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Bruce Mizell has been a fixture of leadership at Hampton Park for the vast majority of the last half-century. Yes, you read that correctly! For most of that time, his leadership was over Hampton Park Christian School. But for the last decade, the church in particular has benefited from his service as both a staff and non-staff pastor. Since he is finishing a term and stepping down as a non-staff pastor at the end of this year, we wanted to take a minute to talk to him about his time on the pastoral body.

Alright, Bruce, I’m expecting this to be one of the shortest “interviews” I’ve ever done. You are not generally known for being long-winded. Why is that? Have you always been that way?

I think my mom was pretty direct in her speech, and I guess I tend to get to the point without a lot of beating around the bush. I’m not known for a lot of chit chat.

You certainly don’t beat around the bush! So, let’s jump in. What year did you first start working at Hampton Park? And how did you end up here? 

I attended some in the spring of 1972 because I was dating a cute little girl that was a member. I applied for a teaching position in the HPCS elementary school for the 72-73 school year and was hired. I taught sixth grade that year and married my wife Lisë on the last day of school in May of 1973.

For those who didn’t know you during your school administrator days, what was a favorite moment from your time as the administrator of HPCS?

I’m not sure about a favorite moment but I always received much satisfaction when one of my students finally understood a concept I was explaining. I also enjoyed coaching and seeing a team come together over the season.

I had a wonderful group of dedicated teachers and a servant-minded staff who were committed to the students. I was truly privileged to work with them.

And I was privileged to be a student under you and those teachers! Transitioning now to the church side of things, you’ve served now for 5 years (2016-2017, 2020-2022) as a non-staff pastor at Hampton Park. What is something that you learned about pastoral ministry during these years?

Shepherding is hard work, life is not easy, we’re all sinners helping other sinners to love Jesus more and to help one another in our daily walk with Christ.

That’s an excellent, succinct summary of pastoral/church ministry! What are you most thankful for during your time serving as a pastor at Hampton Park?

Faithful and knowledgeable men and women to work beside.

I’m sure there are many similarities and differences between being a school administrator (which you did for close to 40 years at HPCS) and being a pastor. What are a couple of those similarities and differences? 

Both are working with different groups of people and completing tasks in a timely manner.

In school work you are acting in the place of a parent to teach, train, and discipline young people to understand academic subjects and to learn the disciplines of homework and study.

In the church you invite and motivate to action but there are not any grades or parent teacher conferences to rate the progress.

Did you know that as of Sept 17, 2022, you have been a member of Hampton Park for 50 years? 

I know it now!

A half-century is a really long time to stay at one church. Not many people do that these days. What would you say has been the greatest benefit for staying committed to Hampton Park over the past five decades?

Being able to see second and even third generations serve Jesus. Also, being able to see the positive changes in church polity.

How do you hope to continue serving at Hampton Park now that you will not be a part of the pastoral body?

Active involvement in our life group and Sunday School. It has been exciting to get to know several young couples and encourage them in the rearing of their children. I’ll continue to sing in the choir for another year or two.

What most excites you when you look at how God is at work at Hampton Park right now?

I’m excited about the different gifting of our Pastors and the unity of leadership. The many couples with young children are the future of the church.

When you see Bruce, be sure to thank him for his decades of service to our church and school. We’ll miss him on the pastoral body, but we are thankful that he’ll continue to minister alongside us as a church member for years to come.