Board of Directors
President :: Chad L. Hambrick
Chad Hambrick has been serving the body of Christ for over 16 years in several diverse church settings. God has equipped Chad to encourage and equip ministers, leadership teams, parents and students.
He is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and an ordained minister. Chad’s life experience and undergraduate study in counseling has given him the insight needed to minister to hurting people and equip those who care for others.
Chad’s main focus is to encourage and equip ministers to implement a lifestyle of abiding, serving and multiplying in Christ for God’s Kingdom. He accomplishes this ministry by equipping ministers, consulting with local churches, and speaking at conferences around the nation and in other countries.
Chad has a love for God’s people and desires more than anything to see followers of Christ become the people that God has created them to be.
Chad is a member of Eastridge Community Church where he lives in Covington, GA.
CFO :: Robert J. Rutland
As chairman of Allied Holdings, Rutland helped pioneer the field of industrial chaplaincy. Since 1963, Allied has employed industrial chaplains to minister to its employees and their families. “We have been able to keep our employees satisfied and happy, and they stay with us,” Rutland said. “The chaplaincy program helps create bonds between employees and the corporation, which makes them more committed to the company, even in a union environment.”
Rutland is very active in his church and community. He is a member and Deacon at First Baptist Church in Covington, Georgia. He is the director of Fidelity National Bank in Decatur and Georgians for Better Transportation. He is former chair of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and the Sam Jones Boy’s Club. He was a trustee of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and of Atlanta Youth for Christ.
He was named the 1997 Executive of the Year by Georgia Securities and was a 2000 finalist for the Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southeast. Rutland is Past Chair and a board member of the Haggai Institute, which teaches Christian leaders in the third-world how to be disciples in the corporate and educational sectors of their countries.
Donor Care :: Lydia C. Parker
Lydia graduated from Clayton State University with a BAS degree in Management. She has worked for Edward Jones Investments since 1997, and is currently responsible for client account services, marketing, and event planning. Lydia is a member of First Baptist Church in Covington and serves as Prayer Coordinator for the Women’s Enrichment Ministry.
Prayer and Advisory Board
Samuel D. Ozburn :: Superior Court Judge
Ozburn is a recipient of the Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service, which honors lawyers and judges who have made outstanding contributions to their communities through volunteerism. Ozburn is also an elder, Sunday School teacher and Bible study leader at Eastridge Community Church.
Joe Ludwikowsk :: Director of Discipleship Ministries – Church of the Apostles
Joe accepted God’s call to the ministry in 1997 while serving on the Navy staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He retired from the Navy in 1999 as a Captain after 26 years of military service. Joe holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Augusta College and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a graduate of Liberty Baptist Seminary. Joe has served as a pastor in Pennsylvania and Georgia, and also served as the Chief Executive Officer of Reach-Out Youth Solutions.
Roger Palmer :: As the National Director of Reach-Out Youth Solutions, Roger works with younger generation ministry teams in churches across America. He introduces them to Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry and then assists them in implementing it. He invests in over 100 Eagle Leaders who mentor other younger generation ministry leaders. Roger served as a youth pastor for 22 years before joining ROYS in 2004. Roger’s experience in ministry, his contagious personality and his passion for Jesus make him a powerful leader of other younger generation ministry team leaders.
Carolyn Fichtner :: Carolyn has been serving in various ministries for most of her life and met her husband through Young Life. They both continue to serve with and support Young Life and work with their church to invest into the younger generation.
Dr. Scott Parkison :: He graduated from Mississippi College in 1997, Southwestern Seminary in 2000, and completed his Doctorate from Southeastern Seminary in 2008. Scott is the Senior Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Manchester TN.
Hunter Hall :: President of Newton County Chamber of Commerce and Senior Vice President of Greyland Development Group. Hunter has also served as Campus Director with Campus Crusade for Christ and Young Life.
Scott England :: Worship Leader, Singer/Songwriter, Missionary. Scott has served as Youth Pastor and currently travels the world making disciples for Christ.
Scott Moore :: Lead Pastor at Eastridge Community Church – Covington, GA. Moore serves as Chaplain for The Abiding Journey, Inc.
Robbie Norman :: Campus Ministry Coach with The Abiding Journey, Norman also serves on staff with a local church making disciples.
Dr. Philip Rack :: earned his bachelor’s degree Magna Cum Laude in Materials Science and Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1993, and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida in 1997.
In 1999, Dr. Rack joined the faculty in the Microelectronic Engineering Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr Rack has authored or co-authored 80 technical papers and has contributed to over 130 technical presentations at national and international conferences.
Philip is very active in the leadership of his church, New Covenant Fellowship. He also spends time working with the Student Ministry and teaches Sunday School.
Laurin Makohon :: Laurin is the editor of Youth Walk for students, a publication of Walk Thru the Bible. Laurin has also worked for Southern Living as an editor.
Keith Senator :: Keith serves as the Director of Communications for The Abiding Journey, Inc.
Ken Wynne :: Alcovy Court Judge of Georgia
Ken Wynne is a judge of the Alcovy Circuit of Georgia. He was appointed by Governor Perdue in early 2010 and sworn in on July 1, 2010.
Wynne is a Deacon of FBC Covington of Georgia and is passionate about mentoring younger Christ followers.
Ruel Parker :: Parker is the former Superintendent of Rockdale Public School System and has served as a leader in the local church for most of his adult life.
Marc Lewis :: Marc Lewis is serving on the mission field in Khon Kaen Thailand. Marc works with a campus ministry called Campus Outreach. Marc has served on the mission field one term previous to this current term. He also has served as Student Pastor at Salem Baptist Church. Marc is very knowledgeable in the areas of Theology, Missions, Student Ministry and College Campus Outreach.
Ken Horstman :: Ken is a director and partner at Spyplane Films. Ken serves in discipleship ministries, prison ministries and serving the needy in his community. Ken’s experience as a Director at Turner Studios and Editor for Wide World Of Sports, ABC Television has given him the wisdom and expertise to advise our ministry team in the area of media production.