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Westside Baptist Ministerial Staff |
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Keith Russell
Senior Pastor
westsidebaptist@wbcjax.com
Dr. Keith Russell was born in Sentinel, Oklahoma, on February 7, 1952. He is a graduate of Dill City Public Schools and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and was given an Honorary Doctorate of Theology by the Jacksonville Baptist Theological Seminary. Bro. Keith, as he is called, served as pastor of five churches in Oklahoma before becoming the Senior Pastor of Westside in January 1997. He and his wife Judy have two children, Jeremy and Keisha. While serving in Oklahoma he was a two term president of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Since coming to Florida he has served on the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. Bro. Keith is a simple man, who enjoys simple things and preaches a simple gospel.
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Ray Mayfield
Minister of Older Adults/
Pastoral Care
Ages 55 & up
ray@wbcjax.com
Rev. Ray Mayfield was born in Pueblo, Colorado on December 19, 1945. He received Christ as his Savior at the age of 9 at Second Baptist Church, Abilene, Texas. He served in the Navy for four years as Interior Communications Electrician and worked for Southern Bell Telephone for seventeen years. He attended Florida Junior College and Luther Rice Seminary and graduated in 1987. He was called into the ministry at Westside Baptist Church on April 15, 1984. He served as Minister of Education seven years and Minister of Evangelism thirteen years. Presently, he serves as Minister to Married and Senior Adults and Pastoral Care. He also serves in the area of premarital and family counseling. Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to thine own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path." Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
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Rev. Bob Barton
Minister of Education and Missions
bob@wbcjax.com
I was born in Hawaii in 1955, and raised in Jacksonville Florida by loving Christian parents. I fell deeply in love with Jesus as a teenager at first Baptist Church in Jacksonville. During my teenage years I accepted Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, answered God’s call on my life to spend my life in full time Christian Service, and set out on a course to prepare myself for ministry. I graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake New York in 1974. I went on to receive a Bachelors degree in Pastoral Theology and a Masters Degree in Christian Education from Hyles Anderson College in Crown Point Indiana. After serving as youth pastor at churches in Minnesota and Virginia, I arrived back at my home church to serve for the next 22 years. I served with great joy as Hospital Pastor for the first year, then as Middle School Youth Pastor for the next 19 years, and finally 2 years as College and Singles Pastor. In December of 2006, I joined the staff of Westside Baptist Church to serve as Minister of Education and Missions. It is a privilege to serve in such a loving church with such an outstanding pastor. In 1978 I married Tricia, my best friend and love of my life. God has given us a happy life together and three wonderful children, Sarah, Andy and Matthew. God has gifted me to lead his people to do great exploits for Him. I love serving as a soul winner, pastor, mentor, teacher and leader of God’s people. I have been given a great love for God’s people in the church, God’s word, and the lost of our world. I have a deep desire to lead God’s people to be on mission for him, here at home and to the ends of the earth.
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Rev. Anthony Poole
Minister of Music
anthony@wbcjax.com
Anthony was born in May of 1959 in a small, rural town in Southeast
Missouri. After giving his life to Jesus at the age of 7, he began singing
in the local church almost immediately. At age 12, Anthony felt God had
something specific for him to do with his life. He married Angela Willis in
September of 1978 and they now have three grown children. Shortly after
marriage, God placed a call to ministry on his life that began in Louisiana
in November of 1982 and has allowed him the privilege of also serving
churches in Arkansas, Mississippi, and North Carolina for the past 25 years.
His passion is to teach and lead people to God's throne through the avenue
of intimate worship. His ministry at Westside began in February of 2007.
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Dan Mullis
Minister of Instrumental Music
dan@wbcjax.com
Dan Mullis was born in Ft. Worth, TX in February of 1979. Because of his travels, as he was a Navy Chaplain’s son, he saw early on how God can use music to minister to the hearts of anyone. God called him into the ministry at age 16. Dan has been serving in music at churches and on the road since then. He holds a Bachelor of Church Music Degree from Belmont University. While in school, Dan began serving in the ministry of a Christian big band called Denver & the Mile High Orchestra. He continued with this ministry for six years and saw God truly use any style of music to reach any nationality of person. He and his wife, Carrie, were married in Virginia Beach in 2002 and they have a son, Caleb. God called them to Westside Baptist Church where they could begin their new ministry with the church orchestra and other instrumental music. Psalm 33:3 is our “Instrumental Ministries” focus verse. We should always approach ministry with skill and passion. That will then glorify God and bring people to know Him as their Savior. |
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Aaron Henry
Minister of Media
aaron@wbcjax.com
Brother Aaron was born in Miami, Oklahoma in July of 1977 and raised in Springfield, MO and Phoenix, AZ. At the age of seven he accepted Christ and was baptized soon after by his father. The Lord called Aaron to full-time ministry while he was on summer staff with World Changers just prior to his last semester at Arizona State University. Six months later, in December of 1999, he graduated with his BA in Broadcast Journalism from ASU and began a two year commitment as a US/C 2 missionary in Phoenix. In 2002, Aaron married his wife, Monica, and later that year, they followed the Lord’s leading to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received a master’s degree in Christian Education with an emphasis in Communications. Aaron was called to Westside as the Minister of Media in January of 2005. Aaron and Monica have one son, Samuel. |
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Mark Shiver
Minister of Younger Adults/
Evangelism
Ages 25-54
mark@wbcjax.com
Rev. Mark Shiver was born again in January of 1993 at Westside Baptist Church. Mark began serving the Lord by teaching married adults and singing in the choir. Married with 3 children, Mark felt the call of God on his life to full-time ministry in 1999. He became Singles Pastor at Westside in October 2001. Mark feels blessed to be a part of such a vibrant group of believers whose goals are the same as his - doing whatever it takes to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 5:17
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Sean Vickers
Minister of Students
6th grade through college
sean@wbcjax.com
Rev. Sean Vickers was born in Atlanta, Ga and grew up in Central Florida. He received Christ when he was 19 years old and was baptized at First Baptist Church Orlando. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B. A. in Finance with a Computer Science Minor. He then attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters of Divinity with a Biblical Languages emphasis. After seminary, Sean was called to First Baptist Church Kissimmee to serve as Associate Pastor of Students. He was ordained at First Baptist Church Kissimmee for the Gospel Ministry in 1996. Sean and his wife Carol have five beautiful children. After serving for eight years at First Baptist Kissimmee, God called him to Westside Baptist Church as Minister of Youth. His passion for ministry is to know Christ, and to make Him known. |
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Gary Upchurch
Minister of Children
gary@wbcjax.com
Gary and his wife are local and both have been raised in the Northeast Florida area most of their lives. They met in Sunday School in 1995 and have been together ever since. Gary attended Madeira Baptist Church for seventeen years before God called him to Westside Baptist Church. Gary trusted Jesus has his Lord and Savior January 31, 1993 under the preaching of Dr. J. Harold Smith. "Since then God has blessed my life in so many ways", says Gary. "He has given me three precious children, Breanne, James, and Emilie. My wife was saved as a nine-year old child and has been a great inspiration to me in my Christian walk. She truly is my best friend. We all are very excited about the opportunity to serve at Westside Baptist Church. This is a great church and we are blessed to be a part of what God is doing here." Life verse: Matthew 6:33
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