Given our traditional understanding of the work of a preacher, it would not give you an accurate picture of Larry Krause to say that he has been the preacher of Kittanning church of Christ in Kittanning, PA for the last nineteen years. Larry Krause is not what Clarence McDowell calls a pastor-preacher. Larry is the 24/7 evangelist of Kittanning, PA. He has embraced the town of Kittanning. His evangelistic, soul-searching eye is on the town of Kittanning, not just the congregation where he preaches. His active field of endeavor is not, solely, the confines of the church building and member-visitation only. He and his wife, Diane, knock every door of Kittanning every year. In fact, believe it or not, Larry and Diane knocked doors on their honeymoon! Fanatical—absolutely, even to the point of being Pauline fanaticism! We need a revival of such fanaticism in the church today.

Larry is another partner in the Antioch Initiative—the vision of planting germinal congregations of the church of Christ in Northeastern Pennsylvania and, ultimately, all over the U.S.A. It is the vision of taking the nation back by taking Jesus to the nation. Larry has resolved to assist the evangelist of Sayre & Athens, PA as much as possible—planning periodic visits and working side by side with him in door-to-door evangelism. Larry lives two hundred and fifty miles southeast of Sayre & Athens, PA.

Arthur Barry is the Evangelist for the Valley Cities Congregation.
Visit the Valley Cities Website

He was born in Hazel Grove in the county of Cheshire in the North of England. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1967 at the age of 18 and served in U.S. Navy for four years. He later married Sandy Barry Keech and the couple had five children.

Sandy is a native of Dryden, NY, where they met and where they have lived for the last fourteen years. Sandy and Arthur were baptized into Christ in 1976 at Endwell, NY. Arthur attended Northeast School of Biblical Studies in Clifton Park, NY from 1983-1985 while starting a house church in their home in Sidney, NY.

He served as evangelist for the church of Christ in Manchester, England from 1985-1990 where he focused on university outreach. The couple moved to Butte, Montana to preach for the Lord’s Church in that city for two years and, then, preached at Anchor Point, Alaska for three years. They returned to NY to work with the church of Christ in Ithaca in 1995. They launched a campus ministry at Cornell University during that time.

They have remained in the area and Arthur is now driving a school bus and attending the Endwell church of Christ once again. Sandy retired from teaching Spanish in 2012, having worked to complete requirements for teaching credentials as a mature student.

Jimmy Davis was born August 1, 1944 in Montgomery, Alabama spending most of his life living on a small share cropper’s farm in South Alabama. He was blessed with a wonderful Christian mother who never wavered in her faith or dedication to the Lord. He assigns all the credit of any successes in his life to his God and his mother.

Jimmy will have been married to his wife, Judy, for fifty years as of February 28, 2015. They have two daughters and two grandsons. He has been a member of the Lord’s church since 1965.

Career wise, he started working at a manufacturing company in 1963 and launched a custom molding company in 1969 with two partners. The business was blessed with great success. Jimmy bought out one of his partners in 1973. Tragically, his other partner and the partner’s wife were killed in their company airplane on October 13, 1974.

Jimmy continued to operate the business as the owner/president until selling the company in 1985. He stayed on as the CEO until his work contract was up in 1992 and, then, retired. His aim was to spend more time working on church related projects, especially missions. He was called back as a consultant in 1994 where he continued to work on an as needed basis.

Jimmy and Judy have worshipped with the Elmore church of Christ since 1973 where he now serves as one of the elders. He first travelled to Jamaica in 1980 to assist in planting the church in Port Antonia having the joy of baptizing the first convert in that city. Since that time, Jimmy has had a burning in his bones for lost souls (cp. Jer.20:9). Since 1980, he has been a part of thirty-six crusades in Jamaica having directed thirty-three of those campaigns. He has help plant five congregations of the Lord’s church in that country. He remains very involved in Jamaica missions planning on directing a campaign in early July of this year aiming at the planting of a new congregation in Richmond, Jamaica. Jimmy has been working in local prison ministry since 1990 working each week in teaching.

Jimmy commented, The Lord continues to bless me with wonderful partners in my life—both spiritual and physical. The group of men who I work with in the Antioch Initiative is comprised of the best men I know. They are great evangelists that love the truth and lost souls. I am so thankful to be involved in this great mission. All the years that I have gone to Jamaica, I have neglected to do anything, but complain about the sad state of my own country of America. I am going to take action by taking the nation back by taking Jesus to the nation and the Antioch Initiative is the best example of the First Century method I know about (Gal.6:7-10).

Don Myers said, "Jimmy Davis has an unrelenting determination in the face of trial to work faithfully for the Lord and the progress of the gospel. During my life, there is an extremely short list of brethren I have encountered who have the combination of faith demonstrated by a never-say-die spirit who consistently prove themselves day in and day out as leaders and messengers of the gospel of Christ. Jimmy Davis is on that short list. His leadership in the Antioch Initiative is stellar and powerful."

Orrin Nearhoof was born and raised in Bellwood, PA. Following high school graduation, he attended Shippensburg University [at the time he attended it was Shippensburg State Teachers College], and he majored in French, with minors in Spanish and English. Prior to his graduation, in August 1956, he married his high school sweetheart, Marjory Brown. Following his graduation in May 1957, he and Marjory moved to Athens, PA, where Orrin began his career in education.

While in the Valley and in Athens, they put down deep roots of personal and community relationships which have brought them back to the Valley many times over the years since they left the area. Most recently they returned in September 2013, and it was during this visit they excitedly learned about some elements of the Antioch Initiative.

In 1960, Orrin and Marjory had their first daughter, and in that year, Orrin was invited to attend an Academic year French Institute at the Pennsylvania State University, and as a result of that academic year and the following summer school he received his M. Ed Degree with a major in French.

Subsequently, he taught French in the Spring Grove Area School District [1961- Jan. 1963], and then in 1963, he and his family moved to Iowa where Orrin assumed the position of Foreign Language Consultant in the Iowa Department of Education. During this first year in Des Moines, their second daughter was born.

In December 1965, he was promoted to the position of Director, Division of Teacher Education and Certification, and in the late 1980's, the Iowa legislature renewed the autonomous Board of Educational Examiners, and Orrin was selected by the Board to serve as its Executive Director, the position from which he retired in June 1997. While serving as the director, Orrin received his doctor’s degree from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

However, it is the spiritual journey which is important. From early in their marriage, Marjory had been searching for the TRUTH. She had studies and visits with a number of different religious groups, and just before they moved to Iowa, in a meeting with a minister from the United Church of Christ, she described what she thought should constitute worship and the work of the church. Many of the elements she described were consistent with God’s plan for the church.

In late October 1965, the Nearhoofs moved to their first home, and soon thereafter, Marjory was invited to “coffee” with a woman who had a daughter the same age as Marjory and Orrin’s older daughter. During the meeting, Marilyn Smith asked Marjory if she attended “church.” Marjory told Marilyn that she had questions that preachers had not been able to answer, and so Marilyn asked about the questions, and she began to show Marjory answers from the Bible. Soon Marilyn invited Marjory to attend Wednesday night Bible study, and eventually Marjory went with the Smith family. It was at the Hickman Road church of Christ. George R. Mayfield was the preacher.

In a short time, Marjory began to worship on a regular basis, taking their daughters with her, and it was not long until she knew what she had to do. In March 1966, she was baptized into our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This began her spiritual journey, never looking back, and she continued to have their daughters accompany her to worship and Bible study.

This fidelity to Christ and his church challenged Orrin, and although he was not very supportive of Marjory’s decision and actions, he eventually began to attend worship at times.

Beginning in January 1967, Orrin began to read his Bible, but he had personal challenges with certain concepts and understandings. Some clarification came when the preacher presented a lesson on the patriarchal dispensation, the Mosaic dispensation and the Christian dispensation. This sermon gave Orrin a view into biblical organization, and since his work responsibilities, dealt with law and administrative rules, and he was responsible for the enforcement of these statutes and rules, he began to understand the parallel from God’s word.

This basic clarification in his mind led him to the decision to put on His Lord in baptism in March 1967.

Orrin preached his first sermon in June 1969, and beginning in October 1972 through October 1976, Orrin and his family worked with a small congregation in Menlo, Iowa, 45 miles west of Des Moines. This congregation met Sunday AM for Bible study and worship, and Wednesday evening for Bible study. He did this work while continuing his work responsibilities for the State of Iowa.

Sunday evening the Nearhoof family met with the Hickman Road congregation. Orrin and his family returned to full-time worship and work with the Hickman Road congregation in October 1976. In late July 1978, Orrin received a “Macedonian call” from the congregation in Knoxville, Iowa; the preacher was returning to his home state to preach, and he was leaving immediately. After meeting with the brethren in Knoxville, Orrin was invited to begin work on a full-time basis as the “fill in” preacher. This congregation, 45 miles south and east of Des Moines, met Sunday AM and PM and held Wednesday evening Bible study.

He continued in this work until December 1978 when he had to resign as he and the preacher, George R. Mayfield [who baptized both Marjory and Orrin], at the Hickman Road congregation were selected by the congregation to serve as its first elders. However, on the first Lord’s Day in August 1978, another event transpired which would have a long term effect on Orrin and Marjory’s spiritual journey. On this day, the Grandview church of Christ met for the first time in the Des Moines Scout Center. There were 32 members present for this initial meeting.

The Grandview congregation was a mission work to the east side of Des Moines. Its membership came from the three congregations in Des Moines at that time: Hickman Road, Southside, and West Madison.

In 1977-1978, a representative from the Preston Road church of Christ, Dallas, Texas, was in Des Moines several times, following an invitation from the Hickman Road church to discuss Preston Road’s interest in establishing a mission work, and this representative met with representatives from the three congregations. It was a common agreement among the three congregations that it was time to begin a new work for the Lord on the east side of Des Moines. Preston Road agreed to support this work for ten years, but the support was for a preacher. Preston Road would not support any building project. Preston Road was faithful in its support from August 1978 until December 1988. It was a very positive relationship as Preston Road understood fully the autonomous nature of the Lord’s work. Members from Preston Road came to Des Moines twice to assist in door knocking campaigns.

In October 1982, Orrin was invited to speak at Grandview, and following this invitation, a second invitation was offered. After Orrin spoke a second time, he and Marjory were invited to the home of Paul and Jackie Harp at which time, the Harps asked the Nearhoofs to consider leaving Hickman Road and coming to help the Lord’s work at Grandview. The reason: "We need more gray hair in the pew." [Note: Orrin had the gray hair] In essence, there was a need for additional maturity. The invitation was made with the knowledge that Hickman Road at that time in 1982 had four elders.

Orrin and Marjory began to pray about this matter, and to meet with the Harps to discuss critical understandings about God’s word. After a month, and Orrin’s meeting with the Hickman elders, Orrin and Marjory decided to place their working membership with the Grandview church of Christ. It was December 1982.

In December 1984, Orrin and Paul Harp were installed as elders at the Grandview church of Christ, and he served as an elder until December 2013 at which time the Nearhoofs moved to Kentucky.

With God’s help, and the support of faithful members at Grandview, the congregation purchased land in 1985, and began its building program in the fall of 1987, and entered its new building for the first time on Wednesday evening March 30, and on Sunday April 3, 1988, Grandview met in its new facility for worship. 50 members were present at that time. Grandview was really self-supporting at this time. The building was paid for on the day the congregation met to worship.

By 1992, the congregation grew to the point there was a need for more space, and an auditorium was constructed, joining the initial structure. Growth continued, and in 1996-1997, additional classrooms were added as well as a kitchen area. Finally, in 2008-2009, a new fellowship hall and an additional classroom were added with major remodeling of the kitchen and other classroom areas. None of these building projects required outside financial resources. The members gave generously to support the Lords work and with these resources, some beneficial gifts from members who passed away, good money management and the willingness of members to loan the congregation money for the building projects, all set the stage for a debt free program of work and a good working facility.

Orrin was both a teaching and a preaching elder. There were some periods during the early years that Grandview had a long term preaching vacancy, and Orrin and Paul Harp would fill the pulpit on a regular basis.

In 1999, the elders at Grandview invited an experienced gospel preacher to come to work with them in a new program: Central Iowa Missions. This program grew out of a need the elders observed among the smaller congregations in central Iowa. This program was designed to "train" men at Grandview to fill the pulpits and to teach in Bible classes, upon invitation from the various congregations.

Eventually, the director of the program developed 9 different classes [13 weeks each] from beginning preaching through advanced preaching skills and a number of supporting areas. For several years, this program filled pulpits on long term bases for a number of congregations. Orrin was one of the men who would be assigned to assist these congregations.

Orrin has spoken on various lectures in Iowa, and he has assisted congregations in leadership development. From mid-year 2004 until the summer of 2013, Orrin spoke on a periodic basis at the Cameron church of Christ, Cameron, MO, both Sunday AM and PM.

During the years at Hickman and the early years at Grandview, Marjory was an outstanding Bible class teacher, and through the 70's and early 80's Marjory was a very tireless campaigner for Christ and a successful home Bible study teacher.

Orrin and Marjory were an integral part of a mission congregation which has slowly grown, with God’s guidance and blessing, to a self-sustaining work for the Lord.

Although Orrin and Marjory moved from Pennsylvania in 1963, they continue to return to visit as often as possible. Orrin has stated that "In his heart, he has never left Pennsylvania." Orrin and Marjory’s two daughters graduated from Freed-Hardeman University, and both daughters are married to Christians. Rebecca is married to Michael Johnson, a preacher of the gospel in Richmond, KY. Greta is married to the son of a gospel preacher, Phil Blankenship, and Phil is a deacon in the church in Richmond, KY. All of their grandchildren of "age" are Christians.

Their family mission is to help others reach Heaven.

Dr. Dave Laton has agreed to become a part of core leadership in the Antioch Initiative, which is under the oversight of the elders of Elmore Church of Christ in Elmore, AL. Dave is currently serving the Lord as a member of the Prattville Church of Christ in Prattville Alabama. Dave currently serves as a deacon with responsibilities for missions. He previously served as a deacon for adult education programs as well. Dave is an active teacher of God’s word in Prattville’s adult bible class programs. Dave also initiated and actively teaches in the congregation’s deaf ministry. Additionally Dave is an active teacher through Prattville’s online teaching program where he teaches in two locations of the Lord’s church in Georgetown, Guyana.

Dave is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. He served for more than 20 years in primarily education and training organizations in the Air Force. He served as a basic training instructor eventually becoming the course manager for the Air Force Basic Training School. Later he was an instructor, faculty advisor, and course director for the Non-commissioned Officers Academy at Lackland Air Force Base. He later was part of the cadre to move and establish the Air Force Officer’s Training School to Maxwell Air Force Base where he served until his retirement as the Superintendent of the Test and Measurement Division. After his retirement he has served in various business and industries as a training manager and quality engineer.

Dave’s education includes a Doctor of Ministry in Christian Education Leadership from the Theological University of America, a Master’s degree in Adult Education with a concentration in curriculum design from Troy University, Montgomery. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas in Business Administration and an Associate’s Degree from the Community College of the Air Force in Education Administration and Leadership. He currently is the Assistant Director for Career and Technical Education for the Alabama Community College System. In this position he provides teacher training programs and oversees curriculum development for career and technical programs of study for Alabama’s 25 community colleges.

Dave has authored two books; "Satan’s Tactics, the War for our Hearts and Souls" and "Leadership Revealed by Jesus Christ." Dave has also had several articles published by the Gospel Advocate on adult Bible class related topics.

Dave and his wife Lynne have been married for more than 40 years and have four daughters married to outstanding and faithful husbands. They also have 8 beautiful granddaughters.

Dave’s extensive training in teaching teachers how to teach will be a tremendous resource in church planting and meetings are taking place now to determine ways he will be able to deliver those talents in practical ways in church-planting applications in the Northeast and beyond.

Andrew Bowens was born in Columbus, Georgia to Johnny and Rebekah Bowens. As a United States Navy family he spent most of his childhood growing up in Jacksonville, Florida. He graduated high school in Jacksonville. In 1997 he joined the United States Air Force and continues to serve on active duty today. He has had assignments in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Italy, Maryland and Washington D.C. Dr. Bowens has attended the Community College of the Air Force (AA), Georgia Military College, Valdosta State University, Southern Christian University (BS, MS and MDiv), University of Maryland and Amridge University (DMin).

Dr. Bowens has served as a preacher, youth minister and education director for several congregations. Additionally since 1998 he has been active in missions, serving the people of Ukraine, India, Russia, Australia and China.

His dissertation was on "Leadership, Short-Term Missions and the Local Church." He has served as an instructor and operations officer for Air University (Squadron Officer College) and taught classes at Faulkner University (College of Biblical Studies) both of Montgomery, Alabama.

Dr. Bowens and his wife Jessica homeschool their children: Elijah, Virginia and Jeremiah. They are currently stationed in the greater Washington D.C. area.

Larry and Sarah Bills (members of University congregation in Montgomery, AL and former choral director at Faulkner University) are the newest members of the Antioch Initiative.

Brother Bills is the former President of Crowley’s Ridge College in Paragould, AR and has known numbers of the Presidents of Ohio Valley University in Parkersburg, WV over the past numbers of years. Both of those brotherhood colleges have Bible departments training men as preachers of the gospel. Brother Bills will exploit his contacts at those places seeking to raise awareness of the Antioch Initiative’s church planting work in Pennsylvania. He commented, “I have noticed over the years that there are concentrations of congregations in the regions where Christian colleges exist.” Further, he commented, "The Bible students of Ohio Valley University are culturally acclimated to the Northeast and would, logically, be most useful in Northeastern church-planting."

Brother Bills worked at Northeastern Christian Junior College in Villanova, PA for fifteen (15) years and is very familiar with the regions where we are working in PA. He and his wife, Sarah, have been consistent financial supporters of this work and have been long-time friends and former college-mates of Bill Garrett (a strong member of the Antioch Initiative’s Core Leadership) of Lewistown, PA.

God is on mission. Let us join Him!

John has been the "Voice of Antioch" who with his voice talent has assisted in productions of Antioch Intiiative's Multimedia productions. John grew up in the small western Kentucky town of Hartford. Interested in electronics, he began working at the local radio station at age 15. He was soon employed by a larger regional station in Owensboro, then the campus station at Freed-Hardeman College, and eventually doing top-40 radio in Bowling Green, Kentucky. John enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1977 as an announcer for the American Forces Radio Service, stationed in Zaragoza, Spain. After separating from the Air Force, John completed his B.A. at Freed-Hardeman while working as the campus radio station and recording services manager. He became News Director for a small station in Fulton, Kentucky, later moving to Murray, Kentucky as a newsman and radio talk show co-host.

He became an Air Force officer (space and missile operations) in 1986, but still found time to do occasional training and educational videos and commercial voiceover work. After retiring from active duty, he joined the civil service (working space command and control issues) at Headquarters, Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There, he frequently serves as a narrator for military promotion and retirement ceremonies, and local radio and television commercials.

John met Camille, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at Freed-Hardeman and they married in 1977. They are members of the Pikes Peak church of Christ in Colorado Springs where Camille serves the church as office manager. They are both Bible class teachers and study helpers for World Bible School.

They have two children, Timothy and William.

Roy Johnson has been preaching since 1971, including 18 years at Campbell Springs Church of Christ in Ashland, AL and, currently, preaches and serves as an elder for the Hollins Church of Christ in Hollins, Alabama. He served as an elder at the Grant Church of Christ in Grant, Alabama while his family resided there. Roy formerly was a top-level executive for the Boy Scouts of America for twenty-three years before taking on the role as Executive Director of Lads to Leaders in January, 2003. Prior to returning to Alabama to take on the position with Lads to Leaders, Roy was the Scout Executive in Butler, PA near Pittsburgh for three years.

Roy was one of the first young lads trained by Dr. Zorn in Lads to Leaders in the summer of 1968. As one of the first Lads scholarship recipients at Alabama Christian College, Roy traveled with Dr. Zorn to 28 states.

As the current Executive Director of L2L, Roy speaks at over one hundred congregations per year. He is a member of the Faulkner University Board of Trustees and numerous other boards.

Roy comes from a long line of church leaders. His great grandfather was one of the founding members of the Hollins Church of Christ in the early 1900’s. Roy’s grandfather was an elder and had the distinction of having every child, grandchild and great-grandchild to become a member of the church. Roy’s father served as an elder, his brother is an elder and his sister is married to a preacher.

He is married to the former Brenda Hurt and they have three grown sons--Bryan (Adrienne Ray), Ben (Alison Walsh) and Brad (Madison Campbell). The Johnsons have three granddaughters-- Kensleigh, Peyton and Huntley.

Brenda has been the Office Manager for Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes since 2003. She previously worked in the medical field as a Medical Staff Coordinator in Alabama and Pennsylvania. She attended Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. She has been married to Roy Johnson for 34 years.

Brenda is a frequent contributor to Christian Woman Magazine and is the author of the Junior Leader Curriculum’s 1, 2, and 3 and also the Field Book of Leadership. Brenda is a Bible class teacher and a preacher and elder’s wife. Brenda has been a member of the Lord’s church since 1976. She enjoys speaking at ladies’ events throughout the country.

Brenda Johnson and Don Myers had a phone conversation just prior to the summer of 2009 in which Brenda informed Don of Butler, PA—a fast growing area with no congregation of the church of Christ. After prayer, Doctor & Ms. Richard Trull, Brenda and Ben Johnson and Don Myers made a survey trip to Butler in June of 2009. Brenda introduced Richard and Don to the elders of the Kittanning congregation in Kittanning, PA. Sufficient history has been posted on this website to, essentially, give the reader the rest of the story. Yet, suffice it to say, God ignited what was to be come the Antioch Initiative in Don’s heart through that phone conversation that day.

Gene Clemons was born in Edgarton, WV in 1942 and became a Christian in Oxon Hill, Maryland in 1966. He is married to Ernestine Blankenship Clemons and they have five children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. After his conversion to Christ in Oxon Hill, Gene began teaching co-workers on his construction job. At various times and hours, he would bring repentant believers to the church building to be baptized into Christ and call his elders to open the building. Gene saw that the gospel was the power of God unto salvation and, when he invested more time in teaching, more souls were saved, so he began taking some vacation time to teach more souls. When his vacation time was exhausted, he begin taking leaves of absence from work without pay in order to teach souls. Finally, the elders of Oxon Hill guided Gene to attend Whites Ferry Road School of Preaching in West Monroe, LA in 1972.

After graduation in 1974, Gene served with the congregation in Majestic, KY assisting, also, in the planting of congregations in Ben Creek, WV; Ragland, WV; Union WV and Peterstown, WV. He has preached in Majestic, KY; South Williamson, KY; Lewisburg, WV; Union, WV; Peterstown, WV and Ragland, WV.

On the foreign mission side, Gene has be blessed to work in India, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Canada and now travels to China twice each year encouraging preachers, church leaders and members to travel with him. He has assisted in planting churches in India, Ukraine and China. Often, those who travel with Gene will become committed to a city in China and will begin to take initiative there to plant and/or mature the church. Gene recruits SKYPE teachers to teach people in China. Among those he has recruited to teach by means of SKYPE are Dr. David Warren of Faulkner University; Brent Missildine (preacher of Prattville congregation in Prattville, AL); Denny Collins and others. God has given Gene a recent breakthrough in Mongolia and plans to travel there in the Fall to seek souls and plant the church of the Lord.

Don Myers related the story of being in Kramatorsk, Ukraine with several American brethren working to teach in a private institute there and win souls. One evening (before Gene Clemons arrived from service in another part of Ukraine), the room was full of American brethren fellowshipping with Ukrainian brothers and sister. Don looked around the room and commented, "Think brethren, Every American Christian in this room was, directly or indirectly, brought to Ukraine by Gene Clemons!" In that city alone, a five-year school of biblical studies, new congregation and Christian school were begun. Variations of those same results can be told wherever this gentile, unrelenting messenger of the cross has gone.

Gene Clemons can certainly be seen as a global church planter with humble spirit totally dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is committed to campaign in Northeastern, PA with the Antioch Initiative Team in seeking to plant the church in Bradford, Susquehanna, Wyoming and Sullivan Counties serving as a leader and consultant through the years in these ongoing efforts to multi-church plant.

Stephen Connors came to Christ as a young man just getting out of high school. He was searching for answers in God's word and found those answers in a Bible study conducted by a man named Bob Sciascia in Wakefield, Mass being baptized in 1971. He has spent most of his life working in the field of blindness rehabilitation having graduated with a Master's in Special Education in 1976.

Stephen met his wife, Amy, at his first job in St. Louis, MO and their first daughter, Rachel, was born there. They moved to New Hampshire in 1979 where their second daughter, Rebecca, was born. Stephen and Amy worshipped at a great church in Manchester, NH before relocating to the Elmira, NY area for a job in 1988. They have worked and worshiped in the Elmira/Horseheads area since that time. Stephen was blessed to serve in the eldership from 1993 to 2002 and switched vocations in 2005 to become the full-time minister at the church in Horseheads, NY. He graduated from Harding School of Theology in 2013 with a Master's degree in Christian Ministry desiring to expand his biblical foundation and to better understand his role as minister.

Stephen has been a tremendous aid in initial surveys in the Valley Cities area and is a consummate partner in the planting of congregations in Northeastern Pennsylvania. His friendship and mutual respect between he and Arthur Barry holds out great promise of cooperation and partnership in this infant church plant.

Bill has been proactive in the initial efforts to plant congregations in Northeastern, PA. We count him as a valuable partner and asset to this endeavor.

Bill Garrett and his wife, Donna, reside in Belleville, PA and have been blessed to be married for forty-five years. They have four married children (two boys & two girls). Bill’s career has been in the heat release business and developed from there into Hot Mix Asphalt Plant Equipment Manufacturing and Sales. Starting as an entrepreneur in 1971, growth took him to become an International Corporate Manager responsible for development of his business from $4,000,000 to $250,000,000 in annual sales during his fifteen years. For the past nine years, Bill has served as a partner in his current company--an asphalt plant equipment manufacturer and supplier. Both of Bill and Donna’s sons are in business along with their father.

Bill and Donna have twelve grandchildren and all their children are faithful Christians serving the congregations where they live & worship. Three of their grandchildren are now Christians as well. Bill’s areas of interested are mission work, teaching the Bible and serving the community. Bill and Donna have been involved in beginning & strengthening churches locally and internationally. Bill commented, "The Valley Cities church plant in Northern Pennsylvania excites us and we are eager to continue to be a part as it begins and prospers."

Bill is a graduate of Northeastern Christian Jr. College, Villanova, PA graduating 1969 with his Associate of Science degree; a graduate of Penn State University, Middletown, PA in 1971 with his Bachelor of Administration in Management Sciences; and completed all the course work for a Master of Public Administration from Penn State as well. He has been involved in continuing education at Dale Carnegie, Tom Hopkins & numerous hot mix technical courses.

Among his affiliations, Bill is a member of the National Society of Engineering and Science; the National Administration Management Society; the National Asphalt Pavement Association (Chairman); and, also, serves on many other HMA technical committees—ESPOC; Environmental Task Force; Warm Mix Task Force; Plant Emissions Task Force; State Asphalt Pavement Association; HMA Technical Committees.

Bill served on the Camp Manatawny (DVCC) Board of Directors from 1972 – 1986 and on its National Advisory Board from 2006 until the present. He served on the Central Florida Christian Camp Board of Directors from 1988 – 2003 and an elder of the Concord Street Church of Christ in Orlando, FL from 1989 – 2003. He has been one of the leaders of the church in Lewistown, PA since 2004. He has served on the Ohio Valley University Board of Directors from 2008 until the present.

Bill has been proactive in the initial efforts to plant congregations in Northeastern, PA. We count him as a valuable partner and asset to this endeavor.