Staff Directory
Philip Powers, Th.M., Ph.D.
Philip and Neva met during High School in San Diego. The relationship continued in Oregon, and they were married June 12, 1976. Shortly after Philip graduated from OSU and Neva graduated with her nursing degree, they moved to Texas in 1977 to begin studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Philip graduated from Dallas in 1981 with the Th.M. degree, and Philip and Neva moved back to Oregon where he took the position of associate pastor at the same local church. Their two sons were born in Oregon, Micah in 1981 and Joel in 1984.
As the church grew, moved into larger facilities, and then continued to grow, it was decided to plant a church in a nearby community. Philip became the senior pastor of this church plant in 1985. In three years this church plant grew from approximately 35 people to nearly 100. Seeing many churches without biblically grounded pastoral leadership and appreciating the training he had received, Philip desired to multiply that gift in the training of others for ministry. So in 1988 Philip, Neva, and the boys moved back to Texas for the Th.D./Ph.D. program at Dallas Theological Seminary, willing for God to use them either in continued pastoral ministry or in teaching.
After the completion of class work, the Powers family moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, where Philip developed and taught a practical ministry internship program at Millar College of the Bible. Philip completed his dissertation and graduated with the Ph.D. from Dallas in 1995.
That same year, the Powers family moved back to the States to care for Philip's elderly parents. The Lord provided a position at Capital Bible Seminary through earlier contacts with Dr. Heater at Dallas. Philip began as Assistant Academic Dean at CBS in 1995, and in 1998 was able to shift to his greater love, full-time teaching. Yet he still had a longing for pastoral ministry that could not be fulfilled in the classroom alone.
The Lord fulfilled that desire by graciously opening a new path for the Powers family at Forcey Memorial Church; which, in some sense, has brought them full circle.
Gerald L. Schneider, M.Div, D.Min.
Jerry met his wife Cynthia (who is from Florida) at PCB and they have two children, Kimberly Seagle who teaches at Forcey Christian School and Garrett Schneider who is a computer specialist working for SAP in Philadelphia. Jerry and Cynthia have been at Forcey since 1976.Ronald E. Jones, M.Div.
Ron felt God's call on his life through this involvement and began attending Washington Bible College where he graduated in 1978. Shortly after, in May of 1979, Ron was called as a full-time youth pastor at Forcey where he built and fostered the youth program for fourteen years. He continued his education during these years at Capital Bible Seminary, receiving a Master's in Divinity in 1991. In 1992, Ron sensed God's leading in seeking to become the Associate Pastor of Christian Education, the position he currently holds.
Ron and Glenda, high school sweethearts, have been happily married since 1971. They have 3 children: Kristy, who owns The Studio at Fulton; a pottery shop, Ronda, who is finishing up her master's degree at Johns Hopkins University, and Melissa, who is pursuing a master's degree in Nutrition at Georgia State University.
Lonnie Harris, M.Div.
It became quite evident -- even at that young age that God’s hand was on his life. Even though he was a latchkey kid, in a broken family, with many unsaved relatives and unsaved friends, God did not want him to become the statistic that his context suggested he would become. God kept him out of trouble through school, and began to put within his heart a strong desire to be close to Him.
All throughout his teenage years, he served as a summer missionary with C.E.F. (Child Evangelism Fellowship). God used the staff at C.E.F. to develop within his heart a vision for full-time Christian ministry. It was as a teenager, during his second or third year of C.E.F., that he knew he wanted to be involved in vocational ministry.
After high school, Lonnie went on to study at the Washington Bible College where God ignited within his heart a genuine passion for the study of the Word and theology. It was at WBC that Lonnie met April, his soul mate. After cultivating a strong friendship with one another, Lonnie & April married on June 14th, 1997.
Having received his B.A. in pastoral theology at WBC, Lonnie enrolled at the Capital Bible Seminary, where he received an M.Div. God had made it clear to Lonnie and April in his last year of seminary that they were to pursue pastoral ministry at Forcey Memorial Church. Lonnie joined the Forcey staff as a part time director of singles ministry as he completed his final year of seminary. Upon completion of his course work, he came on as a full time pastor in January 2004.W. John Itzel, M.S.
John attended the University of Maryland and Towson State University and holds both a Bachelor's Degree and Masters Degree from TSU. John's education continued with additional graduate studies and various in-service courses and other credits offered by the Baltimore Public School System. In addition to working as an administrator with the school system, and as Minister of Music, John served as adjunct faculty on the staff at Towson State University
from 1978 through 1995.
1952 proved to be a most significant year for John. In May of that year, at the age of 8, John responded to the Gospel and received Christ as his personal Savior. It was also in that same year that his formal music lessons began. By the time John reached Junior High he was already showing leadership qualities, serving as the president of the school Youth For Christ club, and playing in the school orchestra. Youth for Christ proved to be one of the influences, use by the Lord to direct John's life. John and Pat met through YFC and their local church. John excelled in music, leading the YFC rallies as song leader as well as their vocal ensemble. In YFC international competition John won 2nd and 3rd place trophies in instrumental performance competition.
John and Pat dated in High School and through college years, and were married on March 25, 1967. Their family grew in September of 1968 with the birth of Bill, followed by Adam in 1971, Tricia in 1973, Amy in 1976, and Lauren in 1992. Today John and Pat have 15 grandchildren and counting.
Today, John and Pat are more open than ever to following and fulfilling the purpose God has ordained for their lives. The music ministry at Forcey Memorial Church is flourishing as God continues to honor the worship and hard work of His people. We do not know what God may have planned for our tomorrow, but whatever it may be we say, "to God be all praise and glory!"Devin Stover