mike Warnke tapes, (a very popular Chrisitian comedian at the time) to listen to. While I was listening to them and laughing at what he was sharing the Holy Spirit was getting a hold of my heart. I was deep in pornography and living with my present wife for 13 years. I was headed right straight for Hell in the way I was living. I had an opportunity to go hear Mike Warnke in concert in Portland and ended up giving my heart to the Lord at the altar. I accepted Christ along with my wife, Fran that night, but because I didn’t have any real follow up I slipped right back into my old lifestyle again real soon. In 1988 I got married to Fran and in 1989 was invited to attend a local church in our area and went to see what church was all about. My wife and I both accepted the Lord for real around Easter of 1989 and was baptized in August of that year. We have served the Lord together fully committed to Him since.

The Lord laid it on Bert’s heart to reach youth through fast paced, high energy, action packed outreach events to reach this generation. After Bert traveled with an evangelist all through New England for about 1 1/2 years putting crusades together it was apparent that the Lord was calling him into ministry to reach youth. Bert began to share the idea of having a Christian run teen center in the Oxford Hills area. He envisioned a safe place where youth could come play games, meet new friends and find out they really needed Christ in their lives. We would reach them on their level with fun, food, loud, christian music, and building relationships. We would also be sharing Christ with the youth every Friday night in a way they could relate.

After forming an Executive Board, agreeing on the corporate name of Youth Outreach Ministries d/b/a/, His Place Teen Center and 8 months of praying, planning, preparing, finding a location, remodeling we began His Place Teen Center officially on Friday August 28th, 1992 on 52 Lower Main Street in Norway, Me. We operated their until 1996. We then moved into the basement of one of our supporting churches, the Christ Episcopal Church in Norway without missing a Friday night. We operated there for 4 years. After a long search for land in the Oxford Hills area we found a piece of property. After doing yard sales all summer we raised ($3,000.00), money enough to put down on the land. In September of 1998 we purchased 2 1/4 acres of meadow land on 254 Webber Brook Road in Oxford, Me. This is the home of His Place Teen Center. In September of 2000, (1 year before 911), we put down the slab for our Phase I building, a unique 26’ x 52’ two story gambrell style building, with a porch. March 16, 2001 we moved out of the basement of the Christ Episcopal Church and into our new facility with an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony taking place with over 100 people in attendance.

November 8th, 2002 we put down the 36’ x 70’ Phase II addition that houses a big 28’ x 32’ Multi-Purpose Room, 2 wheel chair accessible bathrooms, a full commercial kitchen, with a snack bar, a fitness room with showers, and an adminstration office.

We are presently finishing off some of the construction and even though we have a half million dollar ($500,000.00) facility in the making we need another $30,000.00 to complete at this time. We hope to finish Phase II downstairs in the 2007 season, then work on the upstairs through 2007/2008 season. August 28th, 2008 will make 10 full years of ministry here at our new location. We may then look at putting up a gymnasium. 2012 will make 20 years of ministry and we will have a great facility all paid for and reaching youth in the Oxford Hills and surrounding area with outreach programs taking place and poised to go into the future for years to come.

Bert’s dream and goal of being full time began March of 2005 and presently is the only paid person on salary as the Executive Director and Public Relations Person.

Bert got confirmation of this on Thursday September 15, 2005. P.T.L.!!!

Meet Fran:

Hi, my name is Fran. I was raised in a good home with good morals, along with 2 sisters and a brother, although we were not brought up in a Christian environment, we had a very close family that did almost everything together. As a child I attended Church and Sunday School, but never really understood serving Christ as they didn’t preach that at the church I was attending.

As a young girl, (only 11 years) old my life was altered by being molested by a family member, my oldest sister. At the time I didn’t really understand what was happening because I was so trusting. As an older teen I began to be rebellious and had many an altercation with my mother and father and couldn’t seem to do anything right. I experimented with drugs and alcohol and permiscuity. (I know now this was to hide the pain and confusion in my life). I also was on the streets and many times didn’t even know where I would lay my head at night or get my next meal. Before we served the Lord Bert and I lived together for 13 years. We operated a shoe business, and mail order catalog, called "The Shoe King" from 1974-1989 that had us traveling all over New England from July to October at Fairs and Festivals.

In 1986 I asked the Lord into my heart at the Mike Warnke concert in Portland, Maine at the same time my husband, Bert did, but I couldn’t get out of my chair to join him at the altar. The message and power of God was so strong I accepted the Lord right there. As Bert explained without follow-up we were right back to our old lifestyle. On April 30, 1988 Bert and I got married in a small ceremony with friends and family present. It wasn’t until 1989 we accepted the Lord for real and wanted to serve God with all our hearts. As I have grown stronger in the Lord I have been able to forgive my sister for what she did, but even to this day it is hard for me to hug her. (I have forgiven her but it is still hard to forget and God doesn’t require this of us). I would like to mention that if anyone is hurting you, sexually, physically, or mentally you can contact me to talk. (See contact information on this website). I also want to let everyone know that before my mother passed away on March 29th, 2005 I was able to meet with my mother and father to ask them to forgive me for my rebellious years and realize that they did the best they could to bring us up. I am fully committed to the call on our lives and intend to serve Christ with my husband until He comes.

Bert and Fran’s new hobby and relaxation to get away from it all is to ride their 1990 Honda Goldwing motorcycle and to date have put on over 22,000 miles going as far as the Americade in Lake George N.Y. June of 2005. All over Maine and parts of New England on various rides. We are members of the Redeemed Riders, our local chapter of CMA, (Christian Motorcycle Association) and a part of the Retreads and Lunch Bunch designed for the 40+ crowd. We look forward to many miles of travel over the coming years. We hope to see you during our travels. We thank God for this gift and dream coming true. Bert and Fran Rugg.