Our Passions Make Us

Captain Mike Buzzard, an officer at The Salvation Army Berwick, Pa., Corps, talks about working at Camp Allegheny, “Forced Creativity” during COVID–19, and integrating his love of professional wrestling with ministry.

When my parents came to The Salvation Army in Erie, Pa., in 1988 to receive a bag of food, they learned that the Army’s church also had programs for kids. More importantly, the Army would come to my house, pick me up, and take me to their programs. Our family didn’t have a car; the only vehicle I was ever in was a Salvation Army vehicle. The Erie Corps was the source of my social life. In school, I was the big kid who wore old, tattered clothing. But at the corps, I was accepted. The children I met there were my closest friends. I’m still in touch with many of them today.

In the summer of 1999, I worked at Camp Allegheny. I was shy and only old enough to be in the kitchen, but when I returned as a counselor the following year, I made a promise to myself that I would come out of my shell. When I did, I became a sort of extroverted introvert. I made new friends who gave me the nickname “Biggie,” because they said I rapped like a white Notorious B.I.G. Introducing myself that way was an ice breaker that made making friends easier. Even now, there are officers who are older than me who still call me Biggie.

At one point in life, I was bedridden and unable to move due to pain from a degenerative disc disorder. I weighed 700 pounds, and doctors said that, in my condition, I might need to be put in a nursing home and stay under 24–hour care. Even though I was eventually able to have surgery to bring my weight down to normal, and the bulging disc in my back miraculously disappeared, these health problems put my life on pause for almost a decade. During that time, my wife, Captain Jennifer Buzzard, and I couldn’t answer our call to officership, plan a family, or even be involved in Salvation Army ministry. It made me depressed, and to this day, dealing with it is a battle. But I’m happy to share my story because it’s a part of me. Bad events shape who we are just as much as good ones.

COVID–19 brought about the phrase “Forced Creativity.” We still use it in our church to describe how we had to learn the basics of video editing, recording, and streaming to bring Bible study to people’s homes. We turned our youth program into a variety program with songs, segments, and even commercials. Creating something like that led me to start “Get to Know Me,” a YouTube show where I spoke to community members who had interesting jobs and lives. I’ve interviewed a toy maker, a professional wrestling referee, a graphic designer that makes outfits for pro wrestlers, and a NASA engineer who worked on the Challenger space shuttle. I wanted to show kids who felt stuck at home that the world is still moving, and God always has more planned for them.

I went to my first pro wrestling event at 4 months old. As I got older, I studied its history, and read how it went from a sideshow carnival attraction to the worldwide spectacle it is today. I loved the drama, the athleticism, and seeing how it has influenced other sports and sports personalities. Pro wrestling was also the one thing that my father and I could bond over. When I became an officer in Berwick, I learned that the corps used to host local pro wrestling events. Now, here I was, the ultimate wrestling fan, leading that corps. So, we did events like that again. They were even a great opportunity for ministry. We got to know the wrestlers personally and we prayed together before a show. Whether its sports, music, art, or wrestling, we all need to follow our passions. God gives them to us for a reason. They make us who we are.