Cossack Chaplain Bruce

Bruce was a charter member of the Rocky Point chapter in 1990, a charter member of the Anderson Co chapter and founding President of the Chaplain Chapter.  He has served the Cossacks MC as Chapter Vice President, Chapter President, Nomad and is currently serving as a Club Chaplain and President of the Chaplain chapter.  He was ordained in 1987 by Ministry of Salvation and again in 2010 by Lighthouse Church.  Bruce officiates weddings and funerals exclusively for the Cossacks MC as he believes his "ministry field" is the Cossack Nation.

Bruce studies the Bible and does not take anyone's word for what it says.  He researches it himself, which is why he doesn't necessarily subscribe to "traditional doctrine."  He has a way of cutting through the fluff and getting to the heart of the issue.  One of his long-time sayings is, "If the truth hurts, then somebody is doing something they shouldn't be doing."  Though originally ordained in 1987, Bruce had not yet surrendered his life to God.  He did attend two of his high school years in a Christian school and was raised in a Christian home as a child, but the Gospel just didn't seem to resonate with him.  Then within a matter of days of beginning a “sabbatical” from the Club around 1998, "the walls came down" one Sunday night at church.  God certainly does work in mysterious ways.  After his giving his life to God, Bruce had a true hunger to know God and he dove right into God's word and his spiritual growth was solid, steady and rapid.  In a written testimony, Senior Pastor David Boyd wrote of Bruce,

"...As the Holy Spirit began to move and an 'old fashioned' Jericho March began, the entire church marched around the sanctuary.  The message was 'Walls are Falling,' inside the march were 3 persons, an outlaw biker named Bruce, his 'ol lady (girlfriend) and me.  I watched as the most true and purest conviction I have ever seen began to fall on this man, as he moved to the center isle, I recognized his weapons, concealed yet there.  As Bruce got closer I could see the tears streaming down his face.  He fell into my arms broken and weeping before the Lord.  His comment to me was simple, 'If I don't get saved, I'm gonna die.'
"Bruce accepted Jesus Christ that night in the full pardon of his sins, a new man was born, and a week later he received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost.  I've never seen anyone fall in love with the Lord and completely surrender everything to the Lord, so fast, in my life.  The next few years as Bruce matured in the Lord, many battles unfolded, from child custody battles to legal battles with the state of Texas.  Every battle has been won.
"Bruce accepted the calling of God and caught the vision of the pastors, and assisted in the local congregation, growing from approximately 15 members to over 250.  Being an active member he was voted onto the Church Council and helped develop 11 new ministries..."

Under Senior Pastor and Bishop David Boyd, Bruce has served the Church as a member of the Pastor's Council, the Financial Committee, the Building Committee, Adult Sunday School Teacher, assisted with Teen and Pre-Teen Sunday School Classes, Elder, Usher and has preached numerous sermons while on the Preaching Rotation.

Bruce is a "non-judgmental" type of person and freely admits, "I'm about as far from perfect as a person can get," and "I've done more than 'my fair share' of bad things in the past, so I am no one to judge you.  That's God's job, and I'm not God."  A couple of his other long-time sayings seem to sum up his approach, "All I can do is point you in the right direction and tell you the truth.  What you choose to do with that truth is up to you," and "What you choose to believe does not change the truth one bit."

Bruce is divorced, has two grown children who are proudly serving in the US Armed Forces and has four exceptional grandchilden, even though he has not gotten used to the idea that he is actually a "grandparent."  He is also truck-driver as well as owns and operates a real estate acquisitions company.  Feel free to visit Bruce at his Facebook page.
    

Cossacks and their families can reach Chaplain Bruce at 903-948-9792 (cell phone/text from here), email or send a Prayer Request to all of the Cossack Chaplains.