ABOUT OUR TEACHERS

 

Greg Akins

Greg and his wife, Kaye, have been members at GCR since 1995, having previously worshipped at the North “A” Church of Christ.  Greg & Kaye have been married 40 years and have three grown children Leslie, Drew, and Amber, all with spouses and have a total of 13 grandchildren.  Their oldest daughter, Leslie Warpula & her husband Tim, along with their children Madison (13), Bailey (10), Will (7) and Cole (5), are also members at GCR.  Greg is General Manager for Oil and Gas Equipment Sales, Inc.  He served on the Midland Christian School Board for over 20 years before stepping down in 1998 and served the Church at North A as a Deacon for over 20 years before moving to GCR.  He has taught bible classes of all ages, most recently, occasionally teaching the Old Fellowship Hall class in Eddie Lee’s absence.  Greg prefers to teach lessons that relate to our Christian walk through life and his passion in the Kingdom is for all to not be spectators, but rather challenge ourselves to “be strong and courageous and do not be afraid” (Joshua 1:9).

 

Burke Brack

Burke has been on staff as the singles minister for GCR since December 2002, and in ministry for over 15 years.  In the past 13 years Burke has developed a strong passion for singles ministry, as well as a strong desire for sharing the great love our Father in Heaven has to offer.  He loves working with single adults of all ages and backgrounds especially single parent homes.  Burke also enjoys singing, and believes that laughter makes a positive difference in everyone’s life, especially if we learn to laugh at ourselves.  Burke and his wife Leslie have been married for eighteen years.   They have three sons, Mitchell, Connor, and Peyton. 

 

Bryon Cheatham

Bryon and his wife Michele have been married for 8 years and have three children; Loren, Jonathan, and Kyle.  He has worked in all phases of the petroleum industry as a chemical engineer.  He enjoys serving with his kids, and their friends.

 

Andy Cobb

Andy has been a member at GCR since his family moved to Midland 15 years ago.  He has been married to Robyn for 30 years.  They have 3 children: Matthew, Brandon and Andra; and one daughter-in-law, Jaime who is married to Matthew.  While at GCR Andy has taught 4 year olds, Junior High, High School and is the co-founder of the Young Professional's Class.  Andy has a passion for working with young adults and believes this to be an untapped resource in the church.

 

Gregg Gibson

Gregg and his wife Mavely have been members of GCR since February 2001. They have two married daughters. Gregg retired from Huntsman Polymers in May of 2001 after 31 years of service in numerous Management and Operational positions. He taught for a number of years at both Tanglewood and Sixth and Jackson congregations in Odessa, TX.  His passion is to understand and grow in the power of the Holy Spirit and to pass this knowledge on to others with a hunger for the same.

 

Shawn Hooper

Shawn and his wife Kellie have been married for 18 years and have five kids; Storm, Michaeli, Brittain, Noah, and Jessica, all of whom attend Midland Christian.  Shawn is a rancher by trade and coaches football for Midland Christian.  Kelli has her own business, Spirit Creations, where she does specialty advertising and embroidery.  The Hooper's passion for the Kingdom is setting captives free.

 

Eddie Lee

Eddie has been at GCR member for 32 years.  He is currently an elder.  He has taught Bible classes continuously for the 32 years at GCR.  He and his wife, Carol, have been married 30 years and have two children, Jared and Cari, both married.  They have one grandchild – Cooper,  who was born this year. Eddie is Superintendent at Midland Christian School.

 

Byron Myers

Byron has been a member at GCR for 25 years.  He has been married to Kathy for 14 years and they have three children:  Reed (12), Brailyn (9), and Taite (5).  Byron is the High School Principal and Varsity Softball Coach at Midland Christian School.  He has taught in school and church for 17 years.  Byron has been a Life Group leader and teacher, and has been involved in several ministries for 20+ years.  His passion is to see people live by Jesus’ principles in every aspect of their lives.

 

Randy Prude

Randy is a lifelong Midlander who graduated from Texas Tech in 1974 as a chemical engineer.  He started his own petroleum company in 1980 and has taught Bible classes to adults and teens for 25 years at GCR.  His passion for missions led him to serving on the missions ministry at GCR for that same 25 years.  Randy and Miriam have been married for 34 years and have two children, Micah (28) and Marissa (25).

 

Scottye Ratliff

Scottye graduated from ACU and was on the staff as youth minister and couples minister at Central Church of Christ in Amarillo from 1981-1990.  He then became Family minister at Austin Avenue Church of Christ in Brownwood for 3 years.  He has been a financial advisor for the last 15 years for Raymond James Financial Services in Midland with a branch office in Brownwood.  Scottye enjoys teaching and encouraging people of all ages to grow spiritually and relationally with the Lord.

 

Darrell Rhea

Darrell was a member of GCR from 1969 until 1978. Returning to GCR in 1982, he became heavily involved in the Deaf Ministry, did part-time preaching and was a deacon for three years, as well as beings a deaf interpreter (became state certified professional in 1988). Darrell left in 1994, and returned in 2004, and has again been involved with Deaf since then. Darrell and his wife of 29 years, Sharon, has two children Dusty, (25),and daughter Kiah, (17).  Darrell's biggest passions are: being with the Deaf (over 25 years now), spending time with his wife Sharon, and learning about Bible, Texas, American, and World History. Darrell has been with the Midland County Sheriff's Office since 1990, and part-time with the Deaf Education program with the Midland Independent School District since 1992.

 

Roy Shrode

Roy and Janet have been married for over 36 years.  That may provide some experience that can be of some help to young married couples both from the standpoint of positives and negatives.  Roy serves as an elder here at GCR with a lot of unrecognized support and invaluable assistance from Janet.  Roy is a CPA, while Janet has done most of the “heavy lifting” and “necessary” work that involves family nurturing and guidance in his absence from home.  They have raised three children.  Roy and Janet both love the young people here and hope to provide some insights that will enable young married couples to fulfill their lives in the Kingdom.  

 

Barry Thomas

Barry has been on staff at GCR since August 2006. He has been married to Lori for 18 years and they have two children: Caleb (12) and Hannah (11). Barry has taught classes for 10 years. Before working in vocational ministry, he spent several years working as an engineer in the oil and gas industry. His passion is to see people grow spiritually and loves to help with that process.

 

Don Washburn

Don and his wife, Juanda have been married for 25 years and have two kids: Kendyl (21) and Kyle (19). Don is the CFO at Onda-Lay Pipe & Rental, Inc. and a CPA. They have been attending Golf Course Road for about 10 years and have served almost all of those years in the youth ministry.