Introducing our Elders…Gordon Barker
My wife, Cindy and I have been married for 25 years. Our daughter, Tara, is married and lives in Lafayette with her husband, Lorenzo. They are expecting our first grandchild in October. Our son, Rick, is a student at Ball State and is engaged to Jen Hubbard. We are all looking forward to their wedding in August. We have been attending Suncrest since the fall of 1996.
I became a Christian at 19 after being raised in a good, but non-Christian home. When Cindy and I moved to Milwaukee for my job, we fell away from church and stop attending for almost 10 years. When we returned to Indiana in 1996, we knew it was time to get back to what we knew was right. Like a lot of people, we were motivated by the desire for our kids to know about God. And also like a lot of people, this desire has meant as much in our lives as it has in our kids. Suncrest was the first church we visited and we have never left.
It may sound kind of strange but one of the people who has had a major impact on my spiritual journey is a radio preacher. During our time in Milwaukee, I drove to Illinois to work for several years. During the long hours on the road and out of sheer boredom, I surfed into a radio program called “A New Beginning” with Greg Laurie. I learned a lot of what I know about faith and the Bible from listening to him on the radio. The program is still on the air in Chicago, AM1160 at 7:00am. This prepared me for Suncrest, where I am learning what it means to be a true Christ-follower. Since then I have been influenced by my wife, my kids, fellow youth leaders, kids from the youth group, and the other elders but mostly by my friend, Greg Lee. God has shown how he cares for me by placing Suncrest and Greg in my life.
I believe in Suncrest’s ministry because of changed lives; mine, my family’s, and many others I have had the pleasure to get to know. Suncrest has always presented God’s word in a clear, understandable, personal, and relevant way. Hearing and understanding God’s word is the only way for someone to experience true, eternal change. I love the way we meet people where they are and then expose them to great Bible teaching in a casual, friendly environment. This is a good combination for people to give God a chance in their lives.
.Real.Greg.Lee. 