Lead Pastor Candidate - Greg & Teresa Whiting
Dear FABC Church Family,
As we seek God's will in a potential church/pastor relationship at FABC, we are grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves.
I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, with Christian parents and a younger sister and brother. At age 4 or 5, after hearing about Jesus at Sunday school, I asked my dad to explain the gospel. That night, I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord andSavior with my mom kneeling beside me. While growing up, I played every sport I could. Basketball was my favorite but has been replaced by pickleball and the occasional golf game.
Teresa grew up in South Jersey in a large Italian Catholic family. She’s the youngest of six children. At age 13, she heard the gospel for the first time and gave her life toJesus while at summer camp. As a teenager, Teresa was active in her youth group, went on mission trips, and dreamed of someday writing a book!
We first met at a basketball camp in New Jersey when I (Greg) was part of a basketball ministry team for Baptist Bible College (now Clarks Summit University).Teresa was in 8th grade, while I was a sophomore in college. Though Teresa clearly remembers meeting me, I don't recall this first encounter! We became acquaintances several years later when Teresa came to college. Near the beginning of her junior year, we started dating. At that time, I had graduated from seminary and was teaching Bible and coaching basketball and soccer at a local Christian school. We were married on June 18, 1994.
We immediately went into ministry together, serving in Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, and Ohio over the past 30 years. I have served as a youth pastor and discipleship pastor but have been a lead pastor for most of the 30 years.
After struggling with 3 years of infertility, God blessed us with our first two children, Isabella and Alex—twins adopted from Romania.They were two years old when we brought them home in June of 1997. Then God gifted us with Breanna in July of 1999. Then, twinsCaleb and Gabrielle were born to us in December of 2000. We went from 0 to 5 children in 3.5 years! We are now, somewhat begrudgingly, entering the empty(ish) nest stage of life, and have become the sole caretakers of our aging Dorkie (Dachshund/Yorkie),Nikki!
As we seek God's will in a potential church/pastor relationship at FABC, we are grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves.
I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, with Christian parents and a younger sister and brother. At age 4 or 5, after hearing about Jesus at Sunday school, I asked my dad to explain the gospel. That night, I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord andSavior with my mom kneeling beside me. While growing up, I played every sport I could. Basketball was my favorite but has been replaced by pickleball and the occasional golf game.
Teresa grew up in South Jersey in a large Italian Catholic family. She’s the youngest of six children. At age 13, she heard the gospel for the first time and gave her life toJesus while at summer camp. As a teenager, Teresa was active in her youth group, went on mission trips, and dreamed of someday writing a book!
We first met at a basketball camp in New Jersey when I (Greg) was part of a basketball ministry team for Baptist Bible College (now Clarks Summit University).Teresa was in 8th grade, while I was a sophomore in college. Though Teresa clearly remembers meeting me, I don't recall this first encounter! We became acquaintances several years later when Teresa came to college. Near the beginning of her junior year, we started dating. At that time, I had graduated from seminary and was teaching Bible and coaching basketball and soccer at a local Christian school. We were married on June 18, 1994.
We immediately went into ministry together, serving in Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, and Ohio over the past 30 years. I have served as a youth pastor and discipleship pastor but have been a lead pastor for most of the 30 years.
After struggling with 3 years of infertility, God blessed us with our first two children, Isabella and Alex—twins adopted from Romania.They were two years old when we brought them home in June of 1997. Then God gifted us with Breanna in July of 1999. Then, twinsCaleb and Gabrielle were born to us in December of 2000. We went from 0 to 5 children in 3.5 years! We are now, somewhat begrudgingly, entering the empty(ish) nest stage of life, and have become the sole caretakers of our aging Dorkie (Dachshund/Yorkie),Nikki!
Our daughter, Isabella (28), and her husband, Noah, have 2 boys, Camryn (5) and Jax (2). They are due with another boy in April. Alex(28) served in the Navy for eight years and lives in North Carolina, working for a company that services the military base. Breanna (24)has worked as a nanny for the past five years and recently moved home from California. She is currently between jobs and figuring outwhat is next. Caleb (23) is a student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. He will finish in December of this year and is considering goinginto disaster relief work. Gabrielle (23) will graduate from Palm Beach Atlantic University on May 4 of this year with a degree in communication. She is exploring her options.
My passion is discipleship. I have no greater joy than to lead others on the adventure of knowing Jesus more deeply. My life mission is to "help people take the next steps on their spiritual journey." I'm competitive by nature and love sports and board games. I also love sharing God's Word through preaching, teaching, and my Next Steps Bible Reading podcast. Teresa enjoys deep talks and long walks(preferably on the beach). In her free time, she likes to paint and bake bread. In 2023, she published her first Bible Study, "Graced: HowGod Redeems and Restores the Broken," and started the Find Hope Here podcast. As a couple, we enjoy walking, playing pickleball, hosting people in our home, playing board games, and eating out. We love working with couples and walking with others through life's challenges.
My passion is discipleship. I have no greater joy than to lead others on the adventure of knowing Jesus more deeply. My life mission is to "help people take the next steps on their spiritual journey." I'm competitive by nature and love sports and board games. I also love sharing God's Word through preaching, teaching, and my Next Steps Bible Reading podcast. Teresa enjoys deep talks and long walks(preferably on the beach). In her free time, she likes to paint and bake bread. In 2023, she published her first Bible Study, "Graced: HowGod Redeems and Restores the Broken," and started the Find Hope Here podcast. As a couple, we enjoy walking, playing pickleball, hosting people in our home, playing board games, and eating out. We love working with couples and walking with others through life's challenges.