I am a follower of Jesus Christ, husband to my beautiful wife, Emily, and father to five incredible children: Hannah, Zayne, Elijah, Nicholas and Miles. As Production Pastor of The Chapel, my main role is to prepare the technical aspects of our services each week. I work alongside my best friend and Worship Pastor, Isaiah Case, to dial in the sound for both our volunteer worship team and the congregation, ensuring the best possible experience for everyone. I absolutely love capturing moments of the congregation, worship team, and Lead Pastor Perry Case proclaiming the name of Jesus. I push myself and our production team to provide the best online experience we can, which I often refer to as our "digital window" into the church. This allows our congregation to draw encouragement throughout the week and gives us the opportunity to share the gospel message with a broader audience each week. For years, I have been in awe of the power of God to move and change lives through something as simple as sharing a favorite worship song or sermon message with friends and family.
Outside of the technical aspects of my role as Production Pastor, I have a sincere heart for the families and individuals in Jacksonville and the surrounding communities. I grew up in Winchester, IL, and found Jesus at the age of 15 at Cornerstone Baptist Church. My family moved to Jacksonville when I was in high school. I strayed away from my faith for a long time, bouncing from town to town—Greenfield, Jerseyville, and eventually moving to the big city of St. Louis, where I lived for many years. Ultimately, the draw of a small-town community and family led me back to Jacksonville. It was here that I met my beautiful wife, Emily, who brought me to church at First Christian Church, where our son was attending preschool. We soon reached out to the incredible Pastor J. Cook, who helped guide us in how to fully surrender our lives to Jesus and be baptized. That was, without a doubt, the greatest decision we ever made.
Shortly after, I was brought into full-time ministry by Pastor Perry Case. He discipled me every step of the way and continues to do so every day.
Along the way, I have been blessed to have many servant-hearted role models, including my late father-in-law, Jim Ankrom. Jim taught me every day the importance of simply showing up when needed. Whenever you called for anything, you could hear his truck starting in the background before he hung up the phone, ready to head your way. This is the kind of pastor I desire to be for our community. There is no moment, no task, no need too small or too big—just show up, ready to help meet the need in any way possible.
