Team Member Profiles

 

RANDY WALLACE, Team Leader

Randy Wallace received his Biblical education at Trinity College and in addition has a Ph. D. in Organizational Leadership. Randy has experience as a youth director, pastor, missionary and missions administrator. He has served Christ and the community for over 30 years. He is gifted in motivating congregations to action, discipleship and as an exceptional teacher. People are moved by his deep commitment to Jesus.

Randy is an educator with more than thirty years experience in adult education and community development. He has a Master's Degree in Social Sciences, with an emphasis in Human Resource Development, from Azusa Pacific University, and has broad experience in both formal and non-formal education for adults.

As an adult educator, Randy has facilitated professionals and executives in planning, empowering employees, leadership training and development, and managing change. He has created curriculum to address skill development needed for success in the workplace, and relating current social trends to future education and economic demands. He has conducted need assessments within organizational as well as community settings. He has designed and conducted evaluation programs for organization and community development projects. He has facilitated adults in career planning and preparation, effective parenting techniques, personal development, management, and interpersonal communication. He has also had experience in South America training leaders in change strategies and program evaluation development.

Randy has had experience in working with "at risk" youth at the University of Southern California. He has helped diagnose learning deficiencies, prescribed intervention strategies, and created a month long intensive Summer College bridge program which focused on basic skill development for new high school graduates. He was also an adjunct faculty member at Azusa Pacific University. He has designed curriculum and taught courses in human growth and development, educational psychology, change management, the creative leadership personality and using education to empower adults in the community. He teaches community development courses to international missionaries as well as graduate leadership courses at Eastern University.

He brings into any situation his friendly, informal style which serves as a means to powerfully influence people to rise to new heights of performance. His enthusiastic and entertaining teaching style contribute to building a highly interactive, dialogical teaching/learning environment which is punctuated by high student involvement. He is a team oriented person committed to helping people fulfill their potential and realize their dreams.

JACQUE WALLACE

Jacque has been involved in the ministry for over 30 years. She has been a pastor's wife and served with the home office of a major Protestant mission agency.

One of the key aspects of Jacque's ministry is prayer. She has been instrumental in establishing prayer circles and emphasis on prayer in local churches wherever she has lived. She has trained others in intercessory prayer and been influential in creating a vision for the world within churches.

Jacque is known as a sensitive, caring and compassionate person who reaches out to women within the church. She has had a fruitful ministry among women in which she has engaged in non-formal education and personal development.

All who know her are impressed with her personal relationship with Christ and her ability to persevere in the midst of hardship or trial.

 

  

Merilee Newsham

Merilee is a former youth intern and works with at-risk youth and adults in discipleship and economic development.   She is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and has had experience serving in India.

Bob and Wendy Hammond

Bob and Wendy work with children at the Empowerment center and in the Elkhorn community.  Bob has a background in teaching; he has taught at the elementary and junior high levels, and has served as an adjunct faculty member at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.  Wendy has a degree in Christian Ministry and assists in working with children and their mothers.  The Hammonds have two sons, Steven and Timothy, and are a great addition to staff.

 

Emily Crawford.   Emily is a recent graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University and a veteran youth worker with Mustard Seeds. She served a summer as a youth intern. Upon returning to Florida, she felt God drawing her back to West Virginia to work here among at-risk youth as well as assist with children's work and work with young mothers. 

Lacy Blankenship

Lacy is a native of McDowell county and has been on staff since May of 2000.  He is married and has three children.  He oversees home repair as well as facilities and vehicle maintenance.  His gentle way with teams and knowledge of building techniques has made him a vital addition to the ministry.

Angie Caskey

Angie is a local woman whose home we worked on three years ago. She is married and has two small girls. She is one of our Redemptive Community Coordinators. She visits families we serve and seeks to start Bible studies in the homes. She is a native McDowell County person and a joy to be with. Her intelligence and humor are her strengths.

 

  

THE NEED. The Appalachian region (specifically the state of West Virginia) is often referred to as the Third World of the United States. It suffers from chronic poverty brought about by absence of jobs and remoteness of location. Some of the problems are: chronic high unemployment (30-50% in many areas), substance abuse, high drop-out rate in schools, population reduction due to migration, malnutrition (one fourth of all children in the region go to bed hungry each night), poor medical care, infant mortality exceeds national average by 35%, high rates of teen-age pregnancy, and poor housing (housing in WV, according to standards set by the United Nations on adequate housing, is so substandard that an alarming number of the population could be considered homeless).

THE STRATEGY. At times it may be necessary to engage in traditional charity work. Ultimately, though, we seek to transform the region and the people while affirming their dignity and giving them skills to succeed in our absence. Our goal is not merely to affect the economic condition of the region. We will live among the people and by representing Christ to them as we minister to their needs, we will be able to lead them to the point where God empowers them to be servants as well. This reconciliation to God and between people is central to our ministry.

 

Mustard Seeds & Mountains, Inc.
P.O. Box 686
Northfork, West Virginia 24868-0686
(304) 862-4643