IBC Staff
Rev. J. Russell Reaves, Pastor
Pastor Russ began serving as Immanuel's pastor on September 11, 2005. He is a native of Winston-Salem, where he graduated from North Forsyth High School in 1992. He is married to Donia Newton Reaves, also of Winston-Salem. They have two children whom they proudly homeschool. Russ was an atheist as a teenager, and he came to faith in Christ when Christian friends invited him to a student camp at Fort Caswell where he was challenged to spend time each day reading the Bible. Pastor Russ points to 1 Samuel 3:7 as a verse that the Holy Spirit used to awaken his awareness of God's existence and His work to draw him to salvation. On July 31, 1992, Russ gave his life to Jesus and has been growing in his faith ever since. Pastor Russ was preparing for a career as a High School History teacher at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte when he felt the Lord calling Him into ministry. He graduated from Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute (Hendersonville, NC) with an Associate Degree in Religion and Church Ministry in 1997; Lancaster Bible College (Lancaster, PA) with a Bachelor of Science in Bible in 2000; and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC) with a Master of Divinity concentrated in Christian Apologetics and Biblical Languages in 2003. Prior to serving as Immanuel's pastor, Russ served as an intern with the late Dr. Mark Corts at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC, and as pastor of Conowingo Baptist Church (Conowingo, MD) and Hillcrest Baptist Church (Kernersville, NC).
Pastor Russ is committed to the task of expository preaching, addressing the congregation each Sunday from the biblical text as he proceeds carefully and methodically through books of the Bible verse-by-verse. Since being at Immanuel, Pastor Russ has preached through Philippians, the Gospel According to Mark, and Ephesians. In addition to his pulpit ministry, Pastor Russ is committed to leading the church to make a strategic missional impact in the community and among the unreached peoples of the world. Aside from these priorities, he provides pastoral care to the congregation in times of need and organizational administration within the church. Since coming to Immanuel, Pastor Russ has led the church to establish a website (www.ibcgso.org), to incorporate (as Immanuel Baptist Church of Greensboro, Inc.), to revise its governing documents and implement new policies, to renovate the worship space by providing accessibility to those with mobility challenges, and to launch a strategic mission team which will lead Immanuel's members into meaningful missions engagement locally and internationally. Among his goals for Immanuel are to revitalize community outreach, including developing a significant college ministry, and to develop an ongoing partnership with missions personnel in reaching a specific people group in the world which has had no access to the Gospel.
In addition to Pastor Russ's ministry within the church, he also teaches in several academic settings. He has taught courses in Church Administration, Church Planting, Evangelism, Apologetics, New Testament, Old Testament, Preaching, and Biblical Interpretation. As an avid ice-hockey fan, Pastor Russ has also served as a volunteer chaplain to the Triad's professional hockey teams under the ministry of Hockey Ministries International (www.hockeyministries.org). His weekly sermons are available for download on this site and on iTunes as a podcast. Pastor Russ also writes regularly on his blog at http://russreaves.blogspot.com. Russ welcomes inquiries for speaking in revivals, conferences, and seminars. He can be contacted at ibc@ibcgso.org.
Links:
Pastor's letter to Immanuel on its 60th Anniversary (2006)
Pastor's challenge to Immanuel concerning his vision for the church's future (2008)
"Faith Personality Profile" from Greensboro News & Record (2006)
Mrs. Lisa Emanuel, Administrative Assistant
Lisa is a native of Greensboro, where she grew up near the Immanuel church area. She graduated from Ben L. Smith High School in 1983. She is married with three children. Lisa and her husband Robert are members of Life Community Church, where Robert serves as Student Pastor. Lisa serves alongside of him in his ministry there and teaches 7th and 8th grade girls. Before working at Immanuel, Lisa was an administrative assistant with law firms in Warner-Robbins, Georgia and in Greensboro. She has been the administrative assistant at Immanuel since September, 2006.
Mrs. Carol Riddle, Organist/Music Director
Carol has served as organist at Immanuel since August 1988 and music director/organist since 2004. She brings much experience to the bench of Immanuel's pipe organ. Carol’s music ministry began in a pioneer Southern Baptist church in California. When she was fifteen and had a couple years of piano lessons behind her, she was invited to play the church’s brand new Hammond electronic organ. A few years later Carol moved to Charleston, SC and became organist at Summerville Baptist Church where she served for twenty-two years as pianist and organist (on Summerville's pipe organ). During that time she raised three boys and two girls who have now made her a proud grandmother of ten grandchildren. In 1986, Carol relocated to Greensboro, NC. She currently lives in Pleasant Garden with her husband Mark. A few years ago, Carol learned that when she was a young child her mother had prayed specifically that one day Carol would become a church organist. God was at work in those prayers, bringing Carol to realize years later that God had called her into His service in church music ministry.
Mrs. Sherry Spurrier, Youth Director
Sherry and her husband Jim have two grown sons. She has worked with teenagers for the past twelve years, and on the staff of Immanuel for over five years. Initially, Sherry served as a volunteer so that her sons might be able to attend and be a part of the unique youth ministry at Immanuel. She acknowledges that God was preparing her in those days for her present ministry. Sherry leads by example and offers her time and presence to young people who often need a listening ear and a sister in Christ with whom to share their triumphs and sorrows. Her goal is to prepare young people for a lifetime of service to their Heavenly Father. Important to her ministry is building strong relationships with parents. The youth ministry, which includes the young people of Immanuel Baptist Church and Greensboro Chinese Christian Church, goes by the name of "The SWAT Team," which stands for "Servants With a Testimony." Currently the SWAT Team is involved in a variety of different activities including cooking for the congregation each month, attending missions camp for one week every summer, and collecting food and money for area ministries. Under Sherry's leadership, the SWAT Team has also begun to demonstrate God's love to the Ardmore Park community with a vital children's ministry on Friday nights. Sherry's life-verse is Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me."
Mrs. Wanda Martin, RN, Congregational Nurse
Wanda has been a registered nurse for over 33 years. She serves at Immanuel through a generous grant from the Moses Cone Community Health Foundation. Wanda has over 30 of experience in public health. She received a Masters of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has received specialized training in Faith Community Nursing. She retired from the Guilford County Department of Public Health in 2006. In addition to her work at Immanuel, she also serves at the Salvation Army Center of Hope. Wanda and her husband Louis have been married for 32 years and have two adult sons. She is active in the community by serving on several boards and volunteering with various organizations. Wanda is available to do blood pressure testing and counseling on health related issues. She also plans special health events at Immanuel including flu shot clinics, blood drives, and arranging special speakers on relevant health-related issues.