I first experienced my call to ministry at the age of seventeen. After feeling called by God, I began to find the best place to acquire the training I needed to be an effective minister of God’s word. I found Oklahoma City University and studied religion. After graduating from OCU, I went on to earn my Master of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. During college at Oklahoma City University, I received the position as youth minister at Chandler First United Methodist Church. The church was wonderful and ready to do the work to grow a youth ministry program. During my time at Chandler, I was blown away by how God worked in the community. We were able to grow a youth program from 6 teens to over 30 on an average Wednesday night.

After being in Chandler for 2 years, I moved to Elmore City, Oklahoma. I became the senior pastor of Elmore City First United Methodist Church. The community in Elmore City received me graciously as I did God’s work. The church grew in numbers and in spiritual maturity. We worked to establish several community mission ministries, which impacted the community. I was also privileged to lead in establishing a youth ministry at that church, which touched the lives of several young people.

After two years in Elmore City, I went to serve in Ardmore First United Methodist Church. The church was in need of someone to lead in youth ministry, and help establish another Sunday morning worship service. The youth ministry was already healthy, which I was privileged to continue. The new worship service, that I was asked to lead, was a Sunday morning contemporary service. We put together a team that would help run a worship service and reach an underserved demographic in Ardmore. Immediately after launch, the service had success. People were encountering the Holy Spirit and numbers were growing. It was a great act of the Holy Spirit and I was humbled and privileged to be a part.

After a few years in Ardmore, I began to think and pray about planting a church. In 2008, the United Methodist Church declared its intention to begin starting many new churches in the denomination. I put my name in the hat to be considered when Oklahoma began to start new churches. In the fall of 2009, I heard that Acts 2 United Methodist Church had a desire to mother a church in North East Edmond. The District Superintendent sent me to New Church Leader Institute where I was guided through the discernment process. Today Connect is a thriving church that is actively engaged in the community.