Scott Swelbar
Senior Pastor |
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I began serving Community Christian Church as senior minister (the only minister on staff) in March of 1994. After spending several years in youth ministry, I felt God leading me in a different direction that was never a part of my plan (working with adults). The problem was, I didn’t feel like I would ever find a church where I could use my creative youth ministry talents and a passion for reaching people for Jesus while dealing with a bunch of rigid structured grown ups! God opened up the door with a small group of people who had a passion for Jesus and were willing to put up with the antics of a former youth minister. I can honestly say that doing youth ministry for grown ups is the best job I have ever had.
I grew up in an incredibly Godly family! My dad who was the white sheep of his family and my mother made sure we were connected to a church from the time were born. I now understand how fortunate I was that they lived out their faith 24 hours a day in front of us. I accepted Christ when I was 8, but God had to hit me over the head (hard) during my college days at West Virginia University before I truly understood his amazing Grace. From that point on, my passion has been to help people connect to Jesus no matter how skeptical they may be. I went on to get my B.S. in Ministry from The Cincinnati Bible Seminary (now Cincinnati Christian University).
I live with my wife JoEllyn three incredible sons, Caleb, Jacob and Zachary and three very hyper little dogs Sammie, Lucky and Lucy. |
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Jason Kauffman
Children's Minister |
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I grew up in a Christian family, and church was in my life-I always knew I needed Jesus in my heart to be saved and go to heaven, and I became a Christian around age seven. I also knew I wanted to be a youth or children’s pastor. After four years of study at Cincinnati Bible College, I did a ministry with another church in the area, which helped me know I really have a passion for young kids and wanted to specialize in children’s ministry.
In 1999, I was blessed that Community had an opening for a children’s minister, and after meeting with Scott knew this was the right place for me and my family. Community is a wonderful place of worship for me, my wife Heather, son Gabe, and daughter EmmaLee.
I love children because I believe they are the "now" generation-the ones that will reach this next generation, and they have to do it now. Most kids give their lives to Christ before age 18, and I know if we give them the right tools and right passion, children can minister to peers that are hurting and need Christ. |
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Joel Riehle
Teen Minister |
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God directed my wife Melissa and I to Community because their focus and mission matched with what we felt called to do. I was fresh out of Bible college and made plenty of mistakes yet we’ve stumbled upon some things and people who really know how to do youth ministry. We’ve tried some things like a Saturday Night youth worship service and failed, but we’ve never grown comfortable or complacent. Now I’ve been the youth minister at Community now for going on 4 years. We’ve grown a lot both numerically and spiritually and now we have a vision for bringing teenagers into the family of God by empowering the leaders in our youth group to be the ministers to other Jr. High and high school students.
I’m very thankful for the staff both paid and unpaid around me. We have Todd Johnson who has been here from the beginning and is a fun and entertainment expert. Gary Reams has been here almost as long and he has been faithful in his devotion to his guy’s small group and to teaching and preaching God’s word to teenagers. Chase Diller is a recent addition and is a student at Cincinnati Christian University who has a heart for teenagers. Ken Reed is just a hard worker. He does whatever the church asks him and lots of times more. He also has a passion for teaching youth. We have great parents who in turn raise up teenagers with respect and a desire to seek God. As well as an army of partners who lead small groups, go on trips, and just hang out with us. These are the things that we’re proud of and would love for you to experience this full life with us. |
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Eddie Gilbert
Worship/Outreach Minister |
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I began serving at Community Christian Church in July 2003. Looking back, I can see how God was preparing me musically and spiritually for ministry. At the same time, God was preparing Community for a big change in worship. The church and I were heading down the same path musically and we shared the same passion and desire for worship. God opened up doors, and I joined the staff here. It was a God thing.
I was 24 when I came to Christ. My wife Elisha, who was my girlfriend at that time, was pregnant and having complications. During one of her what seemed to be near-death hospital stays, I broke down and gave my life to Jesus. I’m now blessed with a beautiful wife and an incredible gift from God, my young son little Eddie.
I come from a musical family but I didn't start playing the drums until my early twenties. I started off my walk with Jesus in a few Christian rock bands and played on worship teams at a couple of churches. I’m so excited to be here at Community now, serving Him. |
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Shelli Mosteller
Creative Arts Minister |
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My family moved to Cincinnati in 2000 and visited Community Christian Church with friends. We liked it so much that we never got around to visiting anywhere else! One of the first things we experienced here was the Fall Festival, a fun family celebration where even the adults wore costumes. When we walked in and saw our pastor, Scott, dressed as Elvis and his wife Jo as a biker chick, we looked at each other and said, "Yeah, this is where we belong!" I became the Creative Arts Minister in April 2003.
I grew up in a loving, Christian family, and it was very natural for me to accept Christ in the first grade and be baptized three years later. As a young adult, I spent four years stumbling around in spiritual darkness-enough for me to know that I never want to do that again! I am extremely thankful for God’s never-ending grace and his willingness to give second chances.
I have a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Oklahoma Baptist University and an M.A. in Theatre History from the University of Oklahoma, and have been writing, directing, and performing since my childhood debut as the tap-dancing Rolf in our living-room production of The Sound of Music. God has given me a passion for sharing his message of hope in creative ways. I feel blessed to be part of a church that values this type of ministry.
I live with my husband Randy, son Logan, daughter Audrey, and Tabby, the world’s largest lap dog. |
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Randy Adams
Campus Minister (Fairfield Township) |
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Before being led by God into fulltime ministry, I worked in the business world for over twenty years. In June of 2006, after a lot of discussion and prayer, my wife and I decided to follow God’s direction and I left my business career and entered seminary to pursue a Master of Divinity degree from Cincinnati Christian University (CCU). God has put within my heart a deep passion for spiritual growth and for seeing people transformed by His love and power. I believe this is God’s desire and He can and will do this for anyone, no matter where they are in life or what difficulties they may be facing. I believe that one of the ways He accomplishes this is through small groups of committed believers in Christ, meeting together both at church and in one another’s homes. People who seek to experience God together and to love and support one-another through the good and bad that comes with living life. Because my family and I have been so powerfully impacted and blessed by God through various small group ministries I have a strong desire to see others blessed in the same way.
I grew up in the church, giving my life to Christ at a young age. I give all the credit and glory to God for where I am today. God gave me two wonderful and godly parents who raised me in the Faith and who made sure I had the opportunity to meet Jesus Christ and accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior. God also gave me a godly, beautiful, and an incredibly loving and patient wife. She is and has been a real answer to prayer! My wife, Janet, and I have been married for over twenty years and have three wonderful children, Aaron, Lindsey, and Ethan. Next to Jesus Christ my family is God’s greatest gift to me. |
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Rick Moore
Campus Minister (Trenton) |
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I was blessed to grow up in a loving Christian family who place high priority on a relationship with Jesus. God blessed me with many Godly men, from my Dad, to my Grandpa, Pastors and Young Life leader, who gave me example after example of how to live as a man of God. For almost 15 years I ministered to Students and I loved it! My plan was to work with Students until I died, but one of the best things about God is His ability to do amazing things in peoples lives. His ability to take our ideas, plans and dreams and completely change them to fit His purpose for our lives. In January of 2009, God’s call to minister in Trenton was too loud to ignore, so I followed bringing along a youth ministers love of relationships and humor. I have found that it doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you are a student, a parent or grandparent, God has a plan to do great things in our lives. I see my job as pastor to help everyone live out that purpose with passion.
My wife Marisa and I were High School sweethearts and were married in 1997. We are the proud parents of three beautiful girls, Hannah, Rebekah, Leah and a rambunctious little boy Rickie. As a family we love doing things together outdoors, as a dad I love coaching my kids in soccer and basketball.
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Rhonda Cupp
Office Coordinator |
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I’ve lived in this area, and been part of this church my whole life-from the days when we were the North Seventh Street Church of Christ in downtown Hamilton to our current Community Christian Church here on Millikin Road. I’ve been blessed to be part of this church, which has grown into a vibrant, life-changing church of hundreds, and am proud to serve in the position of Office Coordinator, which I have held since graduating from high school.
I was raised in a Christian home by parents who love the Lord and passed on their faith to me and my younger sister. I was baptized when I was 14 years old on Easter Sunday morning. God has blessed me in many more ways than I could ever count, and I’m very thankful to my family and my church family for their love and support.
I married Rob, my high-school sweetheart, a wonderful man who loves the Lord, in 1983. After trying to have a child of our own for about five years, God worked a miracle in the form of a brother and sister who came into our lives and needed a mom and dad. We adopted Dakota and Natasha at the ages of seven and five, and we’re now a happy (and busy!) family of four (including one dog and three cats)! |
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Lori Kilbane
Campus Children's Minister (Fairfield Township) |
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I grew up in a Christian family, which was very active in our church in Franklin, Ohio. I knew from a very early age that God loves me, but it wasn’t until I was 15 years old that I realized the depth of His love for me…that He gave His one and only Son for me. That’s when I asked Jesus to come into my life as Lord and Savior.
I have served in Children’s Ministry/Youth Ministry in one capacity or another for the majority of 25 years, but I have found that my true passion is with the younger children. I truly enjoy their energy and their inquisitiveness and those “light bulb moments” when you’ve made the connection between the Bible point you are trying to get across and what they can relate to. I worked in the preschool/daycare setting for five years, both in a teaching role and as an assistant director. I was awarded Child Development Associate (CDA) certification in May 2006.
Our family came to Community Christian Church in November 2005 looking for a church family where our children would feel accepted by and connected to other kids their own age that shared their values. My husband and I quickly became involved in Community’s Children’s Ministry and I joined our staff in May 2008 with a focus in the early childhood area of our ministry.
My husband Tom and I live in Fairfield Township with our three children: Erica, Collin, and Brianna, and our dog, Chloe. |
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Carrie Davis
Campus Children's Minister (Trenton) |
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My name is Carrie Davis and I have been attending Community Christian Church since September 2007. I live in Trenton, Ohio with my husband Robbie, and our son Jessie. I was raised in the Baptist faith from the time I was a little girl. I understand the impact that a child has on their parents because it was me that came to Christ first, then my parents. That was one thing that brought us to Community Christian Church, the dedication to their youngest of the congregation!
When my husband I were searching for a church to call home, we came upon Community Christian Church! I have a past career as a pre-school teacher in Trenton, Ohio, and one of my students happened to be the son of the Children’s Minister at CCC. Jason invited our family to visit. After one Sunday we found the church where we belonged! Community Christian Church had so much to offer my family. The adult worship service plays amazing, up-beat music. The message always relates to issues for today, and the children’s worship is like no other!
It is very exciting to watch my family grow in their faith. I look forward to watching my neighbors in Trenton grow as fully devoted followers of Christ. I can’t wait for the opportunity to develop the young lives in Trenton for a wonderful life with Jesus Christ!
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