I am excited to be here and minister to the students of Crockett. My journey to this appointment feels reminiscent of Jonah and the whale. I grew up in Haltom City, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. In my junior year of high school, I had a life-changing experience when I accepted Christ at a church camp at Baylor University. At that moment, I felt a profound calling towards the ministry, but I hesitated to fully commit to it. Instead, I pursued my passion for music and attended the University of Houston, majoring in Music Performance on trumpet.
After graduating, I returned to my hometown and began teaching music lessons while volunteering at my church. It was during the summer of 2012 when God presented a remarkable opportunity for me to minister at Fuge Camp in Glorieta, New Mexico. During that enriching experience, I served as a bible study lesson leader, worship class instructor, and lighting director.
Once again, I felt that unmistakable call for ministry, but I chose to ignore it, focusing instead on obtaining my teaching certification. While completing my certification and working as a teacher in the Fort Worth ISD school district, God continued to open doors for me to serve in my local church. In 2014, I was hired as the Music Ministry assistant for Haltom Road Baptist Church. Over the next seven years, I had the privilege of serving in various capacities, including music ministry assistant, organist, pianist, Interim Minister of Music, Youth Worship Leader, children's choir accompanist and co-director, media team director, technical director and designer for church productions, production director, and program director for our 2019 VBS choir camp.
My time at Haltom Road Baptist provided me with valuable foundational skills for ministry. In addition to my role at the church, I also served as the Director of Bands for three years at Kirkpatrick Middle School. During my tenure, the band program flourished both in numbers and skill, achieving the highest UIL rating in the school's history. Despite the success, the call for full-time ministry persisted. Finally, after years of discernment, I could no longer ignore the call, and at the end of the 2021 school year, I resigned from my teaching position to pursue a full-time ministry role.
In May of 2022, I gratefully accepted the position of Minister of Music and Youth at Central Baptist Church in Crockett, Texas. It has been an incredible journey so far, and I am enthusiastic about serving this church and its community, eager to see what God has in store.
A little bit about me: I am a graduate of the University of Houston, where I studied trumpet performance under the guidance of Jim Vassallo. During my time at the university, I had the honor of being a principal player in various ensembles, including the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, and The Spirit of Houston Marching Band. Additionally, I hold a teacher certification from the state of Texas with a focus on EC-12 Music.
Throughout my career, I have also had the opportunity to work as a technical director, handling audio and lighting design for productions such as "An Unexpected Christmas," "Under A Starry Sky," "Two from Galilee," and "Holding On To Christmas." I have directed performances like "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and the VBS Choir Camp production at Haltom Road Baptist Church.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story, and I look forward to this new chapter of my ministry at Central Baptist Church in Crockett.
