Be careful not to let Victor’s quiet persona fool you, because a passionate Christ-follower with a love for life, family, and children soon pours out in any conversation. Some might say Victor has a sound scriptural foundation, which just means that what he says exudes God’s truth and light and you’ll want to get to know him a little more.

Victor moved to Lynchburg in 1996 to attend Liberty University, got “sucked in” and has lived here ever since. For the last decade, he worked as a mental health counselor at a residential treatment facility for adolescents and children.
“Texan born and raised” in the Houston area, Victor and his younger brother and sister witnessed their parents live out their faith and relationship with Jesus day by day. As Victor grew up and began working with kids — and became a dad — he appreciated that, while his parents weren’t perfect, they did their best to raise their children to love God and to seek a relationship with Jesus Christ.

While his parents provided the foundation, it was a Sunday School teacher and a “flannel graph” story about salvation that helped Victor understand his need for Jesus. He said this pivotal moment happened in the midst of the church’s Halloween party—“they didn’t call them harvest festivals yet”—which just proves that the Lord can work anywhere, anytime.

Victor began attending Blue Ridge in August 2006, and he quickly began to recognize the presence of God. “The unity of the Spirit within the body at Blue Ridge is incredible and offers the opportunity for the body to be connected and function the way God intended.”

The majority of Victor’s life has been an “incredible journey with God.” This journey has been made richer by his ever-increasing relationship with Christ, being married to “the most beautiful woman in the world” (Jennifer), and becoming a dad to his son Micah. As he’s centered his life on Christ and his family, he has looked for ways to introduce children to a walk with God. At a recent children’s ministry conference at Willow Creek, Victor really felt moved by the presentation of Ephesians 6:10-17 which tells us to put on the full armor of God. It affirmed for him that children’s ministries are the front line for leading people to Christ and foiling any plans Satan has for our kids. With this central passion, it seems fitting that God called him to be Late Childhood Director at Blue Ridge in July 2008.

The other passions that Victor would like to share are his favorite hobbies: “golf, writing, golf, music, golf, reading, golf, sports, golf cooking, golf, playing with Micah, golf, studying Scripture….golf.”

There are only three things Victor loves more than golf: God, his family, and children.

vcortez@blue-ridge.org
434.525.7481 ext 130