Andrew Barney
Andrew started attending Peters Creek Baptist Church as a high school
student when his family moved to the area in 2006. He began
volunteering as a middle school leader in 2008 and was involved with the
youth program until 2014. He began working as the South Fayette Campus
Life Director for Youth For Christ in March of 2015. Andrew loves
having the opportunity to share the Gospel with young people each and
every day and feels very blessed to have the support of Peters Creek.
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Steve & Kris Benham
Steve and Kris Benham have been members of PCBC since 2006, and they
are actively involved in the music and missions ministries, as well as
the Travelers Bible & Life Group. Steve currently serves as
president of Music in World Cultures, a missions agency dedicated to
providing biblical music, worship, and leadership training, with a focus
on protecting local cultures and endangered people groups and their
languages. A fundamental belief of MIWC is that all nations should be
able to worship God in their own tongue. Steve’s primary
responsibilities with MIWC include overseeing all of their worldwide
ministries; training worship leaders, pastors, and missionaries; and
actively working in music evangelism and teaching throughout Eastern
Europe. Steve is also on the faculty of Duquesne University and serves
as pastor of a small Slavic (Ukrainian- and Russian-language) immigrant
church in Dormont.
Newsletter
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Kris & B.J. Diggins
Having spent most of her early life growing up in the mission field
in Brazil, Kris made Peters Creek Baptist her home church during her
high school years. Peters Creek began supporting the Diggins in 1997
just prior to their departure to Brazil, where they served for eight
years. Kris started a local clinic to meet the medical needs of the
community, while B.J. provided air support as a missionary pilot to many
indigenous communities in support of Bible Translation. In 2006, B.J.
was asked to join the Aviation Training Staff at JAARS in Waxhaw, North
Carolina, to provide flight training for new pilots heading overseas.
Kris & B.J. have two teenage boys, Nate (18) and Levi (16).
Newsletter
Craig & Shannon Russell
Craig serves as the Vice President of Transportation Services for JAARS, in Waxhaw, North Carolina. In this role, he is responsible for all three transportation departments – maritime, land and aviation. Craig travels extensively, including trips to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, and Brazil, just name a few of his destinations. As part of the JAARS leadership team, Craig helps set the vision and direction for JAARS.
Shannon spent most of her early life on the mission field in Brazil, and she made Peters Creek her home during her high school years. She currently is an assistant teacher in a special needs class at a local elementary school. This has allowed her to have an active ministry in the local community while still being connected to what JAARS is doing. She is also a valuable encourager to the younger wives coming through JAARS for orientation and training.
Craig and Shannon have four children:
Daniel (20) is a sophomore at UNCC. His major is focused on Nursing. He is not sure what direction he will go but would like to stay in the health care field.
Emily (18) is a freshman at a local community college. Her major is Social Work with a desire to work with children that come from difficult and complicated home situations.
Madison (17) is a junior at the local high school. She would like to go into the medical field or teaching.
Abigail (11) is in middle school, 6th grade. Middle school is a challenge that Abby is meeting with God’s love and care each day.
Newsletter
Jim and Jamie Loker
Jim first became acquainted with Peters Creek when he was working
with Bob Rike in the early 80's, and now, PCBC has been supporting the
Lokers’ ministry for over 20 years. Jim and Jamie fondly remember
Vacation Bible School during furlough in 2003, when the children of
Peters Creek filled an aquarium with enough coins to sponsor the dubbing
of a Jesus Film in an indigenous language. Annually since 2013, PCBC
has sent a team from our congregation to accompany Jim and Jamie for a
week in Oaxaca to personally distribute audio Bibles to people in
remote villages. The focus of the Lokers' ministry is to provide audio
scriptures for the non-literate people groups of Oaxaca, Mexico, and
beyond. Currently, the Lokers reside in Holland, Michigan, where they
serve as Latin America Directors of Audio Scripture Ministries.
Newsletter
Website
Melissa Rike
Born and raised in Peters Township, Melissa spent the first 25 years
of her life serving and worshiping at PCBC and learning about God's
heart for the world. After serving with Cru in the campus ministry for
10 years in Macedonia, Chicago, and Slovenia, and then spending three
years as a leadership development/human resource generalist in Cru’s
technology department, Melissa made a major shift to a new role on the
Global Digital Strategies team, based in Orlando. She writes, “In
today's world, more people have smartphones than have toothbrushes. We
are a digitally connected world, and the numbers of people along with
the ways people engage online only continue to grow. That is why Cru is
dedicated to reaching people with the Gospel and building into people
spiritually through digital missions.” Melissa’s team is tasked with
providing the spiritual and strategic leadership for digital missions
all over the world in order to bring Gospel resources to where people
are – online. The team helps coach, empower, and encourage believers to
reach their own countries with the Gospel through digital strategies,
and Melissa is particularly focused on coaching more women and emerging
leaders around the world to be a part of Cru’s digital initiatives.
Melissa writes, “God is doing incredible things in some of the
hardest-to-reach places around the world through digital missions. Thank
you for your partnership in reaching millions of people across the
globe with the saving message of Jesus Christ!”
Newsletter
Ministry Brochure
Dan Schar
Dan Schar has been attending PCBC for 18 years, after marrying his wife Jill, a lifelong member herself. Dan and Jill have four kids: Jake, Emma, Andrew, and Nathan. As an avid bicyclist, Dan became involved with the sports outreach ministry Christian Sports International (CSI) in 1993, three years after the ministry began. For seven years, Dan and his CSI cycling team traveled to bike races throughout the east, sharing the Gospel and ministering to other cyclists. Dan left CSI in 2000 and then returned to them in 2014. Dan is now on staff part time, working toward full time, and is in charge of community development.
Newsletter
Jeff and Lisa Sickler
Peters Creek has a long history with Philippi, West Virginia. Long
before Jeff and Lisa moved to Philippi, Pastor Dave Barr was bringing
his senior high students to serve the Lord in the communities at
Philippi. While working as tentmakers (farmers) in ministry, Jeff and
Lisa oversee the Chestnut Ridge Community Center and facilitate mission
trips through Appalachian Community CARE.
Newsletter
Chris Thompson
Chris’ connection to Peters Creek started as a friendship in 1992 with fellow youth missionary Pastor Dave Barr, as they worked together to serve and minister to the local youth in the South Hills. This connection solidified in 1998 when Chris’ wife Lisa was called by PCBC to serve as the children's pastor, and the Thompsons started attending PCBC as a family. When Chris and Lisa were expecting their fourth child in 2003, Lisa stepped down from her position, but the Thompsons remained involved in the life of the church as parents who have been grateful for the love the PCBC family has extended to their five kids. The Thompsons are also actively involved in the church through the education and music ministries. As the executive director and Bethel Park ministry director at Youth for Christ, Chris cherishes the opportunity to partner with PCBC in sharing Jesus with teenagers and encouraging and teaching them how to follow Him every day of their lives.
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