Preacher Bios and Sermons

Wednesday, September 5

J.R. Briggs

J.R. is the founder of Kairos Partnerships, an organization which walks alongside and encourages pastors and leaders to better equip them for God-honoring ministry. He also serves as the Director of Leadership and Congregational Formation with The Ecclesia Network and is a Missions Strategist with Fresh Expressions U.S. He is cultural cultivator of The Renew Community, a faith community for the hurting and the hungry in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife and two sons.

J.R. earned his bachelor’s degrees in biblical literature and in Christian education from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana. He earned his Master of Missional Theology from Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, where he is currently working on a Doctor of Ministry, writing his doctoral thesis on how question-asking in leadership can advance God’s mission. He has served in ministry for over a decade in mega-churches, house churches, and church plants. His books include Fail, Eldership and the Mission of God, When God Says Jump, and Redefining Life for Men, and he coauthored The Message // Remix: Solo with Eugene Peterson.  

Monday, September 17

Nicole Martin

Rev. Dr. Nicole Martin is a Senior Mobilizer with American Bible Society, stewarding the Scripture engagement work in Charlotte, Dallas, Kansas City, and Philadelphia. She is a recognized leader, serving on the faculty of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and in lay ministry at The Park Church in Charlotte where she formerly worked as the Executive Minister. Nicole is a gifted writer and author of the book Made to Lead: Empowering Women for Ministry.  Her work has been featured in The Charlotte Observer, Christianity Today, and in the Charlotte Business Journal where she was named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in 2017.  

Nicole has a passion for community and has been appointed by the Mayor to serve as the faith-based representative on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Advisory Board.  She is the founder of The Clergy Women of Charlotte and Executive Director of SoulFire International Ministries, which focuses on empowering others to reach their fullest potential in Christ. 

Wednesday, September 26

Jennifer Schneider

Jennifer is the Executive Director of For His Children (FHC), a Christian children’s home in Ecuador that cares for children with normal and special needs. FHC is a model ministry in Ecuador due to the quality care provided to the children and for the work toward family reunification and adoption. Over 800 children have been cared for at FHC over the past 26 years. An alumna of Gordon College, Jennifer graduated in 2007 with her bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and Spanish. She has been living on-site at the home in Quito, Ecuador since 2009. 

Monday, October 1

Jerry Root

Jerry is a professor of Evangelism and Leadership at Wheaton College and teaches in the Christian Formation and Ministry Department. He is a visiting professor at Biola University and Talbot Graduate School of Theology.  

Born and raised in Southern California, Jerry came to Christ while a freshman at Whittier College through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Jerry was a college pastor for 19 years at Granada Heights Friends Church in California, and College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. He served four years as senior pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Santa Barbara, California.   

Jerry is an expert on C. S. Lewis with both his Master of Divinity thesis and Doctoral dissertation focused on Lewis’ life and work. For almost 40 years, Jerry has taught courses and lectured on Lewis at dozens of colleges and universities in the U.S. and worldwide. 

Monday, October 1, Evening Chapel

Joe White

Joe White is the president and chairman of the board of Kanakuk Ministries. He started Kanakuk Kamps, a family of multi-cultural Christian sports summer camps dedicated to helping adolescents achieve their greatest potential. Since 1976, he and his wife, Debbie Jo, have operated these camps in Missouri, which host 20,000 campers and 2,500 college-age and professional staff members each summer. 

Joe earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Southern Methodist University in 1970. He was a two-year starting defensive tackle for the SMU Mustangs and received the Mike Kelsey Heart Award. After graduating, he was a football coach at Texas A&M University before assuming responsibility for Kanakuk Kamps. He has received honorary doctorates from Southwest Baptist University in Missouri and Belhaven College in Mississippi and has authored 22 books for parents and teens. 

Joe expanded his Christian camping vision by founding Kids Across America, which provides opportunities for 7,000 inner-city children to attend camp each summer. He also founded Cross International, a world relief organization that cares for orphans and the impoverished in 30 Third World nations, and Men at the Cross, a national men’s ministry that seeks to “end spiritual fatherlessness” in America. 

Wednesday, October 3

Peter Frey

Peter is the pastor of Union Congregational Church in South Grafton, MA. He is passionate about relevant biblical preaching that engages both the heart and mind. Peter earned his bachelor’s degree in theological studies from Moody Bible Institute, his Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and his Master of Theology from The University of Edinburg. His postgraduate research was on the role of imagination in sermon development and delivery. Peter's other interests include technology, social media and video editing. 

Peter and his wife, Mary, also have an active and growing ministry on YouTube called “The Frey Life”. With daily videos they share the ups and downs of life with Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening lung disease that Mary was born with. 

Wednesday, October 10

Steve Finn

Steve Finn, is the Executive Director of Chestnut Mountain Ranch (CMR). In 2005 he moved to West Virginia from Atlanta with the dream of starting a Christian school and home for boys. Today the 225-acre facility, located outside of Morgantown, has become a safe haven for boys and families in crisis. 

Chestnut Mountain Ranch provides a Christ-centered school and home for boys in need of hope and healing. CMR is a place for family restoration, where boys can enjoy school again, and all can experience positive family values. Their educational program helps children develop spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. 

Monday, November 5

Sam Acevedo

Samuel Acevedo is an Associate Pastor at Congregación León de Judá, where he leads several social justice efforts aimed at influencing Latino society in New England for the Kingdom of God. Pastor Sam serves as the founding Executive Director of the church-based Boston Higher Education Resource Center (HERC), dedicated to the ministry of helping inner-city young people go to college. 

Through its one-on-one City Passage Mentor Program, an SAT program, adult computer-literacy and ESOL programs, and an intensive two-year college prep program known as Passport, the Boston HERC has helped over 1,000 at-risk kids go to college since its inception in 1999. 

Wednesday, November 7

David Rox

David Rox has been a professor of music at Gordon College since 1981. In that role, he has conducted many instrumental ensembles including the Wind Ensemble, Brass Quintet, Brass Choir, Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble. Beyond Gordon, Dr. Rox has conducted ensembles throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, including important venues in London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Monaco, Genoa, Quebec, and at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston. 

David has served as a public and private school music consultant, festival conductor, adjudicator and clinician for concert bands, jazz bands and brass ensembles throughout New England. From 1995 until 2002 he served as music director of the Middlesex Concert Band, and has been a guest conductor for the Metropolitan Wind Symphony, Massachusetts Music Educators Association District Festivals, and for similar district honors bands throughout the region.  

Dr. Rox is a past president of the New England College Band Association and currently serves as musical advisor to the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras Wind Ensemble. He is an excellent jazz trombonist and in addition to all his musical interests, he and his wife, Margo, are actively involved in church work in the North Shore area.  

Wednesday, November 14

Mike Shannon

Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel, Michael Shannon is an Evangelical Chaplain who has honorably served in the United States Army, Army National Guard, and Air Force for 38 years. Currently the Deputy Command Chaplain for Air Force Special Operations Command, Lt. Col Shannon is a combat veteran who has received several awards including the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, and the Army Commendation Medal.  

Mike received his Bachelor of Theology in Pastoral Ministry at Grace Bible College, and his Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Ranked as the number one Chaplain or Field-grade Officer 16 times, he currently commands and honorably leads 19,000 military members and their families at various locations around the United States and throughout the world.