Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Grace River Pastors

Yesterday I was able to eat lunch with these guys at Santiago's in Johnstown.  I'm on the left right next to Derek Donohoe our Worship Pastor.  Derek makes a living as a personal trainer and he has one of the biggest hearts for worshipping God that I have ever seen.  It is not unusual for him to get choked up while leading us forward in worship, giving an offering of thankful tears.  He is a graduate of Ocean's Edge School of Worship in Florida and from what I've seen, Derek and his wife Kara will do absolutely anything that Father puts before them.  Derek cares about people, and anyone fortunate enough to call Derek friend, is truly blessed.  Next is Joey Scott, our Youth Pastor.  Joey and his wife Connie joyfully pack their home full of teenagers every week providing a safe place for learning and growing.  It's not unusual for Joey to use his day off as day with Grace River kids.  He loves kids and he loves to play!  Joey is one of a very few men that I have met that authentically desire to impact kids with the truth of God.  There is no pretending with Joey.  He is a graduate of Southeastern Baptist College in North Carolina.  Finally, on the right is Steve Ramsey.  Steve is our Small Group Pastor and is a proud graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas.  Steve loves people and he makes a huge difference in their lives.  Steve has a heart for church planting and God has effectively used him at Grace River.  The best thing about these guys is that they are, each and everyone, my good friends.  Maybe soon, I will be able to show you the rest of our staff. 

2 comments:

Bradley W. Maston said...

Looks like a winning team to me! Praise the Lord. It was a privilege to pray over some of your staff this morning!

Dave Samples said...

Thanks, Brad. I've served with a lot of ministry teams over the course of my ministry but these guys and the others who work with us are some of the best I've ever known. I often say that our whole church is our staff. That being said, we are blessed to have a dozen or so people who sacrificially serve out of their giftings. God has truly blessed us!