our elders

At Chesapeake Christian Fellowship, we are strengthened by our Elders. Our Elders are men who fulfill the Biblical qualifications of Elders found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

 

The Elders serve primarily as a counsel for the Senior Pastor. They are to pray for him, encourage him, support him, assist him in difficult decisions, and hold him accountable to the Word of God. They also handle the church benevolence (Elders) fund and assist in ministering to the spiritual needs of the individual members. 


The mission of the Elders is to lead, teach, protect, and love the body of believers (Ephesians 4:11-13). The Elders spend many hours praying for the believers, studying, and visiting the sick. The desire of the Elders is to serve the Lord as well as the brothers and sisters of CCF. They promise to pray and seek the Lord’s will in serving you.


ELDER Emeritus WAYNE RENO

On January 12, 1997, Anita and I became members of CCF. My ordination as an Elder was administered on June 15, 1997. From 1998 through 2003, I attended Arlington Bible College, followed by the completion of additional courses at Bethany Divinity College and Seminary in 2006. 

I served a 35-year career with the Federal Government as Supervisor Exhibit Specialist - basically a fancy title for a Federal Government carpenter and museum exhibit designer. Over that time, Anita and I had three daughters: Lisa, Lorrie, and Rebecca. From that came five grandchildren: Allen, Tommy, Wayne, Reid, and Allia, and a great-granddaughter, Marley. They all know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I still do a little woodworking, but I find more joy in telling people about Jesus and what He has done for me and my family. 


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elder john labash (A-c)

In June 1968, I married my high school sweetheart, Betty. We have two adult children and six grandchildren. l have a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare. I retired after thirty years in the Air Force as a hospital administrator, six years as HMO manager, and recently retired after thirteen years as a government contract program manager assisting military and veterans with their benefits. 


l accepted Jesus Christ at the age of 32 thanks to my neighbor who shared Ephesians 2:8-9. I have been a member of CCF since 2004 and am trained in discipleship programs. My spiritual goals are to train my grandchildren in becoming disciple-makers, serve each of you, and do the work of an evangelist in our community.


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Head elder bill belt (D-f)

My wife Candace and I have been members of CCF since 2004. Prior to being ordained as an elder in 2014, I served as chairperson of the Trustees for 5 years. Before coming to CCF, I attended many classes to further my knowledge of God’s Word. I have been retired from the United States Postal Service since 2006. I have been to India twice on mission trips and traveled to the school in Haiti that CCF supports. 


Currently, I lead mission trips to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Bisti, New Mexico. Furthermore, I lead the men’s Bible study group on Wednesday at CCF as well as Bible Studies at the Ordinance Road Correctional Center. Wherever I am needed at the church, I serve and have a servant’s heart for people. My goal is to help “men become men” according to the Word of God!


In my spare time, I enjoy family, traveling, and classic cars.


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elder brent kern (G-K)

My family and I have been attending CCF since 2011. I was baptized and became a member in 2014. I've been a Trustee for the past eight years and served as the Chairman of the Trustees for the past three years. The Lord has given me a heart for missions and at CCF I've had the privilege of going on missions trips to Costa Rica and Haiti. I attended Messiah College where I met my wife Mel. We have two daughters Kaytlyn and Sydney.


I served in the United States Army and the Army National Guard for eight years as an infantryman. I've been working for the United States Capitol Police since 2007.

It is such an honor to now be able to serve the Lord and His church as an Elder.  I can't wait to see what He will do through the body of believers here at CCF in the years to come. 


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elder kevin mercer (L-O)

I was one of the original group that met in Pastor Pat's living room to form CCF. In the lowest moment of my life, I heard God tell me that the "time was short," and from that moment, I rededicated my life to Him!


In the Army, I served as Combat Medic in Bosnia and Iraq. In 2011, I was sent to Jordan, where I saw Mount Nebo (where Moses died), where Jesus was baptized, and the site where Elijah was taken up to heaven. Before retiring from the military, I shocked many people when I decided to pursue a degree in Religion at Liberty University, motivated by the desire to know God's Word and use it to help combat false prophets. After graduating in 2017, I became an Elder.


I have been a Magnetic Resonance Technologist for many years. In my free time, I enjoy cycling on my twenty-speed road bike, having completed week-long trips from Boston to Philadelphia, Chicago to Detroit, Cincinnati to Nashville and Houston to Dallas, to name a few. I also enjoy exploring new places with my wife, Margaret, who is an incredible travel partner. We have been married since 1983 and have five beautiful, funny, and creative children. Currently, I am the facilitator for the Galesville home group. God is great!


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elder ethan givens (P-s)

I served as a United States Marine for 24 years and retired from active duty in 2013. I now work for the Department of Defense in the area of cyber operations and training. I obtained BS and MS degrees while in active duty and my Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in 2019. In my spare time I enjoy camping, motorcycle riding, firearms marksmanship and fitness. I have been married for almost 30 years, and we have two adult children.


Upon returning to the D.C., Metropolitan area in 2010, we began to search for a church home and found CCF fairly quickly. Since that time, I have participated in several ministries and activities including the Trustee and Security ministries, Triads, classes conducted by the pastors, and the Men’s Bible study group on Wednesday nights.  


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elder don sanders (t-V)

I have been a member of CCF since 2007 and have been active in taking classes, volunteering, and serving as chairperson for the Leadership team for 2 years. For a number of years, I also had the opportunity to mentor for Good News Jail and Prison ministries. I have been involved in many of our local outreach programs and have traveled to Haiti. In 2017, I was ordained as an Elder. 


My heart is to help those who are hurting and carry forth CCF's vision of "Seeing people who don't know Jesus come to Jesus."


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elder steve stovall (W-Z)

I grew up in Southern California. At one point, I lived in Reno, Nevada, and worked at a casino. I was serving the world and on a path to self-destruction. By the time I moved to Maryland in 1998, I was broken, Godless, and hopeless. 


Pastor Pat and the CCF family showed me another way. I met Jesus Christ, my Life Changer. The old me passed away, and I began a new, productive life. I needed to give back and get outside of myself, so I was baptized, became a member, and began serving as a trustee, with Overcomers Outreach, and on mission trips to India and the Czech Republic. In 2008, I was ordained as an Elder. For my entire Christian life of over 21 years, my home has been here at CCF, where I met Jesus and He literally saved my life.


I am married to my beautiful wife, Cathy, and we live in Crofton. When I’m not running my small construction business, I enjoy snow skiing, hunting, fishing, RVing, and camping.


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