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For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"
made His light shine in our hearts to give us
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
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Please click on a name below to read about our pastor, our elders, and our staff.
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"My passion is Jesus, His life and His glory. As long as we are looking to Him real change and real life is possible."
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And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18) |
Clay and his family came to Galveston in 1994 from Amarillo, Texas. He and Karla were attracted to Galveston Bible Church because of the emphasis on shared leadership among a group of Elders and the desire to encourage people toward a living faith in all areas of life.
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Clay was born and raised in the western North Carolina Mountains near Waynesville. After high school, he served in the US Army as an Airborne Ranger for four years. While serving in Georgia, he met Karla and they were married. Both Clay and Karla attended Hannibal LaGrange College in Missouri and Clay graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis. During college and seminary Clay served as pastor of Indian Creek Baptist Church near Bowling Green, Missouri. After graduation the family moved to Amarillo where Clay served as interim and later associate pastor of Evangelical Fellowship. He currently serves also as a US Army reserve Chaplain and has recently served in Afghanistan.
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Clay and Karla have two children, Krista 23 who is currently a Veterinary Medicine student at Texas A&M University and Benjamin 21 who is a carpenter and student in Galveston.
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My service as an elder at GBC has allowed me a strong motivation to draw from God daily and to welcome His use of me at His will. Everyday I am reminded to follow the path laid before me and to wholly trust in Him. Without this I surely would be lost, both physically and spiritually.
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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere Him. (Ecclesiastes 3:11-14) |
I was born in Iowa and raised in Minnesota. Upon graduating with an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota in 1989, I moved to Texas to take a job working in the Space Shuttle program. In 1991, I resigned my position in engineering to pursue a desire to restore old houses. I came to Galveston after purchasing a historic house which was about to be condemned. This was the start of a restoration construction company, which I still operate today. That house is now my home where my wife, Kelly, and I live with our dog, Sydney, and our cat, Skinny.
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Kelly and I started looking for a church shortly after our marriage in 1993 and God continually lead us back to GBC. Having been raised Lutheran and baptized as an infant, it was my desire to be baptized by immersion, and shortly after joining, I was baptized by Clay in the Gulf of Mexico. I became an elder at GBC about 10 years ago and it is my great privilege to serve Him by serving His followers.
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"I became a believer in Jesus Christ in this church and continue to be in awe of the power of God to transform plain old folks like me into a living church that is striving to serve Jesus Christ in every way."
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I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (Jesus praying for us in John 17:20-23) |
Bob credits the book Biblical Eldership by Alexander Stauch, as having a great influence on his view of eldership in the church. The ministries of early leaders and elders at GBC and John MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee, James Dobson, and Clay Thomas have had a great impact on his life. He has been an elder at GBC since 1987.
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Bob became a Christian shortly after moving to Galveston in 1977, when the church met under the name Believers Fellowship. Approximately a year later he met his wife Jeannette and about a year later they were married in Galveston.
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Jeannette and Bob have seven children: Daniel (24), Bethany (21), Joshua (18), Christopher (16), Audra (14), Natalie (10), and Ariel (6). All but Daniel and Audra were born at home and all have been home schooled since the first grade. Bethany and Joshua are in college at present and a grandson, Ian Robert, will be coming in late September '06 to live with Daniel and Jennifer.
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Bob was born in Dimmitt in the Texas Panhandle. He was raised on a small farm where his parents still live. He graduated from Texas Tech University in the spring of 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with an emphasis in Landscape Architecture. He has been a registered Landscape Architect since 1977, working for 21 years for Galveston County Beach and Parks Department. Since 1998 Bob has enjoyed running his own private design and planning practice from his home, working primarily in the Galveston-Houston area. You may have visited a park he has worked on.
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My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. James 3:1-2 |
Michael came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in the Amazon jungle in 1991. He and his family moved to Galveston, Texas in 2003 and joined Galveston Bible Church in 2004. His passion is teaching the Word of God.
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Michael was born in Oklahoma and was raised in Central Illinois. Attending the University of Illinois, he has worked in various business including manufacturing and real estate development since college. Michael was married to Anne Cook in 1982 and they have been married 25 years.
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Mike and Anne have three children, Tyler 21, who is a member of the U.S. Army and attends college at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Libbi (20) who is currently a Elementary Education major at Texas A&M University and Robby (18) who is a Senior at Texas Tech Independent Study program.
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Born and raised in Ohio, I came to Texas in 1980 by joining The USAF. In 1982, God opened my eyes, ears, and heart to truly believe in The Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and in 1983 I married my wife Sylvia. As I look back I realize this was all done by God's sovereign hand to take me away from home, meet my future wife and save me; Praise be to God! In 1996, I felt the leading of God to move from San Antonio to Galveston to help my brother in law in the ministry of his church in which he was pastor.
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In 2001, I was ordained as an elder/pastor. In 2006, I felt the leading of God to move my congregation and my family to become part of Galveston Bible Church (a leading I had been feeling for several years). I believe God's blessing and purpose was to come and serve GBC and to give myself in whatever capacity God and the church body called me to do. I wanted to sit under godly leadership and also be accountable, so, I praise God for our pastor and the GBC church body who have received us with such open and loving arms!
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I do not deserve all the graces, mercies, blessings, and healings God has bestowed upon me and my family throughout our walk in this wilderness and I am amazed how God would chose to use me to minister to GBC. I hope and pray God would continually strengthen and use me and all of GBC for His Honor and Glory, for without Him I can do nothing.
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God not only has blessed me with a beautiful wife, but has filled my quiver with three children; Vincent, Stephen, and Bianca.
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I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) |
Being one of the few members of the congregation, and the only member of the elder board, who was born on the island, qualifies me as a local character, a title that I dearly cherish. Although the Island has more that it's share of frustrations, it has been my place of residence for all of my 48 years, and I love it here. Not a day goes by without me visiting the waterfront, either driving down the "wall”, or walking the docks with my son's dog "Zigzag” to see what new ships are in port that day. I love living on the coast and would not even consider living away from the water.
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My main interests, understandably, revolve around sailing and anything pertaining to boats or boatbuilding, and I spend many hours daydreaming of voyages that I will someday undertake on a wooden sloop that I am just now beginning to restore. God has blessed me with a very understanding wife, Virginia, who tolerates most of my idiosyncrasies most of the time. He has blessed us with two wonderful sons: Ben, who just started this fall at Texas A&M in the Mechanical Engineering department, (I think I'm supposed to say whoop, or gig-em or something); and Daniel, who just started at Ball High, and is on both the water polo and swim teams there.
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You will find me up front on Sundays singing with the ensemble; a ministry that I became a part of soon after arriving at GBC about six years ago. Helping to lead worship is something that I enjoy tremendously, and is just one way in which God is growing me as a leader of this body of believers. Being a leader of God's people is a tremendous responsibility that I do not take lightly, and am quite often overwhelmed by. I have learned through my years of service, though, to fully trust in the power of the Holy Spirit for guidance. He has never failed me.
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Kelly Charon is our church secretary. She works 16 flex hours per week taking care of various responsibilities such as bookkeeping, correspondence & church publications.
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If you would like to receive GBC News & Notes or Praise & Prayer Requests via email, please contact our secretary at galvbiblechurch@swbell.net
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