BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

The sun hovered just over the horizon, casting long shadows, as Duane and Lisa Flanagain strolled around the charming town square in Granbury, Texas. Their weekend getaway had been a pleasant diversion from their busy lives back home in Fort Worth. They’d laughed, talked and relaxed. To be more accurate, Lisa had relaxed. Duane felt strung as tight as the strings on the guitar someone strummed nearby. Having time off gave him too much time to think the kind of thoughts that left him frustrated and on edge. Lisa chatted over dinner as Duane pondered what bothered him. He’d enjoyed a wonderful life. At least, he had since recovering from the soul-searing pain of his mother’s death—something a 13-year-old hadn’t known how to process. With his three older brothers now grown and gone, Duane and his dad had forged a life on their own. It had been 10 years since Duane graduated from high school and went to work for Kenneth Copeland Ministries in June 1983. He had been hired to work in the mailroom without going through the personnel department. He was busy running letters through the inserter when someone slapped a stack of papers on the machine and said, “You need to sign these.” Duane looked up to see Lisa, who worked in personnel. The moment he looked in her eyes, he was smitten. Lisa, not so much. At first, she had refused to go out with him. But eventually Duane won her over. Now they’d been married for nine wonderful years. Not a bad way to start his 10-year journey with KCM, which would take Duane through a plethora of job assignments. Following his tenure in the mailroom, Duane was assigned to the transportation department. And when things were slow there, he helped out in telecommunications. In 1986, when KCM moved its offices from Beach Street in south Fort Worth to new headquarters in Newark, north of Fort Worth at Eagle Mountain Lake, Duane had been one of the men assigned to get the phone system up and running. He was also given the opportunity to drive one of the ministry’s stunning 18-wheelers to the KCM meetings—a dream come true. At the meetings he helped set up staging, worked the book tables and served as a photographer. In 1991, he became a purchasing agent, buying print materials for the ministry, and then moved to buying computers, electronics, alarm systems and vehicles. Duane learned much from each job. He enjoyed his work, loved the people, believed the message and the ministry mandate, and honored Kenneth and Gloria Copeland. But while 10 years at KCM had made him a jack-of-all-trades, Duane felt he was master of none. His frustration stemmed from one burning question: What did God want him to do with his life? “Something bothering you?” Lisa asked. ******** story continues on p. 20 ******** BVOV : 19

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