Jeff DeWees is a jack of all trades… master of none… or at least he’d like to think that of himself. Jeff was born into a Christian family who loved Jesus, but did not do life perfectly… a trait which Jeff continues on today. He was raised in Lyles, a small town in Hickman County, Tennessee. Jeff used to like to boast of being from the county that held the record in Tennessee for the most number of miles of dirt roads. During his high school years, while attending Synodic Camp at Camp Crystal Sp...
Jan 05, 2021•35 min•Ep. 24
Laura Reed resides in the Tampa Bay area in Florida and is originally from the Northeast. She attended the University of Tampa where she received a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Business and Spanish and she received her MBA from St. Leo University. She is currently a student in the Program of Alternate Studies program and hopes to work towards her Master of Divinity in the future. Laura works in management at T-Mobile and has a 16 year-old son named Alexander. Laura rarely has free ...
Dec 22, 2020•31 min•Ep. 23
Logan Dixon is a Program of Alternate Studies student under the care of Arkansas Presbytery working towards his ordination in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He serves the Mars Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pottsville, Arkansas as their stated supply. Logan hosts his own podcast called The Monday Morning Megaphone . He is also a writer for the adult bible study, The Encounter, and a regular writer for the Late Night Theology blog/website. Logan is married to his best friend, Brittan...
Dec 15, 2020•32 min•Ep. 22
Rev. Mitch Boulton surrendered to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments in 2002. He graduated from Bethel College in 2008 and Memphis Theological Seminary in 2011. Currently, Mitch is continuing his education with a Doctorate of Ministry at Knox Seminary. Having served congregations in Kentucky and Tennessee, Mitch currently serves the Olivet Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Tennessee. He has been married for 30 years to Ronda, enjoys spending lots of time with their grandchild, fis...
Dec 08, 2020•26 min•Ep. 21
Rev. Dr. Milton L. Ortiz is the Team Leader of the Missions Ministry Team in the Cumberland Presbyterian Denomination. He is a graduate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts and has served as bi-vocational pastor for more than 25 years. He is originally from Colombia, South America, but has lived in the United States for almost 30 years. Rev. Ortiz is married to Francia Ortiz and lives in Cordova, Tennessee. They have two adult children: Helena and Jacob. Music is provided b...
Dec 01, 2020•18 min•Ep. 20
Maddie Taylor is a student at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee studying degrees in both Political Science and Sociology. Originally from Memphis, she considers McKenzie First Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Colonial Cumberland Presbyterian Church her two home churches. She has grown up Cumberland Presbyterian and was baptized at the age of two. Her faith really grew out of attending Camp Clark Williamson from the ages of 7 to 17. During her high school years, she served on the Youth ...
Nov 24, 2020•29 min•Ep. 19
Rhonda McGowan’s Faith Journey Part 1 Salvation Story My Faith journey begins when my uncle Steve invited me to go to church with him and Vickie. I can not remember when this was but I went with them. The church and people treated me very kind however, I did not feel it was for me. A few Sundays later I decided to start visiting Mt. Calvary Missionary Church in Crossroads TN. I went for some time sitting in the very back row with Ms. Waters, Linda and Gordon Miller. Once Sunday I was moved by th...
Nov 17, 2020•30 min•Ep. 18
Rev. Dr. David Lancaster is the Professor of Christian Studies at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee. He earned a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and began his first pastorate in West Paducah, Kentucky. Later, he relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee serving the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church over the next 19 years. For 12 years, the Knoxville congregation sponsored a daily radio ministry which David produced called Family Matters airing on a local Christian radio station. I...
Nov 10, 2020•18 min•Ep. 17
Reverend Billy Price is the Associate Pastor of Youth at Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN. He resides there with his wife Lara, step-son Eden, and son Woods. Billy was ordained in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 2016 and has been serving at Beaver Creek for the past three and a half years. Music is provided by Punk Rock Opera, I Wanna to be a Machine . https://files.freemusicarchive.org/storage-freemusicarchive-org/music/ccCommunity/Punk_Rock_Opera/Punk_Rock_Ope...
Nov 03, 2020•27 min•Ep. 16
Rev. Neal Wilkinson is the Senior Pastor at White Oak Pond Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, Missouri. Neal grew up in Northern Ireland and moved to the United States in 2011, coming to Nashville, Tennessee with the Center for Youth Ministry Training, where he served for 4 years as a Middle School Minister in a United Methodist Church. It was in Nashville where he met his wife Joanna, a fourth generation Cumberland Presbyterian. He has been at White Oak Pond since January 2018. He and J...
Oct 27, 2020•28 min•Ep. 15
Rev. Joyce Merritt directs Still Waters Family Ministries , a Middle Tennessee outreach ministry headquartered in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This ministry serves families, with a focus on single parent families, who need a hand up to move forward to the full and secure life God wants for all God’s children. Prior to founding and directing Still Waters Family Ministries , Joyce pastored the Rockvale Cumberland Presbyterian Church for ten years. Previously, she served in associate pastoral capacitie...
Oct 20, 2020•29 min•Ep. 14
Rev. Dr. Susan Parker was ordained as a Cumberland Presbyterian minister in 2014 after graduating from Memphis Theological Seminary’s Program of Alternate Studies. Since that time Susan has been serving as interim and supply pastor in various Cumberland and USA Presbyterian churches in North Alabama. During 2018-2019, Susan served as Interim President at Memphis Theological Seminary. Prior to the ministry, Susan served in two statewide elected positions: Alabama Public Service Commission (2006-2...
Oct 13, 2020•28 min•Ep. 13
John grew up in the same neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico as Rev. Shelia O'Mara and Rev. Lyle Reece and is tremendously disappointed he didn't know them as a child. John's parents were both Presbyterian elders and active in a PCUSA church in Albuquerque. John might be best known there for his disdain for pre-school. He would often cry in the corner while secretly waiting for the pastor to come in to greet the kids before service. He'd dart out the open door and run around and sneak into t...
Oct 06, 2020•40 min•Ep. 12
Rev. Samantha Hassell was raised in the Rose Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church and has served the Cumberland Presbyterian Church as a christian educator and youth pastor since 2001. She is a graduate of Bethel College (B.A.) and Memphis Theological Seminary (MAYM). Samantha has been a contributing writer for Faith Out Loud , Feasting on the Word , Growing in Grace and Gratitude and was the writer of the 2016 Presbyterian Youth Triennium Small Group Manual. She and her husband, Rev. Victor Has...
Sep 29, 2020•19 min•Ep. 11
Nathaniel (Nate) Mathews is an Ordained Minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is a graduate of Bethel University and Memphis Theological Seminary. Nate is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church (FCPC) in Lubbock, Texas of Presbytery del Cristo. He and his wife Anna, along with their two pets, have been residents of the Lubbock area for over 2 years. They look forward to fruitful and vibrant ministry together with the wonderful people of Lubboc...
Sep 22, 2020•29 min•Ep. 10
Rev. Fredy Antonio Diaz Caedeno is a Cumberland Presbyterian minister serving as the Associate Pastor of Multicultural Ministries at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas. Fredy has a background in electrical engineering, a master's degree in Theology from International Biblical Seminary and currently is studying for a doctorate of ministry at Memphis Theological Seminary. He was born in Manizales, Colombia, is married to Rev. Dr. Gloria Villa and they have one adult son, Be...
Sep 15, 2020•23 min•Ep. 9
The Rev. Dr. Jody Hill became the ninth President of Memphis Theological Seminary on January 1, 2020. Hill grew up in the Mt. Zion Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Falkner, Mississippi, and he is a direct descendant of Ephraim McLean, a founding member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He was a three-year letterman on the Ole Miss Rebels Football Team from 1990 to 1992. Rev. Dr. Hill is a graduate of the University of Mississippi (B.S.), Memphis Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and New Orlean...
Sep 08, 2020•31 min•Ep. 8
Rev. Byrd Broyles was born in Johnson City, Tennessee and is a 4.5 generation Cumberland Presbyterian. He has a degree in Special Education from East Tennessee State University and is a graduate from the Program of Alternate Studies. He serves the Pleasant Mount Cumberland Presbyterian Church outside of Columbia, Tennessee and is a Special Education teacher at Marshall County High School. His claim to fame is being the first person to submit a resignation to a church within a week following ordi...
Sep 01, 2020•26 min•Ep. 7
Rev. Becky Zahrte was ordained in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in March 2020. She serves both the Madisonville First and Rose Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in Kentucky. She is a graduate of the Program of Alternate Studies has a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in organizational communication. She and her husband Chris have been married for twenty-two years have two adult children and two granddaughters. You can find Becky as a contributor to the ...
Aug 25, 2020•37 min•Ep. 6
Alan Butler is from Forth Worth, Texas and a recent graduate from Memphis Theological Seminary. He will soon be ordained to the word and sacrament in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and is the Coordinator of Benefits the denomination's Board of Stewardship, Foundation and Benefits. Alan also serves as youth minister at St. John United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Music is provided by Punk Rock Opera, I Wanna to be a Machine . https://files.freemusicarchive.org/storage-freemusicarch...
Aug 19, 2020•22 min•Ep. 5
Rev. Dr. Tommy Clark is the minister at McCain’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in Columbia, Tennessee, actively serves the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry in Nashville and is a consultant for individuals developing urban ministries in various cities in the United States. In addition to ministry, Tommy is an avid runner, cyclist, and outdoors enthusiast. And, he is a devoted husband to his partner in ministry, Rev. Ellen Hudson Clark. Music is provided by Punk Rock Opera, I Wanna to be a Machine . ...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 2
A native of Jackson, TN, Rev. Shelia O’Mara graduated from Bethel College, McKenzie, TN, in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. She received her Masters of Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary, Memphis, TN, in 1983 and was ordained a Cumberland Presbyterian minister in January, 1983. She was commissioned in the United States (U. S.) Navy Chaplain Corps in June,1983. Shelia is the 189th General Assembly moderator of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a member of Presbyter...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 4
Patrick is an ordained Cumberland Presbyterian minister and he, his wife Jessica and two daughters Bella Grace and Jacqueline have been living in Colombia, South America for three plus years. Patrick has been called to provide training to develop leaders within a new presbytery, mentoring seminary students, helping establish youth programs in the churches, training youth leaders, helping with camping programs, helping with mission teams that visit Colombia, helping with existing and new social a...
Aug 13, 2020•54 min•Ep. 3
Cardelia Howell-Diamond is an ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. She is married to the Reverend Steven Howell-Diamond, and together they have three children, Kai, Sam and Wyatt Howell-Diamond. Cardelia has served the church for 21 years in various ministry positions and currently pastors Christ Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, AL, Leads The Community Table , a Worshiping Community in Huntsville, AL and is the Coordinator of Women's Ministry for the ...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 1
