I begin with a brief background leading up to the Lord saving me from my sin. I was born the youngest of 7 children into a low income lost family in Pennsylvania. My mother decided to separate from my father when I was 4 years old leading to even greater poverty. Through many troubles and many moves, I was an upbeat child, but clearly a sinner. I recall that when in Primary school, I had a great proclivity for theft. It was not hard for the Spirit to convince me of my sin. My oldest sibling, my sister, and her husband were involved with a local Baptist Church and helped form a youth work. They begged me to attend and I agreed thinking it a favor to them. Little did I know that the Lord was going to work on my heart for the next 3 years to convict me of my sin and my need of a Savior. When I was 12 years old, I had been attending the church which ran the youth program for about a year. I was fearful of what would happen to me when I died and went about to fulfill every plan of salvation that was presented. If someone said to repeat a prayer, I would do it. I followed the so-called Romans Road and any other thing that came across my path. None of these methods gave me any peace. Finally, shortly before my 13th birthday, I gave up those efforts and begged the Lord to save me, knowing that I could not and if it would happen, He had to do it. The Lord was gracious to me and saved my soul.  I was baptized when I turned 13 and became a member of the church (First Baptist of Morrisville, Pa.)

 

I became very active in that church during my secondary education. I was a leader in the youth program for the next 7 years as well as teaching Sunday School. If there was an opportunity to serve, I took it. During that time, I felt burdened to pursue university studies and wanted to prepare myself for anything that the Lord would have me to do. I enrolled in Philadelphia College of Bible (now Cairns University) and pursued a Bachelor of Science in Bible with a minor in Pastoral Studies. I earned my degree and felt ready for what laid ahead. Little did I know, that as with most situations when the Bible becomes a textbook, there is so much more to learn that just the facts.

 

I married a young lady that was working towards a Bible degree and a business degree shortly after I graduated. I was called as the interim Pastor for the Andalusia Baptist Church in the spring of 1995. I served in that position for 6 months and came to realize that the choice I had made in a spouse was not one that was suited for such work. With the desire to preserve the testimony of the church, I stepped away from the position and focused on serving as a layman wherever the Lord gave me opportunity. 

 

Towards the end of 1996, the company that I was working for promoted me to be the foreman of a new manufacturing plant that they were opening in Kentucky. I took the job and moved with my spouse. I enjoyed the work and the area, until the summer of 1998 when my spouse decided that she would rather leave me to live with another man in the town. After efforts to reconcile were rebuffed, just a short time later she divorced me. 

Through the providential love of God, he took me out of the geographic area where I was (and where she was living) and moved me 2 ½ hours to Northern Kentucky. I started to make a life for myself in this area while still striving to serve the Lord. It was in 2000 that two large positives happened to me. I met the woman that would become my lovely wife, Jennifer (who has given me three wonderful boys-Malachi, Elijah and Isaiah), and the Lord brought me to the Doctrines of Grace. While sitting under the teaching of Elder Ron Crisp, I learned more concerning the Bible and how it applies to everyday life than I ever had in my previous years as a Christian (including Bible College). 

 

Throughout the past 12 years I have endeavored to serve the Lord as he has given me opportunity. I have taught Adult Sunday School for 10 years and filled the pulpit many times at the First Baptist Church of Independence, Kentucky. During that time I also led a group of men to monthly visits of a local Rescue Mission (homeless shelter) where we would feed the men and preach the gospel.

 

In the past year, the Lord has impressed upon my heart as well as the heart of my wife the desire and calling to be in full time Missions work in the country of England. I have been assisting in the preaching and teaching at Pleasant View Baptist Church and our Pastor, Brother Chuck Hunt has led the church to set me aside as a preacher and is currently in the process of gathering an ordination presbytery. My wife has secured employment in the UK and we plan to be living in the Harrogate area in the beginning of March, 2013.

 

Our goal is to plant a New Testament Baptist Church through proclaiming the Gospel, while teaching and baptizing any converts. To that end we plan on printing and distributing gospel tracts, pursue the possibilities of broadcasting on the radio as well as local television, as well as posting sermons and doctrinal works on the internet.