Eric Gil

Erick is originally from the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic, where he lived for most of his life. He is passionate about the gospel and seeing people coming to know Jesus as their Savior. As a Student Pastor, he loves to build relationships with students and help them take their faith in Jesus Christ more seriously. He currently serves as the Student Ministry Pastor at Maranatha Bible Church in Akron, Ohio. Erick is married to the love of his life, Jenny, and they have two daughters, Emerson and Elessi. He is an alumni of Word of Life Bible Institute and Trinity Baptist College. He holds an M. Div. in Biblical Studies from Liberty University.

Kris graduated from the Word of Life Bible Institute, attending campuses in both New York and Argentina.  He and his wife Debbie began the Word of Life ministry in France in 1999, where they served for over 10 years before being asked to return to the United States and serve in the home office as Vice President of the International Ministries division.  In this role, he oversees more than 1,300 missionaries in 68 countries.  Married for 20 years, Kris and Debbie have three children.  They currently reside in Schroon Lake, New York.

Jay Sanders is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ.
He was originally born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, and adopted into a family of five from a drug abusing mother. Life began for Jay when he accepted Christ as Savior at the age of seven. He fell in love with the scriptures and vocational ministry after studying two years at Word of Life Bible Institute and acquiring a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies at Liberty University. In addition to his itinerate ministry, he serves as the Next Generation Pastor at Centerpoint church in Valrico, FL.

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Luke is the lead pastor of The Capital Church in Columbus, Ohio. It was a love for students that compelled him, with a team of people, to plant a church that is committed to helping more people become more like Jesus in the city of Columbus and on the campus of Ohio State.

Luke and his wife Shaelyn have a son named Brooks and a second child on the way.

JC GROVES

JC and his wife Kym have been together for 17 years. They have 6 kids ranging in ages from 13 to 5 years old. Moose, Butters, Bubba, Sissy, Tink & Lil Red and a Labradoodle named Bowden (The Groves family are huge Florida State Seminole fans)

JC has been in full time ministry for 22 years. The majority of that has been in student & college ministry, serving in Tennessee, Georgia and Utah. JC was the founding Campus Pastor of Rock Bridge Community Church, Ringgold Campus where he served for 9 years until God moved them to South Georgia and back into Student and College ministry. August of last year God called the Groves family to move yet again, this time back to North Georgia. They took a step of faith and loaded up the uhaul and headed north. With no job, home or idea what they were supposed to do…Well in October of 2022 God showed them exactly what His plan was and in February 2023 they launched Hope Church Catoosa.

JC is not only a pastor but a radio host on Moody Radio in Chattanooga and a podcast host on The Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast that has over 3 million downloads! Each week they talk about topics that deal with legalism in the church. The podcast is to help and encourage those whose lives have been negatively affected by fundamentalist legalism in the church and to challenge those who promote tradition over scripture.

JC has a passion to see people not only meet Jesus, but own their faith! His desire is to keep you laughing while presenting the truth of the word in a fresh, practical way. JC’s mission is to glorify God by connecting people from all walks of life to life in Christ.

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Chris Lovell was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from LSU-Shreveport while playing college basketball, and earned his Master’s Degree in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Chris is married to Amanda and they have three children, Paxton, Bowman and Kerrington.

Brian is the Vice President of the New York Bible Institute and camps for Word of Life. He is passionate about preaching, teaching, and training up the next generation of leaders. Brian speaks frequently at churches, youth camps, conferences, and events all over the country and around the world. He is a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute and has his Master of Divinity from Carolina University. Brian and his wife Lynn have three children: Courtney (married to Zach), Allison, and Corbin.

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Chris Goeppner attended Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida and Word of Life Bible Institute in New York. He responded to the call of Jesus to leave his community of 20 years in South Florida to launch Riverbank Church (in Vermont) in 2010. He and his beautiful bride, Penny, have been married since 1999. In 2008, the Goeppners adopted their two sons, Roman and Jadon, from Siberia.

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Erick Gil Bio

Eric Gil

Erick is originally from the beautiful country of the Dominican Republic, where he lived for most of his life. He is passionate about the gospel and seeing people coming to know Jesus as their Savior. As a Student Pastor, he loves to build relationships with students and help them take their faith in Jesus Christ more seriously. He currently serves as the Student Ministry Pastor at Maranatha Bible Church in Akron, Ohio. Erick is married to the love of his life, Jenny, and they have two daughters, Emerson and Elessi. He is an alumni of Word of Life Bible Institute and Trinity Baptist College. He holds an M. Div. in Biblical Studies from Liberty University.

Kris Stout Bio

Kris graduated from the Word of Life Bible Institute, attending campuses in both New York and Argentina.  He and his wife Debbie began the Word of Life ministry in France in 1999, where they served for over 10 years before being asked to return to the United States and serve in the home office as Vice President of the International Ministries division.  In this role, he oversees more than 1,300 missionaries in 68 countries.  Married for 20 years, Kris and Debbie have three children.  They currently reside in Schroon Lake, New York.

Jay Sanders Bio

Jay Sanders is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ.
He was originally born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, and adopted into a family of five from a drug abusing mother. Life began for Jay when he accepted Christ as Savior at the age of seven. He fell in love with the scriptures and vocational ministry after studying two years at Word of Life Bible Institute and acquiring a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies at Liberty University. In addition to his itinerate ministry, he serves as the Next Generation Pastor at Centerpoint church in Valrico, FL.

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Luke Peterson Bio

Luke is the lead pastor of The Capital Church in Columbus, Ohio. It was a love for students that compelled him, with a team of people, to plant a church that is committed to helping more people become more like Jesus in the city of Columbus and on the campus of Ohio State.

Luke and his wife Shaelyn have a son named Brooks and a second child on the way.

JC Groves Bio

JC GROVES

JC and his wife Kym have been together for 17 years. They have 6 kids ranging in ages from 13 to 5 years old. Moose, Butters, Bubba, Sissy, Tink & Lil Red and a Labradoodle named Bowden (The Groves family are huge Florida State Seminole fans)

JC has been in full time ministry for 22 years. The majority of that has been in student & college ministry, serving in Tennessee, Georgia and Utah. JC was the founding Campus Pastor of Rock Bridge Community Church, Ringgold Campus where he served for 9 years until God moved them to South Georgia and back into Student and College ministry. August of last year God called the Groves family to move yet again, this time back to North Georgia. They took a step of faith and loaded up the uhaul and headed north. With no job, home or idea what they were supposed to do…Well in October of 2022 God showed them exactly what His plan was and in February 2023 they launched Hope Church Catoosa.

JC is not only a pastor but a radio host on Moody Radio in Chattanooga and a podcast host on The Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast that has over 3 million downloads! Each week they talk about topics that deal with legalism in the church. The podcast is to help and encourage those whose lives have been negatively affected by fundamentalist legalism in the church and to challenge those who promote tradition over scripture.

JC has a passion to see people not only meet Jesus, but own their faith! His desire is to keep you laughing while presenting the truth of the word in a fresh, practical way. JC’s mission is to glorify God by connecting people from all walks of life to life in Christ.

Additional Speaker Info

Chris Lovell Bio

Chris Lovell was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from LSU-Shreveport while playing college basketball, and earned his Master’s Degree in Christian Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Chris is married to Amanda and they have three children, Paxton, Bowman and Kerrington.

Brian Baker Bio

Brian is the Vice President of the New York Bible Institute and camps for Word of Life. He is passionate about preaching, teaching, and training up the next generation of leaders. Brian speaks frequently at churches, youth camps, conferences, and events all over the country and around the world. He is a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute and has his Master of Divinity from Carolina University. Brian and his wife Lynn have three children: Courtney (married to Zach), Allison, and Corbin.

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Chris Goeppner Bio

Chris Goeppner attended Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida and Word of Life Bible Institute in New York. He responded to the call of Jesus to leave his community of 20 years in South Florida to launch Riverbank Church (in Vermont) in 2010. He and his beautiful bride, Penny, have been married since 1999. In 2008, the Goeppners adopted their two sons, Roman and Jadon, from Siberia.

Additional Speaker Info