I was born in Washington, PA many years ago and am eternally blessed to have been raised in a Christian home.  Although that didn’t make me a Christian, my parents showed me what it meant to be a Christian.  We attended church regularly and at the age of 13, I realized there was more to God than simply attending church with my parents. I walked down the aisle on a Sunday evening and prayed to make Jesus both Lord and Christ in my life. (Acts 2:36)

God was with me throughout high school and college, and just before my last year of engineering school, I married my high school sweetheart.  Since that time, almost 42 years ago, God has blessed my wife Debbie and I with six amazing children, and more recently, with nine grandchildren.

We spent our first sixteen years of marriage in the deep south, bouncing around oil company offices. But finally, we found the opportunity to get closer to family and moved to Northern Virginia where we’ve spent the last 25 years.

Throughout my life God has always led me to good solid Bible believing churches that do not compromise the Word of God, especially in these days with so many different definitions of what it means to be a Christian.

In 2002, while attending Jeffersonton Baptist Church, we heard about a group meeting in Culpeper with the goal of launching a contemporary Baptist church in the area.  We joined this group and a year and a half later helped launch Mountain View, in the fall of 2003.   In fact, Debbie and I were the original “worship team.”  We also were heavily involved in community outreach events, missions, and other aspects of life in this young church.

Then in 2011, God called us away to another young church in the area.  When we returned to Mountain View almost two years ago, we were amazed at all that God had done.  Also in 2018, we were blessed to join Youth With a Mission (YWAM), attend their Discipleship Training School, and lead a missions team to Thailand.  Most of our children have spent time working with YWAM Maui, and it has been a big influence in our family.  Now it is an honor to be called to also serve Jesus’ body here in Culpeper as an elder.

My life verses are Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”  I have found these words to be consistently true in all aspects of life.  God be praised!