Leaders

While I’ve attended Dayspring since early childhood, my call and subsequent roles have shifted several times over the years. My wife Hannah and I got married in 2014, and after serving at Stansberry’s Children’s Home in Bolivia, we returned in 2016 and began volunteering as youth pastors. At the same time, I was also working as a high school biology teacher at Lake Center Christian School, and I would have been content staying in these roles for many years.

However, when God calls, we need to be ready to answer. That is where I found myself in 2025. After teaching for fourteen years and working with the Dayspring youth for ten years, we began to sense God was preparing us for a new season. The theme at Dayspring this year is “2026 By Faith”, and by faith, I stepped into a new role as Dayspring’s lead pastor. My prayer is to lead Dayspring in the truth of Jesus’ words of John 15:4 to “abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” and John 17:21, “that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Cindy and I began leading the youth ministry at Dayspring in 1991. Our primary focus remained with Dayspring’s Junior and Senior High students for over 20 years and eventually shifted to include more time with our growing young adult ministry. Dayspring now turns us loose to fully step into our shepherding gifts to come alongside all ages and build them up for their designed purposes in The Kingdom. Inner healing ministry is an important piece of ministry we share. We love bringing people of different ages together and helping them become who they were created to be in Christ.

My husband David and I began attending Dayspring in the summer of 2018, after feeling led by the Holy Spirit to establish a new church home. We quickly felt like part of the Dayspring family, and after about a year or so, we both began serving regularly on the worship team.

Music has always been a huge part of my life, going all the way back to singing my first solo at church when I was just 5 years old. That love for music led me to pursue my B. A. in Music and Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from Malone University, as well as an M. M. in Choral Conducting from Ohio University.

After almost a decade of teaching music at the collegiate level, in the fall of 2021, I accepted the larger call to full-time ministry as Dayspring’s Worship and Administrative Pastor. As a “worship architect,” I feel led to bring a combination of both structure and flow to the worship services.

Dayspring is blessed with an abundance of gifts, and I love turning our musicians loose to use their God-given talents in Holy Spirit power to advance the “Big K” Kingdom of Christ.

I began attending Dayspring in the summer of 2018 with my wife Heather, after feeling led by the Holy Spirit to establish a new church home. The next year, we volunteered as Junior High Sunday school teachers, and that’s when the call to youth ministry became very apparent.

In March of 2021, I joined the Dayspring staff as an Intern Youth Pastor, and the following September stepped into the Youth Pastor role. I feel very blessed to have had wonderful, Godly mentors during my years growing up as a youth in my hometown of Marion, Ohio, and now am honored to get to serve in the same capacity for our youth here at Dayspring.

Pam and I were called to Dayspring in 1986 and we never looked back. That was my assignment until September of 2026. For about a year we processed the call of God to redirect our ministry focus to the Marketplace. God began to challenge us and the leadership of Dayspring with passages like Joshua 13:1 – “…very much of the land still remains to be possessed.” There is still much work to do for the Kingdom of God, and we are being invited into businesses and other spaces to work at Character, Culture, and Leadership Development. We believe what God is beginning to do in and through us, he will develop into a ministry that does not end with us. As a church body, we continue to have an “Antioch” [sending] mindset that stirs, raises, and releases our people for “Big K” Kingdom purposes.

I have been attending Dayspring with my family since 1996. It has been a great place to raise our boys and everyone feels like family! I have always loved to teach – no matter the age group and over these years I have taught preschool through adults. I have been teaching our Children’s Church kids (age 3-grade 3) since 2003. God has given me a heart for teaching our children just how amazing God made them and how to grow up in Jesus. In Children’s Church we combine music, crafts, object lessons, games/kinesthetic, and Bible time to learn Bible truths. I may lead the group, but the children teach ME a lot every time we meet!

We served in “up front” ministry for seven years preaching the good news of Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior, prior to arriving at Dayspring in 2020. We were in need of a change and in need of healing. What we did not realize was the depth of support and healing we needed, and that has been possible because of the loving Body of Christ here at Dayspring. Through this restoring and redemptive work, our call to continue to serve our Lord has been confirmed in the form of Chaplaincy here at Dayspring and wherever God leads to share His unending unconditional love. Our focus is serving with compassion, inspiring hope and healing to individuals and families.

My journey with Dayspring Christian Fellowship began during my college years, and it quickly became a place where I found both spiritual nourishment and a deep sense of belonging. Over the years, I’ve been continually challenged to grow in my faith and have experienced the transformative power of community here.

Since returning to the Canton area in 2011, my wife Rachel and I have continued to find a loving and supportive home at Dayspring. We are particularly grateful for the church’s commitment to nurturing the youngest members of our community and look forward to raising our daughters within this vibrant faith community.

During the week, I serve as a professor at Malone University, where I have the privilege of teaching and mentoring students with the motto of “Christ’s Kingdom First.” This role allows me to integrate my faith and work, helping to shape the next generation of leaders.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of serving Dayspring in various capacities, including as a Sunday School teacher and as a member of the Church Council. I am honored to serve alongside the pastors and elders as we strive to build a thriving community that reflects the love, grace, and truth of God.

I began attending Dayspring with my family when I was in elementary school. Dayspring has been both home and a place that I have been continually challenged to grow in my faith.

As an adult, my husband and I have continued to call Dayspring home. Here, our children’s ministry leaders make our youngest Dayspringers a priority and our children enjoy coming to church! The people I have grown to love and fellowship with here at Dayspring have helped me through some of my toughest times. I really enjoy our time of worship, as our worship team is intentional about following the lead of Holy Spirit and leaving room for Him to work.

I have appreciated our pastors’ focus on people and the health of individual families rather than just looking at the numbers. At Dayspring, our pastors are guided by scripture, and seek truth while balancing this with the grace that Jesus modeled for us. The pastor and elder team has been so pivotal in keeping Dayspring healthy and growing more fully into the purposes that God has for us. They truly seek the Lord when processing difficult things, and I am happy to partner with them in seeking His Kingdom first.

Our family found Dayspring Christian Fellowship in 2007 when looking for a new church home for almost a year. We felt immediately welcomed by the people and felt at home. The warmness of the people, along with having the word of God preached from a Biblical authoritative position is what kept us coming back. There was also the added bonus of positive, upbeat music mixed with familiar hymns that resonated with us.

Over the years, we have developed relationships that have helped keep our faith strong. The people at Dayspring are quick to give support and care when requests are made known. My wife Angie and I have served the church in different areas, and we really appreciate the diverse talents God has given to people at our church. We are excited to see how God continues working through our church to reach the surrounding community and the world we impact.

Dayspring Christian Fellowship has been church home for me since 1993 – what a blessing to be a part of this growing fellowship of people. God has done and is doing amazing things through the leadership and people of Dayspring. I have tremendous hope for what is yet to come.

Teaching has been a consistent joy of mine throughout most of my time here, from adults and young adults, to youth, and both children’s Sunday School and Children’s Church, with which I am currently involved. Our relationship and walk with Jesus is our life blood, so having the privilege of teaching others and walking with them as they grow in Christ is very precious to me.

I have also been blessed to serve as an elder for a few terms. This has been a growing experience, and I am thankful to be a part of such a tremendous leadership team.

Lastly, my wife Jan and I have raised our three boys here, and we are very thankful to be serving our Lord and Savior with our family of Dayspring.