From a very young age I was blessed in two that molded me into the person I am today, growing up in a military family and living in a Christian home. My father served in the Air Force for 25 years. My mother was a missionary, Christian Educator, and an Elder in the Virginia Conference before retiring, but even now at 80 she is still leading a church. As a military family, me moved often and with a strong Christian foundation priority for my mother was always finding a church. She wasn’t just looking for a place to worship, but rather a church family. Church was what grounded us and connected us to each new community we joined. My involvement in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Young Life solidified my early foundation. At just 16 I didn’t yet have all the answers to the yearning God had laid upon my heart. But I continued following the path in front of me, preparing myself for the call the Lord would put upon my heart to do His work. Immediately following graduation from Virginia Wesleyan University in 1992 I began working in ministry by accepting a full-time Youth Pastor position with First United Methodist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. I returned to Virginia in 1993, beginning my bi-vocational work between the equipment industry and youth ministry, a balance that would continue throughout my time in ministry. I began working with Tabernacle UMC in 2005 as the Youth Pastor. Youth Ministry was rewarding, but I still felt God’s tug on my heart to pastoral ministry and in early 2009, I received affirmation of my call to be a pastor. Seeing my gifts and abilities for ministry, and knowing my interest in ordained ministry, the SPRC at Tabernacle asked me to preach a weekly Contemporary Service planned to start June of that year. The Side Door Contemporary Worship Service had an average attendance in the first month of 66 but would grow during our time together. By 2013 average attendance would increase to 90 and attendance continued to grow until Covid impacted in person worship. Around the same time, Tabernacle was launching the new contemporary service, I also founded Invert Ministries. Invert Ministries (dba MEKOS Skatepark) was an action sports outreach with the mission of sharing God’s love to forgotten youth and adults in the Hampton Roads area. Weekly Sunday skate church and several other disciple programs aimed at nurturing the faith journey were held to bring the gospel to individuals that most traditional churches would not welcome. “Come as you are” was truly lived out at Invert for over 13 years. Our ministry was blessed to serve the community and be witnesses to the least and the lost. I was honored to receive the Harry Denman Evangelism Award in 2013 for my work with Invert Ministries (dba MEKOS Skatepark). I continued to my appointment at Tabernacle until 2021 and involvement with Invert until 2022 before relocating to South Carolina. Once my credentials were transferred, my wife and I were blessed to serve a temporary appointment at Nichols UMC in Nichols, South Carolina before accepting official appointment at Wampee UMC in the North Myrtle Beach area. We are excited to be God’s vessel in this next chapter of ministry. We are humbled and open to see where His plan moves Wampee UMC in a thriving and growing community.