elders
| Steve Ashford Steven Ashford is married to Judy and together they have five grown children and 8 grandchildren. He retired from Northwest Airlines and lives in Barton, MS. Email Steve |
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| Frank Bartozzi Frank Bartozzi has been on the Board of Elders since 1998. He said he has a heart for discipleship and takes great joy in helping others grow in their walk and relationship with Christ. One of his favorite Scriptures is 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” “I don’t necessarily see myself as having a special role among the elders,” Frank said, “but I do have a heart for discipleship and I take great joy in helping others grow in their walk and relationship with Christ.” Frank and his son-in-law are partners in a company called Legacy Homes. He also works as a real estate agent with John Green Realtors and is retired from the Federal Aviation Administration where he was employed for 30 years. He and his wife Judy have two children and seven grandchildren. Email Frank |
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| Bill Berry The Reverend Dr. Bill Berry has been on the Board of Elders since 1997. He said he believes God has called him to be a leader for Battle Plan Ministries, which is one of our local outreach ministries at Central. Because of his personal testimony, Bill said that II Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you; for My strength is made perfect in your weakness,” is of very special importance to him.“Our future [at Central Church] is only limited by our availability to the Holy Spirit and our willingness to surrender ourselves to Him,” Bill said, “and I also see that we, as Elders, must become more available, visible and involved with the ministry life of this church.”Bill retired as the director of Rehabilitation Services for the Memphis VA Medical Center in 2004. He and his wife, Elly, have been married since 1966 and have two children and five grandchildren. Email Bill |
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| Cecil Brunson Whether it’s your first time walking into Central Church or you’ve been coming many years chances are that you will be shaking hands with and be warmly greeted by Cecil Brunson. Cecil and his wife, Jean, have been long time active members of Central Church. While Jean serves on staff in the counseling department, you will find Cecil singing in the choir at the 9:25 service, participating in special events going on at the church, taking on leadership responsibilities in his Sunday School Class, and serving as an elder of the church. Cecil used to be a DC10 Captain at Fed-Ex and has recently retired from there after serving for the past twenty years. Email Cecil |
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Mike Cook Mike and his wife Janice have been members at Central Church since the early 80′s. They met in the Singles Ministry and were married in 1985. They have two children, Leah and Michael. Mike is an Optometrist in Southaven. He has been on the Elder Board since 2005.
“Central Church has had an enormous impact on my life and the life of my family. The teaching, the preaching, and the Ministries that have been available to us have helped us to apply the principles of God into every aspect of our lives. Our relationships in life, in our families, and in our own daily decision making can never be at it’s best without that God centered life to revolve around. I count it a blessing that God has been faithful to us even in the times that we have failed Him. It is a humbling privilege to serve on the Board. It is a small way I can give back for all that God and this Church have done for us, and a way to help ensure that Central continues to offer to the next generation the life changing power of Jesus in your lives.”
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| Jack Faulkner Jack has been on the Board of Elders since 1995 and said he feels called as a servant and a caretaker of the congregation at Central Church. He cites Matthew 22:37 and 39, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself,” as being among his personal favorite Scripture verses. “My vision for Central is that we will live up to our Mission and Vision statements and that we will be good stewards of every dollar and every person that God sends our way,” he said. Jack is a retired Navy officer, serving from 1961 to 1982, and is retired from his position as a guidance counselor at Collierville High School. He and his wife, Marilyn, have two children and three grandchildren. Email Jack |
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| Steve Gibbs Steve Gibbs has been a member of Central Church since 1991. He has served on the Missions Committee for more than 10 years and has participated in several foreign and local mission projects. He also teaches Sunday School at the high school level and considers teaching one of his spiritual gifts. Steve is a partner in an advertising/public relations firm based in St. Louis. He and his wife, Tracy, were married in 1983. They have three children. “Central Church is blessed with many resources,” Steve said. “God did not give us these resources for our own comfort, but to use for His kingdom. It’s essential that we constantly check ourselves, to make sure we are humbly following Jesus in all we do. My vision is that we give the next generation a church that is precisely in tune with God’s will.” Email Steve |
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| Fred Grogan Dr. Fred Grogan has been on the Board of Elders since 1981. He said he regards all of the elders as leaders in the church, but he views himself as a stabilizing factor among his peers because he has been on the board for such a long time. “My vision for Central is to see continued growth and maturity in our church,” he said, “and I want to see us reaching out to the community around us.”Fred is a practicing physician dealing with allergies and asthma in both adults and children. He and his wife Nancy have three daughters and seven grandchildren. |
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| Lee HendrixLee and Mary moved their membership to Central Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1969, now Central Church. They are a team, and they were involved in starting junior church in 1970, working on local and foreign missions, teaching (from grade school through high school), seeing those coming to a commitment to Christ. They have two married daughters – Carol (married to Steve Smith), with grandchildren AnnLee, Rebecca, Tyler; and Cindy (married to Josh Graves), with grandchild TommyLee.Lee has been an elder since 1998. He has also been involved with Evangelism Explosion as a leader/trainer. Mary has served as chair person and has been on the Women’s Ministry Team since the early 1980’s. They believe in serving where you are, with what you have, when you can.
Lee’s favorite verses are: John 14:1-2; Hebrews 13:8; John 14:6; and John 15:5. Lee says, “Thank the Lord for being able to see our children along with others grow up and grow in the teachings of spiritual leaders who know that Christ is the answer for now and the future of eternity. Very glad that Christ knows! Ephesians 2:10” |
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| Russ McGolf Email Russ |
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| David Olford David and his wife, Ellen, have been married since 1986. David serves as an Elder at Central Church. Ellen serves as Director of Women’s Ministries at Central. They have two daughters, Lindsay and Stephanie. David was born in London, England and was raised in the New York City area. After years at Wheaton College and Graduate School, David returned to England to do doctoral work in the field of Biblical Studies. He moved to Memphis in 1985 with his parents, at the invitation of the Pastor of Central Church, to establish a training center for pastors, preachers, and lay leaders. This Center was “housed” at Central for a few years before a separate location was found and dedicated in 1988, where the Stephen Olford Center at Union University is now located (4000 Riverdale Rd. in Memphis). He is the Chairman of the Board and President of Olford Ministries International, Inc. He also now serves as the Stephen Olford Professor of Expository Preaching and as Assistant to the President (School of Christian Studies) at Union University. As both a teacher and preacher, David has shared his passion for God’s Word across the United States and numerous foreign countries. David has been an Elder since 2005. Email David |
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| Craig Reckord Craig has been a member since 2001. He has served with Student Ministries since shortly after that time and loves serving, teaching and hanging out with our high school youth. He loves to see them grow closer to the Lord before they head off to college/career! This wasn’t true in his own life since he didn’t become a Christian until age 23. He has fortunately been married to Ellen since 1978 and they have two children, who are both married and they are also grandparents now as well! Craig worked for International Paper for 30 years and is currently employed at FedEx here in Collierville. Craig’s favorite verses in the bible are from Philippians 4:4-7. He knows from personal experience the power of prayer and the peace that can be gained from trusting in the Lord through all circumstances! Email Craig |
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| Jay Robinson Jay Robinson has been on the Board of Elders since 1995. He has been involved as a leader in Evangelism Explosion and has also served as Central’s mission’s director. Two of his favorite Scripture verses are found in Jeremiah 17:7-8, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” “Central has always been a church that reached out to the needs of people,” Jay said, “We need to be reaching out to evangelize as well as continuing to minister to the community around us.” Jay has been retired from private law practice since 1995, but he still works part time as a mediator/arbitrator. He and his wife Joyce have been married since 1961 and have one daughter and three grandchildren. Email Jay |
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| Jimmy Smith Jimmy Smith and his family have attended Central Church since 1989 and became members in 1991. Over the years he has been involved in many Central Church ministries including Evangelism Explosion and the Harvesters Discipleship Program. One of his highlights every year is going to Agua Viva Children’s home in Guatemala. Recently he has served as Chairman of the Men’s Ministry where he has helped to facilitate the joint effort between Central Church and Tabernacle of Praise FCA ministry. Jimmy has a heart for young men and women, that they may know and serve the Lord. He and his wife, Linda , have been married since 1982, and they have two children. Currently, Jimmy is owner of a construction distribution business in Memphis, TN and Tupelo, MS. His favorite verse is Philippians 3: 13 – 14. “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do; forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Email Jimmy |
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| Steve Strong Steve Strong and his wife, Jean, have been members of Central since the early 1980’s. They were 16 when they met at Overton High School and married after graduating from Memphis State almost 6 years later. Their son Scott, along with his wife Heather and daughter Hailey are also active at Central. They all live in Collierville. Steve has been the Plant Manager and Operations Manager for the Riviana Foods Memphis facility for 30 years.You might spot Steve & Jean in their leathers and helmets riding around town or the country side on his Harley! Or you might find him in the 11:00 worship service since he enjoys contemporary music. Steve has served on the missions committee, the choir and numerous other functions in the church. He has been an elder since 1997. He has the gift of leadership and enjoys serving in this capacity. He is always happy to pray with people after services and whenever a special need arises. His life verses are Proverbs 3:5&6 and Psalms 121. Email Steve |
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