I grew up in a Christian home and a good church and was blessed to have many Godly influences in my life. During a revival meeting when I was eight years old, I trusted Christ as my personal Savior. I believe I was called to preach shortly thereafter as God put that desire in my heart. Being a preacher was really the only thing I ever wanted to be; I remember at a young age how I would “play church”. The tv tray would be my pulpit as I would lead singing and then preach to the wall. I was baptized at the age of twelve, and though I knew all along what God wanted me to do, it was not until my senior year in high school that I fully surrendered my life to the Lord.
I attended Ambassador Baptist College in North Carolina, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and Evangelism. It was there I met my beautiful wife, Alanna, and we were married in the spring of 2012. Upon graduation, I sensed God wanting me to join a local church staff for awhile to daily serve and learn the practical lessons of ministering to people; also, I wanted to closely observe the heartbeat of a Godly pastor and glean all I could from him. The Lord allowed me to come on staff as an assistant pastor at my home church, Memorial Baptist, in Rockford, IL, where I served full-time for six years. I would not trade that preparation time for anything, as I learned invaluable lessons in dealing with people and in my own personal walk with God that I know will only aid me in the ministry of itinerant evangelism. I was ordained and specifically set apart for the gospel ministry by my home church in June of 2015.
The burden of my heart is to glorify God by being a catalyst for revival in this generation. It is our desire, as a family, to increase Christ by preaching Him to both the lost and the saved. Revival is all about Christ, and when He is made preeminent in individual lives and churches, that’s when God will again rend the heavens and come down!”
I was born into a Christian family, my Mother having accepted Christ as a young girl, and my Dad coming to Christ at the age of 26, having heard the gospel for the first time. My parents grew in their walk with the Lord and faithfully attended a solid church. I accepted Christ when I was 5. We were camping in Branson, MO, and I clearly remember asking my Mom if I could get saved. She tells me I had asked many times prior to this, though I do not remember it. After discussing it with my Dad, my Mom took me into the middle room of our tent and led me to Christ. I was not baptized, however, until I was 12. I knew that I needed to be, but I was afraid. My Pastor preached a message on Biblical baptism, and I can still remember how the Holy Spirit was convicting me. Much to my parents surprise, I went forward at the invitation, talked with my Pastor, and was baptized shortly thereafter.
I surrendered my life to the Lord as a young teenager during a week of camp. I knew right then and there that God wanted me in full-time service. I have to be honest, though, and say that I struggled with doubts about my salvation. I heard someone preach about people who trick themselves into thinking they are saved. I was young and may have just misunderstood, but it really scared me. When I was in college, I asked the Lord to give me a verse that I could cling to whenever that fear would arise. He led me to John 11:25&26 which says, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” And every time I read those verses, my heart cries out the words of Martha’s response in verse 28, “Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God . . .”
I am truly thankful to the Lord for His leading in my life. He placed me with born-again parents, allowed me to grow up under the ministry of a Godly Pastor, gave me the opportunity to attend Ambassador Baptist College, and now is taking our family into the ministry of evangelism.
What a privilege it is to serve the King of Kings!
The Lord has blessed us with three wonderful children, two through adoption and then one of our own. We started fostering Haileigh and Dominyck in the summer of 2014 and after close to two years of us being in the foster care system, God graciously allowed us to adopt them in May of 2016. Haileigh trusted Christ as her personal Savior in March of 2015 at the age of seven. It was then a tremendous blessing for her to be the first person I baptized after my ordination! Dom trusted Christ as his Savior in June of 2018 at the age of six. God then blessed Alanna and I with Elijah, who was born in July of 2018. All of them are a precious gift from God! They love traveling – seeing new places, meeting new friends, and being used in our ministry as well through music.
What a privilege it is to serve the King of Kings!
