The Pastor Matt Approved Podcast

The One Where We Meet Justin

• Matthew Wilkinson • Season 1 • Episode 6

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0:00 | 26:07

In Episode 6 of the Pastor Matt Approved Podcast, Matt sits down with Hopewell's new Student Pastor, Justin Eshenbaugh, for a fun and encouraging conversation about coming back home, stepping into ministry, and what God has been doing along the way. Along with plenty of laughs and stories, you'll get to know Justin's heart for students and hear what he's excited about as he begins this new chapter at Hopewell.

SPEAKER_02

All right. Well, welcome back to episode six of the Pastor Matt approved podcast. And uh so we're so excited you've taken time to join us today. Uh, wherever you're listening or watching this from, and we are so, so thankful that you are here and you're listening. And today we have a very, very, very special guest with us today. We have the brand new, brand new uh student pastor here at Hopewell that's joining us today in the studio. So uh we want to give a big, huge Pastor Matt approved shout out to Mr. Justin Eschenbach.

SPEAKER_01

Hey guys, uh nice to nice to be here finally. I've been waiting on this for for a long time, been really excited. So happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02

It has been uh awesome uh to have you coming back and leading. And yeah, we're uh we're super super excited. Uh God's just got some some really, really cool things uh with that. So uh so tell me before we get started, like where are you currently at? Like where you because you were here Hopewell for several years.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um well uh I kind of was at college for four years, and then after that, uh I went and I joined a program as a like a uh like an internship program. It's called a residency. And what they do is they they would take someone who feels called to ministry, knows that they want to be a pastor, and walks them through like like training with another pastor in a role like that. Uh and I did that for student ministry for about a year, and then I and then I stepped into uh a role called communications with that, um, which just means I did graphic design and photography and and video stuff, and uh they liked what I did a lot. So for the past couple of years now, uh I've been at the church that I did the residency at, and I've been the communications pastor there. So kind of kind of leading um all of our graphic design and and that kind of uh vision. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So how cool is that, right? They like you're going to student ministry from communications, and I'm going from student ministry to communications.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, when when we we first talked, uh Matt, it was it was so like like this is just God. Like just like you you're going and like we're just switch swapping. Right.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah, it's like so cool. It's like we started this conversation and started talking. I was like, oh my word, like this is that's just so super cool. So tell you what, you maybe you can help me some and I will help you some. So sure. We could uh we can help each other a little bit along the way. So um, but we're just uh super excited. I know I speak for for most all of hope well, and especially for transit. Um, you know, we're just can't wait to get you on board and get you ready to to to start and uh the kids get to know you. And I know you got to spend some time with them at beach camp, uh, which was really cool, really exciting uh with that. So that was I know that was a lot of fun um to get to hang out with that. So what we're gonna do, we're gonna start off with some rapid fire questions because there's some questions out here that the world needs to know. Needs to know from they're like, is this guy gonna make it or not? And so these questions, you know, could determine whether you make it or break it. Okay. So you ready for it?

SPEAKER_01

Hold on. I'm gonna prepare myself for these extremely important questions. I'm ready. I'm ready. All right, favorite fast food restaurant, favorite fast food restaurant. I I'm gonna have to go by accessibility here because I really like some, but I don't they're not around. So Taco Bell. And that that's probably was true when I was here before, too. So Taco Bell. That's your go-to, then yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Taco Bell. Okay, fourth meal. Fourth meal? Have you ever heard of that? Fourth meal? Oh, yeah. So they they used to put this thing out years ago. They're like Taco Bell was like always open late. Oh, no matter what time. So when you get hungry for a fourth meal, then like at like 10 30 or 12 o'clock, you go to Taco Bell for a fourth meal.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, it could be first, second, and third too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Like, like, sir, you've already been here four times and you're like in your point.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. What's your point? I think something that that people might sleep on is is Taco Bell's breakfast. They they have like really good breakfast burritos. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I don't know they've ever had them for breakfast.

SPEAKER_01

I've I've probably only done it a couple times. You're right.

SPEAKER_02

Like, it's definitely a place for because people just don't know about it. I didn't know they I know I've heard they did breakfast, but I never interesting. All right, there you go, world. Go check out Taco Bell for breakfast. All right. Um, favorite sports team.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna let some people down on this one. I actually uh I don't watch sports.

SPEAKER_02

Don't watch sports, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Uh every time I I start to watch sports, I I just get like antsy and and I'm like, man, I just need to go do something. I need to go play the sports. Right. So I I can't sit still long enough. Uh it was the same, like I I coached uh soccer and I coached swimming, like just watching the kids out there is like I'm about to jump onto the field and play for them. Like it's just I can't watch them without one to run around.

SPEAKER_02

I love it. What uh um so we this is a funny story. So um the Carolina Hurricanes just won the Stanley Cup not too last week. And what is this? Hockey National Hockey Sparks, my bad. Uh and so we were we were doing the the hockey, and so I started watching a little bit toward the end of the series with the Canadians, I think it was. And uh wow, they're doing really good. They made the playoffs, and then and then all of a sudden they made it to the finals. And so me and Ashley, like, man, I'm telling you, every game we we were watching it, uh staying up late. Some of them went to like triple like double overtime. So it's like 12 30 at night, and we're up to like it's so intense. And so uh, so I was like, we're not even hockey fans, like we're not even but here we are watching, you know, our our home team, Carolina Hurricanes, uh, and I guess we were like got a little more invested in it.

SPEAKER_01

I wonder, I wonder how many people watch the World Cup just yeah, just because yeah, like it's in America, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

You know, we're hosting it. So um, I know Aaron Aaron has been watching the World Cup, he loves it. Um so he's big into soccer, so he loves to play soccer with that. Um, all right, big question. We've asked a lot of people on the podcast this question. Okay, does pineapple belong on pizza?

SPEAKER_01

I actually have listened to the other podcast uh before this. Uh I think it does. Okay. Pineapple does belong on pizza, and there's no like should it or should it not, or is there like an appropriate time? I think it always can be on pizza. It's good. I like it.

SPEAKER_02

Well, we're this is great news because you're gonna fit in just well around here. Right. So anytime we do pizza church, we'll make sure to put pineapple on there. Uh so are you a morning person or night owl?

SPEAKER_01

I'm definitely a night owl. Night owl. Um someone someone told me once that in order to become a morning person, I'd have to kill the night owl in me. Um, and I still haven't been able to do that yet. No, I'm uh I I'd naturally stay up late and nice then and very sleepy. Nice. Yeah. All right. Dream vacation. If you can go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Dream vacation. Dream vacation. I don't know. It would have to be somewhere in nature. Um I went on vacation somewhere out in in Washington one time, and we me and my a group of my friends, we we hiked at Mount Rainier. Wow. Uh and just like the beauty of like these huge mountains. Like they're they're taller and larger than you know anything in North Carolina. Sure. Uh just because they're on the the west coast. It I would probably do something like that. Maybe the Grand Canyon, maybe maybe the northern lights or or something like that. Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_02

I'd always want to see like they we actually got to see the northern lights here in North Carolina sometime in the past six months. People was it only with your phone or some people saw it with their eyes. Okay, I didn't feel like something you had to be way out from the city where there's not a lot of pollution, light pollution. You can see it clear. But a lot of people is if you were in the city, it was with their phones. But that's cool. Uh but still, like for down here in North Carolina, that's yeah, insane. We don't ever get that okay. You don't have to go up to Alaska to save you a plane ticket. Yeah, just go in your backyard and turn your phone on. Yeah. Um, all right. If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01

Actually, I just had this conversation with a friend. Um, what did I say? I had it, I had a good answer. It is uh chicken, steak, and rice. Okay. Okay, and and that's that's about it. Maybe it maybe like a side of some some kind of fruit. Um but I the reason I answered that is because I think like like our condiments, like could I just have all different kinds? Could I sauce it differently? Sure. Because I would like, okay, maybe one day I'm gonna have teriyaki chicken and rice, and one day it might be like, you know, got some salsa and it's Spanish rice, and yeah, but I would probably go with that way. Yeah, just make a variety. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, I like that. That's smart. Um, all right, so what song do you currently have on repeat? Or one song you got right now that's just like, whoa.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know. I don't know. I listen to a lot of music. Are your favorite artists? Like, who do you love to listen to? Is that easier? Uh it might be. Like, I listen to a lot of music, but I don't know a lot of artists or titles of songs. Okay. Um, but I most of the time it's worship. Gotcha. Um so yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Sweet, sweet, sweet.

SPEAKER_01

All right. Um, are you competitive? You like am I competitive? Uh selectively. Like there's times where I'm like, okay, I gotta turn this off. Naturally, I think I'm pretty competitive. I want to win. I want I want us to win, but I also understand like there's times when like we should be competitive, and times where it's like, I don't want to beat everyone, so I gotta give them a chance. Right. Right. Right. So um, are you do you like Mario Kart? Mario Kart? Um, I haven't played it in quite a few years, but are I feel like those questions lead in with one of the other things? They could be together, right?

SPEAKER_02

So uh so we did a we did a Mario Kart tournament. Um, I think the last Wednesday night before we broke for the summertime. Uh, and we put it up on the big screen and the huge wall that was awesome. Uh and man, some of those kids were like intense. They were getting into it.

SPEAKER_01

Were you playing on with switch controllers? Yep, switch controllers. Yeah, see that little steering wheel too. My hands are too big to hold on to the little little controller.

SPEAKER_02

Like so Aaron for his birthday last year got a full steering wheel. You can get like full hand gas pedal and everything. So he's got a little steering station, right? Uh he beats me almost every time now. Like I can hardly. I used to be so good, and now I can't even have to. You can't be someone that's got the whole thing. I know. I think it gives them some kind of advantage. He has to. Like, I keep telling him, like, that's gotta be an advantage for him, but uh but did it. So um, okay, so uh student ministry draft is what we're gonna talk about now. Okay, okay, so this is like draft things like when you go to the to the NFL or NBA, you get the NFL draft. Like your number one draft pick uh you know is the the best talent that's coming up. So we're gonna give you some ideas and see what you would you would pick the number one draft pick for this. So your best camp snack. You're going to beach camp, you're going to camp, and you want to know, hey, what would be my number one snack?

SPEAKER_01

That is tough. Okay. Um, I am not a sweet guy. I don't I don't really go for for candy. Like if I'm in the store, I'm not getting that. So that I'm gonna have to roll all of that out from the snack. It's gonna have to be some kind of salty, salty thing. Probably uh I don't know, like some some kind of Doritos. Like uh, have you ever had the the purple bag of Doritos, like sweet and spicy chili?

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Dude, doesn't it? Those are pretty good. Those are pretty good.

SPEAKER_01

Um any any form of chips, and I'll eat them.

SPEAKER_02

Nice. Uh have you ever heard of Joyride? The candy called Joyride? Ryan Traihan? Yeah, yeah. All that, yeah. So uh so we love some joyride. Uh what flavor? For me, the sour strawberry ropes.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_02

Um, those those just came out like a little while ago. Um, they are so good. So good. Like my absolute favorite. So yeah, anytime we're like Aaron's always like, are we near Target? Can we go get some joyride? So they just did the big joyride day, like uh last week, a couple weeks ago. I think they just did a big joyride day.

SPEAKER_01

Is that what they're trying to um trying to like become like the number one candy in Target or where they were?

SPEAKER_02

Number one, I think they I think they may actually did get the number one candy in Target, and now they're getting big. So they were trying to go after like the work Guinness World record of most photos uploaded into the day for one particular candy. Wow. Um so the last we saw it, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

I know it's so specific.

SPEAKER_02

It's like, yeah, you gotta nail that one. Uh but yeah, they did, they did that. I love that. That's one of my favorites. Um, all right, best youth group game.

SPEAKER_01

If you had to pick one game, what would be your favorite youth group game? That is tough. Um I I'd have to like almost go back and like scroll through all the youth group games that that we've done and that that I that I've gotten to experience to choose one.

SPEAKER_02

Um so we just did one the other day. This was hilarious. While you're thinking about that, I'll tell you about this. So we did one called Game Box, and it was this huge, it just had a box four by four on the stage. And uh basically you have to answer all these questions, like 10 questions, and um so you would pick we pick 10 people to come up and do it. Well, the first question was like, Who was the first, who won the 1997 World Series? And you have 10 seconds to answer a question. They were like, I don't know. So finally, somebody was like the Florida Marlins, they won. So then that they went on to question two and three and four. Well, then if they get one wrong, then of course they're out. Yeah. Well then the next person comes up. If they remembered all the questions from one through four, they go through five, six, seven. So, and if they got to number 10 and got it right, then they want a brand new set of AirPods. Pros. Like that's crazy. Yeah, so brand new set. It was right there in the yeah, and so uh one of the one of our one of our guys, um, and the only rule you had was you cannot step outside the box. If you step outside the box, you're eliminate, you're eliminated from the game you don't play. Okay, so this was he got all the questions. Uh, he was the last second to last person, he got all the questions to number nine. So number 10 comes up, like the place is in 10. You can feel this coming. You're like, dude, you're one question away. And the question for number 10 said, Step outside the box. And he stepped outside the box and eliminated himself from the game and did not get the AirPods. And I mean, the whole place is like like screaming, like, no, no, no. So the next person that came up got all of them right and stayed in the box for number 10, ended up winning a whole brand new set of AirPods. But that is way more involved than the games I was thinking of.

SPEAKER_01

So intense sounds stressful, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It's very stressful. We were all there, like, like everybody was just you could just feel this this tension. Uh, but yeah, that was insane. I was like, man, the guy missed a brand new set of AirPods.

SPEAKER_01

Like, yeah, bro, I'm so sorry. So uh a couple a couple games that that I've done can come to mind. One of them involves pool noodles in and cups. Um and you you partner up. So uh I think we take like those big long pool noodles and cut them in half, and one person is holding a cup on top of a pool noodle, and they're linked arms with another person who's holding a shortened pool noodle, and this is their weapon. And the goal is to hit the cup off of other people's without yours falling, and it was just it's just chaos in the room. Um, and then I think something that never fails to disappoint is like kind of putting like little slips of paper with like some Bible, Bible scenes, and and then doing like skits. So you get groups of five and be like, okay, um, do Jonah and the whale. And whoever reenacts it best gets gets the prize and get wins. Um but like it has to be modern. Like how would you make modern Jonah and the whale? Oh, dude, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome. All right, well, you got some fun stuff you can you can do with the kids for sure. Um with that.

SPEAKER_01

Um best Disney movie. Best Disney movie. I'm gonna I'm just gonna disclude Marvel movies from this. Okay, because that's fair. Obviously, I would I would have to say Spider-Man, um uh one of them. Probably No Way Home, uh, if if that was the case. But best Disney movie. Probably Tangled. I really like Tangled. Tangled a good one. Um But I don't I don't know. Yeah, what what's yours? Wait, you're not supposed to be asking me questions.

SPEAKER_00

I'm supposed to be asking questions. I want to I don't know I want to know yours.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, favorite Disney movie. Um I'd probably go cars. Cars. Cars is Disney. Is that Disney? Yeah, Cars is Disney. I had no idea. Yeah, Cars is Disney. So um, and really the second one, I think, is when they go to Tokyo, you overseas. That is such a great movie.

SPEAKER_01

There's like the first movie is Normal Cars. Right. And then the second movie is super secret spy, right? Like, what is going on? And then the third movie is back to just normal race. Right. And it's almost like what happened right here.

SPEAKER_02

There's no continuity to it. Uh, you know, that's yeah, that's really crazy. Um, so yeah, that's probably one of my favorite ones um with that. So um, okay, so why don't we do this? Let's talk a little bit about where um you because you were here. So, like tell us a little bit about your story, how you came to Hopewell. Sure. Uh you know, you were in the youth group and then came on board and helped us out. Um, so talk a little bit about that and just let everybody know a little bit about your story. Because I think that makes this next part just so cool when we talk about it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, man, uh I started going to Hopewell when I was five years old. Um, and from five uh to to around 18, I was here on and off. Um there there's I and if I shared my whole testimony tonight, it would be we would probably run out of time. So um, but there are there's a the significant amount of time where I was in church, and then in middle school I stopped going to church, and then I and then um God showed up in my life and and I rededicated my life to him and and really started fully seeking after the Lord. Um and and this was all happening around high school when when I just started really seeking after God, and that's when God started to call me into ministry too. When um He got my attention, I said, God, okay, I'm yours, like whatever it is, I I'm gonna do it, and I'm I wanna do it for you. Um I started immediately got I immediately got put into leadership positions. My my sister had me teach at Christian clubs. Uh I went to Piedmont High School. Um I was involved with the YCI there and FCA. And uh I was I was leading leading those clubs and and I started to realize my come my senior year of high school, if if I'm not serving God, then I don't know, like I don't want to do anything else. There's nothing else that would be purposeful to me. Um so I I I decided I want to go to school for that. I want to go to ministry school and I want to figure out what what does it mean? Like, am I supposed to be a pastor? Am I supposed to be a missionary or a teacher or or whatever it is? Um, like I want to figure out what God is calling me into ministry for. So um graduated from from transit when when I was 18. Uh, I believe that was your first year. I think, yeah, your first year here. Um, and then uh all throughout that whole summer I worked here and then I was at I was at college for a couple of years, and I I served here for a couple of years, um, and then I went and did a summer camp the next year, and then I did that residency program I was talking about, uh, served at the church, and and that just kind of goes full circle back to um you know just recently the contacting me and right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That's so crazy because I I mean I remember when I came here and you know, you were here and and all that, and so um yeah, to come all the way back full circle is like so uh amazing. But yeah, I remember, you know, because you were here during COVID, I think a lot of the years during COVID as we did uh the the infamous transit live, yeah. Um so many things that we did on there that don't know we things don't know that we could even get by with doing that anymore. Probably not, but we did, and it was great. Um, but I remember man when you did the cooking episode, yeah, the cooking show and uh you made me it was like some kind of like jello with spaghettios, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So you made uh some kind of like honey mustard mustard dip, and I was supposed to show that I was a better cook. So I made spaghettio jello mold, and I'm not and you know, looking back at it now, I'm like, I'm not sure how that shows that I was a better cook, but uh I I remember I spent I spent probably like an hour, an hour and a half filming myself uh in my kitchen cooking this and and getting all these ingredients and and and putting it together. And um man, it was it was crazy.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it tasted horrible, by the way.

SPEAKER_01

I never tried it, so you guys did it.

SPEAKER_02

No, I didn't you just made me dry. Yeah, it was gross. It was gross. Uh smelled it. Oh, I yeah, yeah, yeah, it was it was bad. Um probably the number one of all time thing that we did on Transit Live was the blender meals, yeah. Where we took a you know, like a uh a meal from a fast food restaurant, put it into a blender.

SPEAKER_01

I was responsible for for going and and picking all of the different meals, like hey, go go to four different places, get a meal, and then we'll blend it up. Um and I get myself Taco Bell, which makes sense. Right, right. Like we talked about earlier. I was like, oh, I eat this every day, now it's just a little bit digested for me.

SPEAKER_02

Just blend it up and bring it down, it's all good. Yeah, that was dude, that was so bad. Um that was the first time I'd ever had to put a disclaimer on a video to like, hey, if you have a weak stomach, there's some nasty stuff getting ready to come. And uh I think of all the time, still to this day, people still talk about that 'cause Bastard Gregory, um I feel bad for him. Yeah, he didn't he didn't quite make it. And I didn't either. I was over on the side. We were we were having some tough times that day. Uh the building smelled horrible for like a week. I'm sure it did. Yeah. Smelled so bad. Um with that. But man, it was just so much, you know. I remember back in that day just thinking, man, this guy, I think you actually did one of your sermons. Like you did one of your your uh your sermons was on Transit Live.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so something I missed out, like missed on telling when I was talking about my my you know experience with Hopewell. Hopewell was um the church that I gave my life to Jesus at in VBS when I was six years old. Hopewell was where I rededicated my life, it was where I was baptized, it was where I got my call to ministry, and it's also uh the place that I preached my first sermon on Transit Live. And so it's just really sweet because this place is already home in my heart. Right. And even like even leaving and and going being away for four years, um, I've always thought fondly and I've just like I the uh ability to come back and be a part has been so like wow, like this is insane.

SPEAKER_02

So well, I think the cool part too is just the way God's timing is always so perfect, you know, and and the way that um it just worked out with with this transition for me and then for you to just uh man, the timing's just perfect, and God's timing is always perfect. Um and so um man, sometimes uh, you know, it's gonna be neat over the next you know weeks and months to be able to talk about this story about how God just put this all together, you know. Um it wasn't like it was, you know, it's not like sometimes like a piece here and a piece here go together. It's like the whole story just got was God was in it from day one uh until now, until the future. So um man, it's just super well. I can speak for everybody and say, I mean, we are super excited to have you here, and uh, I know God's gonna do just some incredible things through our student ministry. Um, and for one, I could not be more excited uh because I just know that you're gonna do a great job and you're gonna love the kids and they're gonna love you. Uh and so man, it's just gonna be so, so good um with that. So yeah, uh, you know, so cool. Like you're welcome home. Like you're gonna you're coming back home.

SPEAKER_01

I'm glad I'm I'm coming home with a different haircut. Right. Um, I don't know if you remember, but it would all throughout COVID, it was so hard to get a haircut. Right. And my first sermon that I preached here, I I think I preached two during that summer. Um, I couldn't see the the back, like it was a the it was an empty room and there was a camera in the back, and it had some like some points that I was gonna try to hit. I couldn't see because my hair was in my eyes, and and that was the point where I realized this is getting out of hand. Like I have to try to find someone to cut it off. Right. Uh I'm just glad I don't have that anymore.

SPEAKER_02

So we saw we actually saw a video, a picture of you the other night. Uh and it was uh you were coming home from camp the year we went to camp. And you're coming home, and you the girls had put all kind of like braided stuff in your hair. Like I remember that. I've got oh my gosh, I was that was a great picture. Um, you know, but so many great memories uh that we've made and so many more to come. Yeah, because this is gonna be so cool because we're still gonna get to work together. Yeah, you know, we're still gonna it's not like I'm not going anywhere. So I just uh again, I'm doing communications, you're gonna do student ministry, so it's kind of like we're just passing off. So uh that's really cool. So, man, we're super excited. Uh, and thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today and just talk. And um, you know, hope we're so blessed uh to have you here. And so we're uh we're excited um with that. So uh and you'll you'll probably be on here a lot more. You'll probably on the Pastor Matt approved podcast uh more than one time, I promise. So uh we'll do that. So thanks, thanks for being here today. Thank you. Um all right, so thank you guys for joining us on episode six. Uh so make sure to go and like and subscribe and follow us anywhere we put out podcasts so that you can stay approved. Uh stay uh up to date with the Pastor Matt approved. And guess what, Justin? What? You are now officially Pastor Matt approved.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you, Matt. Yes, I I do need to be Pastor Matt approved. So all right, sounds great.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you guys. We'll talk to you next time.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Bye.