Alumni Updates
Fall 2009
Dan Adams (M.Div. 1998) is the Senior Pastor of RiverTown Church , a congregation he planted in Jacksonville, Florida four years ago with the help of his wife, Amber, and their two sons, Nathan (age 11) and Noah (age 8). Dan is currently working toward an MBA from Liberty University and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary.
Matt Beaver (M.Div. 2001) was named the Director of International Church Planting for NEXT Worldwide, a mission organization based in Frisco, Texas. His primary responsibilities in the new role will be overseeing the training of new missionaries and developing partnerships with church planters around the globe. Click here to visit the organization’s website.
Derrick Billups (M.Div. 2004) teaches science classes to eighth graders at Green Acres Middle School, a Birmingham City school which serves the community of Ensley, Alabama. He and his wife, Tarana, reside in Pinson, with their daughter, Taryn (3), and son, Ethan (5 months).
Terri Byrd (M.T.S. 2006) begins her new position as the Associate Coordinator for Congregational Life and Missions for the Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship on November 30. Terri lives in Birmingham with her husband, Paul, and two children, Turner and Evan. Read more here.
In August, Kaelan Clay (M.Div. 2008) was ordained to the presbyterate of the Anglican Mission in the Americas. Earlier this month he received his orders from the U.S. Navy, and has since begun his service as the chaplain for Naval Base Point Loma, a submarine naval station located in San Diego, California.
The Starkville Daily News recently published an article about the ministry of Life Church, a new congregation planted in Starkville, Mississippi by John Daniels (M.Div. 1997).
Clay Hallmark (M.Div. 1992) serves as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Marion, Arkansas. Earlier this month, he was unanimously elected to serve as the President of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. He and his wife Leslie, have two daughters, Cassie and Kayla. Click here to read more.
Susan Pace Hamill (M.T.S. 2002) has announced her candidacy for the House District 63 seat in the Alabama legislature. She resides in Tuscaloosa, where she has served as a professor in the University of Alabama’s School of Law since 1994. While a student at Beeson, she authored an M.T.S. thesis that led to a major tax reform initiative in Alabama. She returned to Beeson for the spring semester of 2008 to serve as a Scholar in Residence.
“Imagine That,” a sermon written by Derrick Hammond (M.Div./M.B.A. 2006) has been published on the National Baptist Convention website. Hammond resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife, Davyda, and daughters, Kim and Alexis.
Connie Hedges (M.Div. 1997) was selected by the Indiana Department of Corrections as Chaplain of the Year for 2009. She received her D.Min. in Ministry Renewal from Anderson University School of Theology in 2007, and her doctoral dissertation, “Juvenile Facility Chaplain and Religious Service Coordinator Training and Resource Manual,” has been used to train the new chaplains at Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility. She is also a co-writer and editor for the curriculum of the state program “Renewing the Mind: Correcting Criminal Thinking in Juvenile Offenders.” In addition to these duties, Connie serves as adjunct professor at Ivy Tech Community College’s Logansport and Kokomo campuses. Connie has two adult children, Charles and Summer, and a grandson, Martin.
Asher Randall Hemphill was born to Melody and Randy Hemphill (M.Div. 2000) on October 6. The family, including Asher’s two older brothers, Caleb and Brennan, resides in Birmingham where they lead a ministry called Encounter.
Fletcher Law (D.Min. 2008) recently resigned from his position as chaplain at the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia to devote all of his energy to planting Redeemer Baptist Church. Pictured with Fletcher are his wife, Kay, and their son, Graham. To read more about the church plant or Fletcher’s preaching ministry, click here.
Jeremy Maxfield (M.T.S. 2005) and his wife, Amanda, recently celebrated the birth of their third daughter, Katy Jane. She joins her sisters, Adalyn and Ella. Jeremy works as a writer, editor, and project manager in the resources division of Student Life, Inc., serving alongside several Beeson alumni including Becca Davis (M.Div. 1998), Eron Snow (M.T.S. 2006), Graham Hill (M.Div. 2008), and Brad Barnett (M.T.S. 2007).
Meredith May (M.Div. 2007) and Nic Teasley were married in a small family ceremony at Santa Rosa Beach, Florida on September 26. After a honeymoon trip to the Mexican Riviera, the couple will return to Nashville, Tennessee where Meredith is a Camp Specialist for the Childhood Training and Events department of LifeWay Christian Resources.
Chad Mize (M.Div. 2009) has been called to serve as the pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church in Pisgah, Alabama. Before accepting this new position, Chad was ordained at Birmingham’s Crestway Baptist Church. Chad and his wife, Courtney, and their son, Jonathan, will move from Birmingham to Pisgah in December.
On August 11, Morgan and Nathan Parker (M.Div. 2007) celebrated the birth of their son, Jude Samuel Parker. The family resides in Birmingham, where Nathan serves Brookwood Baptist Church as Minister with Youth. He began working with the youth of the church in 2005 and has held his current position since 2007.
Josh Reeves (M.Div. 2002) recently defended his dissertation, “From Method to Practice: A Critique of Two Models for Relating Science and Religion” and was awarded his Ph.D. in Science, Philosophy, and Religion by Boston University. Josh’s wife, Courtney, and their two daughters, Ruby and June, recently moved with him to the Netherlands where he will serve as a research professor at Radboud University for the next three years. Before their move, Josh taught courses in Samford University’s philosophy department.
David and Katy Sexton (M.T.S. 2009) welcomed their first child, Charles David “Charlie”, into the world November 23. The family resides in Birmingham.
Tambi Swiney (M.Div. 2004) recently accepted a call to serve as Associate Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her husband, Paul, are the proud parents of Chaney, a student at the University of Tennessee. Read more here.
Seth Tarrer (M.Div. 2005) recently completed his doctoral studies in the history of Old Testament interpretation at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university. Seth and his wife, Mary, have two sons, Owen and John.
Steve and Tracy Pursel White (M.T.S. 2006) celebrated the birth of their first child, Mia Grace, on November 4. The family lives in Birmingham.
Summer 2009
Donald Boshell (M.Div. 2002) resides in Shelby, North Carolina, with his wife, Becky, and their daughter, Leah. He is the pastor of St. John United Methodist Church in Blacksburg, South Carolina.
After serving a number of churches throughout Georgia and Alabama for over 20 years, Bruce Calhoun (M.Div. 1991; D.Min. 1997) became the senior pastor of Hollonville Baptist Church in September 2008. The church is located in Williamson, Georgia where Bruce lives with his wife, Glenda. Bruce holds the distinction of being the only Beeson alumni included in both the school's charter M.Div. and D.Min. graduation classes. Before enrolling at Beeson, Bruce completed his undergraduate studies at Mercer University and later served in the U.S. Navy. Recently, Bruce has become an adjunct professor in Mercer’s College of Continuing and Professional Education. He will teach on a number of subjects including: the biblical canon, theology, church history, ethics, philosophy and culture.
On July 26, Brian Carroll (M.Div. 2005) and his wife, Heather, celebrated the birth of a son named Matthew. The family resides in Newnan, Georgia where Brian is the pastor of Northside Baptist Church. Find a great post about the significance of Matthew’s birth date on Brian's blog.
Josh Dear (M.Div. 2001) works in the campus bookstore of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Across town, Josh also serves Belhaven College as a course instructor in its online biblical studies program.
Wes Fondren (M.Div. 2000) recently accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Communication (Research, Theory, and Methods) at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina where he lives with his wife, Tina, their two daughters, Lyndal and Alina, and two sons, Cohen and Eli.
Brian Fulton (M.Div. 2008) and his wife, Ashley, celebrated the birth of a daughter, Naomi, on July 5. The family resides in Calera, Alabama where Brian serves as the Small Group Minister for The Church at Shelby Crossings. On July 15, he was a featured guest on ABC 33/40’s Talk of the Morning show. Click here to view clips from the show.
Bobby E. Hopper (D.Min. 2002) has recently published his second book, I Will Speak Using Stories, a 31-day devotional guide. Each daily passage contains an illustrative story, probing questions, a passage of Scripture, and a prayer. The book is designed to allow readers to begin each day as a fresh start with the Lord. This book and Bobby’s first work, Bleep the Purple Bear, are available for purchase here.
MyMissionFulfilled.com has posted three articles written by Leslie Ann Jones (M.Div. 2008). The online magazine is a ministry of the Women’s Missionary Union and is edited by another Beeson grad, Mary Splawn (M.Div. 2006). Leslie Ann resides in Iuka, Mississippi with her husband, Dennis, and is awaiting the arrival of their first child, a girl, due in September.
Kristen Lindsey (M.Div. 2008) recently contributed two articles to the July 23rd edition of The Alabama Baptist. Also this month, Kristen served as the leader of the youth program for the 22nd annual Beeson Pastors School. Follow the links above to read Kristen's articles.
Kevin Mills (M.Div. 1998) and his wife, Katie, celebrated the birth of their first child, Elizabeth, in March 2009. The couple lives in Macon, Georgia where Kevin has been the lead pastor of Northway Church since November 2007. Prior to serving at Northway, Kevin and Katie lived in Rome, Italy where they worked to spread the gospel among the city's population of university students.
Steven Simpson (M.Div. 1996) and his wife, Patricia, are the parents of two children, Keri and Casey. The family is currently stationed at Fort Eustis, Virginia where Steve serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Army.
On June 25, Felicia Cooper (M.Div. 2009) left Birmingham for Fresnillo, Mexico, where she will live for the next two years. Felicia will serve as a Kid’s Club teacher with Christ for Children International, a ministry founded by Beeson faculty member Lyle Dorsett and his wife, Mary.
On June 8th, Meredith and Jared Smith (M.Div. 2008) celebrated the birth of their daughter, Aubrey Adair Smith. Jared communicates the Gospel to students through Disciple Now weekends and youth retreats, as well as displaying the love of Christ through various business ventures. You can keep up with the Smith family here.
On June 6, Hallie Bourland was married to Martin Wagner (M.Div. 2007). The couple will reside in Birmingham, where Martin serves as Assistant Pastor for College and Career at Faith Presbyterian Church.
Mark Baynes (M.Div. 1998) recently released his third album, “Revelation Road.” In addition to writing and performing, Mark also serves as Associate Pastor of Praise and Worship and Single Adult Ministries at Triad Baptist Church in Kernersville, North Carolina. Click here to visit Mark’s website and to learn more about his latest album.
Vickie Gaston (M.Div. 2008) has accepted the position of curator of Hodges Chapel and coordinator of spiritual life ministries. She will begin her new responsibilities on June 15. Previously, Vickie has served as the Coordinator of the Advent House, a ministry of Birmingham’s Cathedral Church of the Advent.
On April 22, Jenna and Marshall Wilmhoff (M.Div. 2007) celebrated the birth of a baby girl, Eden Elizabeth. The family lives in Lexington, Kentucky where Marshall serves as Director of College Ministry with Young Life.
Russell McCrory (M.Div. 2007) is the Youth Pastor of First Baptist Church of Guntersville, Alabama. On May 4, he and his wife, Lyndsey, celebrated the birth of their second daughter, Margaret Ann. Click here to read more about Russell’s ministry.
Joseph Alexander Stanley, III was born to proud parents Anna and Hunter Stanley (M.Div. 2003) on September 7, 2008. The family resides in Birmingham.
Chris Callaway (M.Div. 1996) and his wife, Beth, celebrated the birth of a son, Benjamin Patrick, on November 15, 2008. The family resides in Westbrook, Maine where Chris teaches philosophy at Saint Joseph's College of Maine.
Alongside his wife, Emily, Aaron Martin (M.Div. 2000) celebrated the birth of a son, Elijah Joseph Martin, on May 13, 2008. The family, which includes Elijah’s two older siblings, Emiline and Cameron, lives near Chattanooga, Tennessee where Aaron serves as the Pastor for Discipleship at Concord Baptist Church.
Aubrey Jade White was born to BDS alumni Daryl White (M.Div. 2004) and Emily Dockery White (M.Div. 2005) on July 23, 2008. The family resides in Quinton, New Jersey where Daryl serves as Associate Pastor of Quinton Baptist Church. When not at home caring for Aubrey, Emily joins Daryl at QBC where she serves part-time helping around the office.
Derrick Hammond (M.Div./M.B.A. 2006) is the Church Business Administrator at First Calvary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina. He and his wife Davyda live in nearby Chapel Hill along with their two daughters Ruth (8) and Alexis (7).
John Daniels (M.Div. 1997) graduated in 2008 from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with a Doctor of Ministry Degree. He is planting a new church in Starkville, Mississippi, called "Life Church."
Derek Jones (M.T.S. 2003) serves as a bishop in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. He was consecrated to the Episcopate in 2007 and oversees the training, education and ordination process for Chaplain candidates. He lives in Montevallo and is married to Connie. They have two adult daughters. Click here to read more.
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