HUMBOLDT — In the last 40 years, humankind has seen the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the smartphone, the birth of Queen Elizabeth’s great grandchildren and the death of half of the Beatles.
Through it all, Pastor Clint Magnus of the St. John’s Lutheran Church has had a beard to scratch. Like all things, that too may change.
Pastor Magnus has agreed to shave his beard of 41 years if the community raises at least $1,000.
All funds will help St. John’s Youth attend the Lutheran Church of Canada’s National Youth Gathering in Langley, BC this July.
“To be honest with you, I had to run it past my wife first,” Magnus said. She and his six grown children have never seen him without whiskers.
Magnus said he’d kept his beard “as soon as I was old enough to grow it, at maybe 19 years old.”
“For those kids to be able to go [to the National Youth Gathering], this is a worthy enough cause that I'll bite the bullet and shave it off,” he said.
The National Youth Gathering is set to happen in June at Langley, BC’s Trinity Western University. It includes group activities, some bible study, and “lots of song,” Magnus said.
“It's for kids all across Canada. It's a time where they get together and have fun. It's a great time of bonding and such for the kids ”
Donations for St. John’s Youth are open until June 9, and can be made out through the church’s Facebook page. If the funds are raised, Magnus will live stream the cutting of his beard.
