Ministerial Staff
Interim Pastor: Buddy Morehead
Pastor Buddy is a Cleveland County native and has served churches in the county now for 25 years. He has been married to his wife Meredith for 40 wonderful years. They have served God together, side by side, as they have raise three beautiful daughter, Melissa, Maggie, and Meghan. They are now the proud grandparents of five grandchildren. Pastor Buddy graduated from Gardner Webb University in 2006 with a degree in Religious Studies and Sociology. He was ordained into the ministry on October 7, 1999. In 2009 Pastor Buddy and Meredith were called of God to serve the Honduras Baptist Dental Mission just outside San Pedro, Honduras. They served for three years fielding medical mission teams and overseeing the construction of the HBDM Medical and Dental facility in El Plan, Honduras. They both enjoy loving people and spending time camping.
Interim Music Minister: Chris Roberts
Dr. Chris Roberts serves as Professor of Music at Fruitland Baptist Bible College in Hendersonville, NC, a position he has held since 2006. He recently retired from full-time church music ministry after 30 years, serving the last 15 years as Pastor of Worship and Music at Mud Creek Baptist Church in Hendersonville, NC. Chris tours with the gospel vocal band, Carolina, performing around 80 concert dates per year in a variety of civic, church and community settings.
Chris holds degrees from Gardner-Webb University (Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Music/1986/summa cum laude), The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Church Music/1988), and The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (Doctor of Worship Studies/2015). While at Gardner-Webb, Chris was awarded the prestigious Huggins Award as the Outstanding Male Graduate of 1986.
Dr. Roberts compliments his work in higher education and ministry to the local church by leading worship in conferences for a variety of religious organizations, including The Gideons International.
From 1995-1999, Chris served as an adjunct instructor and later Instructor in Music with his college alma mater. His university choirs have toured throughout the Southeastern United States and in the Holy Land.
An ordained minister, Chris is married to the former Janet Leigh Ballard. Their daughter, Tara, is an Instructor in the School of Nursing at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC and is married to Dr. Dustin Hayes, a pharmacist with Atrium Health Cleveland in Shelby. Tara and Dustin are the parents of Chris and Janet’s 6-year-old granddaughter, Mollie Catherine Hayes, and 3-year-old grandson, Olsen Lloyd Hayes. Chris and Janet’s son, Dr. Nathan Roberts, and his wife, Cagney, live in Charlotte. Nathan is a pharmacist employed by CVS.
Chris and Janet currently reside in Shelby, NC.
Family Minister:
Secretary: Russell Henkel
Russell lives in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. He is originally from Galion, Ohio. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Percussion Performance from The Ohio State University. He also has an Associate's degree in Computer Programming from Isothermal Community College and an Associate's Degree in Medical Office Administration from Cleveland Community College. He has twin sons, Jeremy and Jonathan. Jeremy graduated from Duke University and Jonathan graduated from Wake Forest University. Russ has two dogs, Elon and Graham. Russ enjoys quilting and playing golf. He has also started a business called Henkel App and Game Developers in memory of his wife, Lana, who died of stomach cancer.