Christ Fellowship recognizes the Lord Jesus Christ enables His local body with gifted people who serve in varieties of areas. We seek to build our team around giftedness for service and invite you to meet those we believe the Lord has provided.
Jerry Smith
Jerry’s personal relationship with Christ began at age 30 as a businessman in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As he matured spiritually, Jerry’s love for God’s Word developed into a love for Bible-teaching. It was this growing love for Scripture which eventually led Jerry to leave the business arena for seminary. He attended Dallas Theological Seminary and graduated with a Th.M in Old Testament and Semitic Languages.
After spending several years planting churches in Texas, Canada, and Arkansas, Jerry came to Christ Fellowship in 1991. His teaching ministry is all about helping others to know God’s Word, to be transformed by that message, and to live out Christ-likeness to the glory of God — as a testimony in our homes, workplaces, communities and the world at large.
Jerry enjoys a full family life with his wife, Diane, two married daughters, four granddaughters (Jordan, Noelle, Natalie, and Elizabeth) and two grandsons (Myles and Ethan) and a very people-friendly Keeshond named “Izzy.” In his spare time, Jerry takes pleasure in teaching digital imaging and photography.
David Zinn
As a senior in high school, David Zinn got his first taste of teaching God’s Word when a young pastor began to disciple David. David accompanied this pastor as he preached at various churches on his circuit in the Reedsville, West Virginia area. Over time, David was given opportunity to teach in those churches. God used this experience to light a passion for teaching God’s word and to begin a new work in David’s life. David received his undergraduate degree in Political Science at West Virginia University and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law. David then moved to Nashville and began work as an attorney handling civil litigation.
While serving at another church in the Nashville area, David had the opportunity to share in the teaching ministry and briefly considered leaving law practice to attend seminary. While the move to seminary wasn’t to be, God led David to put his experience teaching the Word to use when he and his family came to Christ Fellowship in 1989. Since that time, David has shared in the teaching ministry of Christ Fellowship in a variety of ways, most recently on monthly basis.
“I’m amazed when I look around at the abundance of gifts within our body,” David says. “People have really risen up to use their gifts and stepped up to take responsibility for ministry in a variety of ways within the Christ Fellowship body. For me, sharing in the teaching ministry is just one small facet of that. My deepest desire is to be part of equipping the saints for ministry through teaching God’s Word.”
David and his wife, Patty, have three married children (Andy, Amy, and Adam) and a very busy personal life taking care of and enjoying their young grandchildren.
Children’s Coordinator
Jennifer Boyd
As a child, Jennifer regularly attended church with her family. When she was in seventh grade, a friend invited Jennifer to go with her to church which had a fun and active youth group and that is where Jennifer became involved. It’s also where she gave her life to Jesus at the age of twelve. She continued to be part of that church until Christ Fellowship began to form and has been attending Christ Fellowship since its very early days. Jennifer says, “[Christ Fellowship] has continued to mean so much to me as a wonderful church family through many years.” She’s also been actively serving in missions by volunteering at Graceworks and through a trip to Croatia.
With an Elementary Education major and Psychology minor from Georgetown College (Kentucky), Jennifer was well-suited to take on the role of Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Christ Fellowship. She feels that it is her calling in life to work with children. In addition to her work at church, Jennifer home schools and tutors children as her profession. Jennifer understands that the time to really impact a child for Christ is when they are young. That is why her emphasis at Christ Fellowship is to make sure the children have excellent, caring teachers and volunteers who will be involved in the lives of their students.
In her off time, Jennifer enjoys cooking, reading, watching movies, and spending time with friends. She is married to Shane and has a very spoiled dog named Titan.
C2C Coordinator
Don Beehler
As a college student, Don accepted Jesus as his personal Savior and Lord through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. He was baptized several years later. Don has been a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member, a deacon, and served on mission trips to Guatemala, Mexico, and Mississippi. Don has been a crusade counselor for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and communications team member for Amsterdam ’86. He’s also volunteered his time with other organizations such as: Project CURE (humanitarian relief); Shalom Foundation (provides assistance to children living in extreme poverty); and The Operation Andrew Group (non-profit ministry whose mission is to unite Middle Tennessee churches, businesses and civic groups), and AWANA Ministries.
Don feels his motivation for serving at Christ Fellowship comes from a deep gratitude for what God has done in my life. “Christ commands His followers to love and serve others,” says Don. I desire to use whatever talents and abilities the Lord has given me to minister to others and glorify Him.”
Don has a B.S. in Psychology from Central Michigan University, an M.A. in Communication and Management from California State University-San Bernardino. He’s also attended the Nashville School of Law. Don is the founder and president of ABC&D Communications, a public relations agency in Franklin. He leads an active life and during his free time he enjoys reading, running, playing tennis, swimming, traveling and hanging out at the beach. Don and his wife, Andra, have two grown daughters: Carolyn and Brooke.
Missions Coordinator
Sarah Blair
Sarah says she was blessed to have grown up in a family that taught her to love the Lord and study God’s Word from an early age. Missions also played a big role in her home life. Sarah was accustomed to meeting, listening to, and praying for missionaries. It seems only natural that Sarah’s first formal mission trip happened while in college — a 10-week summer project in Clearwater, FL. The following year, Sarah made another mission trip. This time it took her overseas to Split, Croatia.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University and getting married, Sarah and her husband ventured into missions once again. This time they moved to Budapest, Hungary where they worked for two years with Campus Crusade for Christ. Upon returning to the United States, Sarah worked as a counselor at a severe behavior intervention school and as case worker for teens in a treatment program. Later she worked as a teen pregnancy prevention specialist / abstinence educator in high schools and middle schools. These experiences have put her in a unique position to take over the Missions Coordinator position at Christ Fellowship. “God has given me such a passion for reaching out to those in the world who need to know Him. I truly believe that the only thing that can truly change people, and therefore our world, is to come to know the love of Jesus Christ,” says Sarah.
Sarah and her husband, Daniel, have been married since 1999. In 2007, they welcomed a lovely, vivacious daughter into their lives. In addition to spending time with her daughter and husband, she loves doing anything outdoors — camping, hiking, gardening. Sarah also enjoys cooking, spending time with her family and friends and says, “I’m pretty sure there isn’t anywhere in the world I wouldn’t go if given the opportunity.”
Music Coordinators
Dottie Thomas
Born and raised in Nashville, Dottie was interested in spiritual things from an early age. As a child, she and her family attended a church where she learned about ecology and sociology, but not much about the Bible. The turning point came at the age of eight, when a girl from Dottie’s school asked her to attend a church revival. The speaker at this event shared about who Jesus really was and Dottie accepted Jesus as her Savior that night. Through this event, eventually Dottie’s father and mother accepted Christ as well.
Dottie attended Bryan College where she studied Bible, took voice lessons and participated in the college choir, and took part in many theater productions. She also gained a degree in English and met her future husband at Bryan. With dreams of being a singer, Dottie feels that God has fulfilled those dreams in ways she would never have expected. She and her family have been part of Christ Fellowship since the beginning, serving in many capacities from youth leadership, teaching, and through music. Dottie says, “The things I studied at Bryan prepared me for my serving as Music Team Coordinator. I had studied English and how to write well, so I was able to analyze songs and understand their themes.” Her choral background has given her the ability to sing with groups and to hear the blend of voices. Dottie loves being part of the ministry team at Christ Fellowship and feels that God has blessed our fellowship with many talented musicians who are so willing to use their talents to glorify God and edify our body.
Dottie has worked in the nursery at the Brentwood YMCA for over 15 years. She enjoys working with the infants and is known as the “baby whisperer.” Dottie and her husband, Walter, have three children, Kyle, Nicole, and Joshua.
Travis Shepherd
As a high school student, Travis played in the Findlay High School band, orchestra and the jazz band. He went on to receive his bachelor degree in music from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, where he majored in guitar performance. Travis has played in many jazz and classical guitar ensembles, jazz combos, big bands, and studied music theory, history, and arranging in addition to primary instrument lessons.
Although Travis did not grow up in church, he became a believer at the age of 21 after realizing life was purposeless and impossible without God. Without a spiritual background, Travis saw the importance of finding a Bible teaching church which handled the Word of God accurately. Since coming to Christ Fellowship, Travis has volunteered his time on the music team and in other ministries. “I have come to hold dear the people of God, His Church, who hold the Spirit of God inside them and have irreplaceable value,” says Travis. Since taking on the position of music coordinator, Travis has discovered the heart of his ministry is celebrating the Lord’s goodness, mercy, and love with God’s people through music. He calls it, “A joyful endeavor; a taste of heaven.”
Travis has been married to Stephanie since 2002 and they have four children (Noelle, Natalie, Elizabeth, and Ethan). He has been furthering his education by taking graduate level classes in Theology and Bible Exposition from Dallas Theological Seminary while working full time as an application developer for CIGNA HealthCare. When he has spare time, Travis enjoys playing and listening to music, reading and studying, working on audio and video production, and working on computer hardware and software.
Woman’s Coordinator
Judy Gates
Born in Houston, Texas, Judy graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She and her husband were raising a family when the Lord literally surrounded Judy with the testimony of neighbors. It was through the ministry of these faithful witnesses that Judy came to know Jesus Christ at the age of 27.
After her conversion, Judy was mentored by godly women who helped instill in her a love of the Word. She studied precept training under Kay Arthur and has put this training to use by leading three Bible study groups for women of various ages and backgrounds. Judy’s spiritual passion is to see women learn the Word. “When people know the Word and apply it, it transforms every aspect of our lives,” she says.
Judy and her husband, Bob, have been married for more than 30 years. They have four married daughters and enjoy spending time with their 11 grandchildren. In her spare time, Judy likes to keep busy with gardening and volunteering at Graceworks.
Youth Coordinators
Ed and Emily Griffioen
Emily grew up in church and accepted Christ during vacation Bible school the summer before she began third grade. She continued to grow in Christ as an adolescent and attended church youth camps every summer. With the help of her sister, Emily directed the VBS program during her college years.
As a young adult, Emily experienced the turmoil of facing an unbelieving world and struggled through the choice of “Do I believe because of what my parent’s taught me” or “Do I Believe because I want to?” After watching many believing friends lose their focus, Emily’s heart for ministering to youth began to grow. Now she wants to help prepare youth for these challenges of standing on their own.
Emily received her BSN Nursing degree from Waynesburg College in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania and currently works part-time at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in the NICU as an RN. She’s also a busy work-at-home Mom to her infant daughter, Havalah, and is married to Eduward Griffioen.
Ed grew up in church and became a believer during his middle school years. But it was during his high school years that someone challenged Ed to grow and really own his faith. Having experienced this personally, Ed feels that these teen years are a key time to influence and shape the foundations of youth. He says, “I have a heart to challenge youth to own their faith, to help lay that foundation, and prepare them for their futures.”
Having this rich background in Christian service, has prepared him well for his role in working with and teaching youth. Ed has worked in summer camps, taught VBS, and been on a number of mission trips to places such as Panama, Burundi Africa, the Philippines, and locations within the United States. He’s also been a youth leader, taught college classes at Waynesburg Bible chapel, and lead Bible studies for various men’s groups while in college.
Ed is a graduate of Waynesburg University with a degree in Business Management. He works as a purchaser at Griffin Technology, a producer of Apple accessories. Ed is married to Emily Griffioen and they have one child, a daughter named Havalah. Besides spending time with his family, some of Ed’s interests are Frisbee golf, scuba diving, and video games.
Matt and Susan Manes
Matt graduated from Waynesburg College in Western Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Religion. Raised in a Catholic household, Matt gave his life to Christ in 2001, shortly after attending college. Since he gave his life to the Lord later in life, Matt says, “His passion for the youth of the church has grown immensely.” No matter where God places him—the local church or mission field—Matt befriends the youth. These connections have afforded Matt the opportunity to teach and help youth to grow their faith as a youth leader in other churches. Matt has been on numerous missions trips to Mexico, Jamaica, Philippines, and Africa, mainly to serve at deaf orphanages.
Matt’s interests include a love of video games, sports, and music. He’s been playing the drums since the age of 10 and serves on the music team at Christ Fellowship. Matt’s recently decided to go back to school to become a high school math teacher. He says, “I’m excited about the possibility to take my ministry into the classroom and affect our youth for Christ even more.”
A newlywed, Matt says that, “God has amazingly opened to the door to allow me and my beautiful wife Susan an opportunity to share in this ministry at Christ Fellowship together.”
Susan grew up in a Christian home and came to know Christ at a very young age. As a child, her family attended a church very similar to Christ Fellowship where she was involved in Awana, Sunday school, and the youth program. Susan graduated from the University of Sioux Falls in 2002 with a major in mass communications and a minor in religious studies. Prior to attending Christ Fellowship, Susan was actively involved in church ministry as a Sunday school teacher and youth leader. She also went to Africa in 2010 to help build a medical building.
Susan can clearly see how God has prepared her for this ministry. “I see in my own life how the foundation of growing up in church and my faith greatly shaped who I am today and see how it prepared me for the challenges I’ve faced in my 20s. I know the pressures and culture teens are faced with today are even greater and hope to be used in a small part to prepare them for life in college and beyond and what it looks like to be a follower of Christ.“
In addition to her work at church, Susan enjoys spending quality time with friends, reading, working on projects at home, and traveling. Susan says that she is beyond blessed to be married to Matt Manes. She is currently working in word of mouth marketing.