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our team

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I’m a Southern guy who’s found a home on the West coast. I grew up in Savannah, Georgia where I met my wife (Brea) in the college and career class of our church. We’ve been married since 1996 and we’re blessed with two incredible daughters (Shana and Kaylee).

I graduated from the University of Georgia in 1998 with a B.A. in world religion. While the degree gave me a working knowledge of many religions, I was able to focus most of my time on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

In 1999, I was blessed to be in the mentoring program of Dr. Johnny Hunt. It was an incredible experience that opened my eyes to the importance of relationships and the vastness of God’s Kingdom.

From 2000 to 2003, we lived in North Carolina where I pastored full time and went to school full time at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In May 2003, I completed my M.Div. with Biblical Languages.

God’s plan for our lives did not leave us in the South. In early 2003, God began the process of calling our family to Las Vegas to start Life. While it was difficult to leave our church, family, and friends, we knew God had spoken. We arrived in Las Vegas in August of 2003 and began holding Bible studies in the fall of that year. Life Baptist Church officially launched on October 3, 2004.

While being in Vegas, God allowed me to finish my Ph.D in Christian Counseling, see Life grow into a vibrant church, join with Him in Kingdom activity around the world, and learn the wonders of the Christ-life. The journey has been incredible.

My passion in ministry is teaching, writing, and discipling people in the wonders of the Christ life. It might sound silly, but I feel like I have the greatest job in the world!

paul@lifebaptistchurch.com

I am a big city kid: I was born in Stuttgart, Germany, grew up in Munich, and toured lower Bavaria and Hungary for a while before moving to the US in 1999. I was given an incredible opportunity to study at two great schools, North Greenville University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and was able to finish both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in the time alotted to me.

I have worked alongside Paul Gotthardt in a church plant in NC before God called me out to Las Vegas to join him again in this new venture called LIFE. It was in Las Vegas that I found my Southern Belle, Carrington, whom I married in 2005. We are parents to our little daughter Ashley and our son Coleman.

I have a passion to see people dig into God's Word, mine truths for themselves, and experience transformative change as a result. I love being able to minister in Las Vegas, as well as, other parts of the world in hopes of leaving a definitive mark for His kingdom.

philipp@lifebaptistchurch.com

Hi. My name is Matt and I am a Las Vegas native. My beautiful wife Erin and I were married in January of 2005 and are graduates of the University of Nevada, Reno where I led worship for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for a little over 3 years. Erin and I are blessed with 3 crazy boys!

I love the arts. My bachelors degree is in art, my professional background is in graphic design and advertising, I get to play in a jammin' local band called MP&Co. and I have a passion to see the arts used in a way that makes much of Jesus...both in this church and within our Las Vegas community.

Over the years I've learned that worship is so much more than singing in weekend services. Worship is about pursuing relentlessly the very thing God created His children to be. It's about laying our lives down so that He might live His amazing life through us. It is my passion to see a body of believers who worship God with their entire lives and get to sing about it on Sunday!

matt@lifebaptistchurch.com

If you have children, I can’t wait to get to know them. My name is Beth Glassford and I look forward to welcoming your kids to our awesome children’s ministry.

I have been married to my husband, Rian for 11 years. We have two children, a boy and a girl. We have a noisy, joyful, drooly home. (Drool courtesy of our Saint Bernard.)

I am especially grateful God has called me to this role, as I am able to meet new families that visit Life, and stay connected to those who have called Life home for years. It is, simply put, a privilege to serve God’s precious children.

I graduated from Pacific University with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. I am a woman of God first. A wife second. A mother, daughter, friend, and anchor of “Good Morning Las Vegas” on Channel 13.

If you have any questions about our Children’s Ministry or need some comfort before leaving your baby for the first time, I hope you’ll reach out to me.

beth@lifebaptistchurch.com

Since 2008, I have had the privilege of being the student ministry leader at Life Baptist Church. I received my B.A. in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in youth ministry from L.I.F.E. Pacific College in San Dimas, California, and have been leading youth ministries since 2001. While growing up in Seattle, Washington, I was involved in mission work around the world with Youth with a Mission.

I have been married to my wonderful wife, Maylene, since 2003, and the new loves of both of our lives are our daughters, Claire and Brooke. Because of the way God worked in my own life while I was a student, I long to see youth fall in love with God and strive to serve Him in their everyday lives.

jason@lifebaptistchurch.com

Hello! My name is Nichole; I am almost a Las Vegas Native, I have been in Las Vegas since 1985! I have been married to my wonderful husband Eric since 2003 and we have two amazing kids named Kendra and Travis. My favorite past times are hanging out with my family and going on vacation to anywhere tropical! I have recently completed my bachelor’s degree in Human Services and hope to continue my education in the nursing program. Before becoming a mom, I worked in the tourist industry at Travelocity for eight years.

While that was fun, it does not compare to being able to serve the Lord and be able to be a part of the Kids'Life team. I find nothing more gratifying than watching the children of Life Baptist learn about and love the Lord! I am so thankful God has placed me in the position to be able to serve and teach his children!

nichole@lifebaptistchurch.com

I am super excited to have the opportunity to serve our children and church family in the nursery! I love, love, LOVE babies! I believe that God has been preparing me for this my entire life! I grew up with six brothers and my sister, eight of us! As a teenager I spent my spare time babysitting. I went on vacations as a nanny and even lived with one family for six months when I was just 14! To this day, nothing compares to seeing and caring for God's perfect little miracles!

My husband Greg and I have two amazing children, Michelle and Christopher. We met in Santa Cruz, CA where we grew up but moved to southern CA in 1994. Ten years later we left Southern California for the bright lights of Las Vegas.

I did spend some time in the banking industry, 15 years, but when we had Christopher I quit my job and stayed home with him and Michelle for a few years. It was during that time that we moved our family to Las Vegas and bought our home in the southwest part of the Valley. Shortly after buying our home I started watching two children. Well, two children became three, then four and I decided to pursue my childcare license. Now I have a full blown state licensed family home daycare with six children every day! What a blast!

alicia@lifebaptistchurch.com

I would have never thought that the Lord would bring me to Las Vegas; but here I am and so glad that He did! I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and then went to college at Hannibal-LaGrange University (just a two-hour drive from St. Louis). I graduated in 2010 with my Elementary Education degree and always thought that I would teach; however, God had different plans for me.

After I graduated, I felt like the Lord was calling and leading me to be more intentional with my time and gifts for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I got connected with Life when looking for an opportunity to serve and in May of 2012 I came out to Las Vegas for an internship. Then in September of 2012, I moved out here to work with Life.

It has been such a blessing for me to work and serve here. I feel like God is using me in the strengths of my gifts and that is a wonderful place to be! I get to do a little of everything and just do what needs to be done so that the Gospel can be entrusted to those in the community and world. I am excited to see what God has in store for here at Life!

bethany@lifebaptistchurch.com