What is your official title?
College Associate.
What does your job involve?
Casting Vision, Supervising College Interns, Preaching and Teaching, Planning Trips and Events, etc.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born just outside of Washington DC and raised in Sebring, Florida.
How large is your family?
have a father, mother (deceased), 4 brothers and 2 sisters.
When and how did you come to know Christ?
At the age of four, I saw Word of Life do a dramatization of the book of Revelation. This awakened me to the reality of eternity, angels, demons, heaven, hell, etc. Shortly after that point, I heard the gospel at a children’s church service in Ft. Myers and gave my life to Jesus.
What was your first job?
Worked in the warehouse of a plumbing company.
Where did you go to college?
Grace College in Winona Lake, IN.
When and to whom did you marry? On April 24, 2010 I married the love of my life, Nikki Blackwelder.
How many children do you have?
None…yet.
How did you get into ministry?
At the age of 15, I committed to full-time ministry at a youth conference in North Carolina.
Where else have you served (churches, ministries)?
Youth for Christ, Lifeline Youth and Family Services, Warren Baptist Church, Grace Church of Sebring, The Way Church.
What do you like most about your job?
I love coming alongside college students and helping them discover the abundant life of following Jesus.
What is your most memorable moment in ministry?
Every time I have the opportunity to lead someone to Jesus for the first time, it is absolutely thrilling!
What is your favorite Bible verse?
Acts 20:24.
What do you like to do with your free time?
Hang with people (especially my wife), play sports and music, watch TV and movies, travel, and read.
If you weren’t a pastor or on staff here, what would you be doing?
Probably teaching at a Christian school somewhere.
Is there something about you people would be surprised to learn?
Besides the nine people in my immediate family, I have a step-mother, 8 step-brothers and 6 step-sisters.
What brought you to First Orlando?
I had served as a youth volunteer with Matt Bartig while I was living in Augusta, Georgia. When the position for college ministry at FBCO came open, he asked me and my wife to pray about coming. We did and God led us here!