Brian Belanger 
I was born and raised in a small town in RI, the eldest of three children. My parents were loving, structured, and devout Roman Catholics who stressed education and the importance of work and giving back to the Church and the community. I attended Catholic grammar and high schools. I received undergraduate (Worcester Polytech) and graduate (University of Rhode Island) degrees in Electrical Engineering. It was in graduate school that I met Cindy and fell in love on the first date. We were married two years later at Cindy’s Episcopal Church (St James).
After completing graduate school, we moved to CT and I began my engineering career at Norden Systems as a Radar Systems Analyst. Several years later we were expecting our first child, Scott, and we decided it was about time to get back to church. I was comfortable with the Episcopal Church and we started attending a small church on the town green in Huntington, CT (St Paul’s). The Church was having a Faith Alive Weekend and we were encouraged to attend by our Rector. I was hesitant to go, but I went. As part of each activity on the Weekend several members of the visiting team would witness as to how Jesus was alive and working in their lives. These Christians had something that was missing in my life – a personal relationship with Jesus. At the Sunday ‘altar call’ I asked Jesus to come into my life and lead me. Within a year the Spirit moved us to Arizona where I took a position with Motorola’s Government Electronics Division as a Systems Analyst.
Upon moving to Scottsdale, we found a home at St Stephen’s Episcopal Church and were blessed with two more sons, David and Gregory. Over the years I have served in Vestry positions and supporting committees. I also served as an usher, lay reader, and chalice bearer. During this period Cindy and I were very involved in the Cursillo movement and also served as Faith Alive Weekend coordinators for Arizona. All told we now have six grandchildren living in Tucson, San Diego, and Fort Worth.
I was very fortunate to have a rewarding career at Motorola (later sold to General Dynamics). I worked with many talented and team-oriented people who designed, developed, and delivered advanced radar, command and control, and communication networks for the U S Military. Over these 30 years, there were times I was asked to take on new responsibilities. These were times when I was venturing into the unknown and had to trust Jesus even more.
Upon retirement, I’ve had more time to play golf and travel the world with Cindy. The highpoint for me was visiting Israel in 2023. The Bible just came alive as we visited the places where Jesus and the disciples walked. I completed the four-year Education for Ministry program and then served as its mentor for ten years. I also served on several Diocesan committees.
Cindy and I began attending Christ Church Anglican in 2023. We were looking for a more traditional, Scripture-based version of Anglicanism and we found it at CCA. We have felt very welcomed and are currently serving as Ushers and Eucharistic Visitors.