Patton accepts call to Fairview
Steve PattonSTEVE PATTON, associate professor of New Testament and preaching in the T. Walter Brashier Graduate School of North Greenville University, received a unanimous call as lead pastor of Fairview Baptist Church, Greer, July 22. Patton, who has been serving as interim pastor at Fairview since January, began his new duties Aug. 1.
Prior to joining the faculty of North Greenville, Patton was pastor of churches in Missouri, Florida and Texas for more than 20 years. A native of Missouri, he is a graduate of the Baptist College of Florida and Southwestern Baptist Seminary. Patton has also been an adjunct professor of New Testament and Greek at Southwestern Baptist Seminary.
He and his wife Lesa, a dental hygienist, have two children: Andrew, a sophomore at NGU, and Stephanie, a senior at Greer High School.
Russell BennettRUSSELL BENNETT began duties July 1 as family life/student associate at Utica Baptist Church, Seneca. He grew up in Gwinnett County, Ga., and has been a student at Southeastern Baptist Seminary. He and his wife Miranda have two children, Bailey and Cohen.
Danny HedgepathDANNY HEDGEPATH began duties July 22 as pastor of Sheldon Baptist Church, Sheldon. Raised in Fort Lawn, he is retired from the Air Force and has served as a pastor in the Sumter and Richburg area since 2000. He has also been a volunteer chaplain for the Fort Lawn Police Department. He and his wife Cindy have two children, D.J. and Nikki. They also have one grandson, Jaden, 2 years old.
Shafter JohnstonSHAFTER JOHNSTON has been called as pastor of Nebo Baptist Church, Gresham, where he has served as interim for the past several months. He and his wife Kim have a daughter, Chandler, and two sons, Coulter and Shafter Jr.
Adam RossADAM ROSS began pastoral duties June 10 at Hillcrest Baptist Church, Laurens. He is a 2007 graduate of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute. He and his wife Joann have two children, Donovan and Noah.
NATHAN WAGANER has joined the staff of Alice Drive Baptist Church, Sumter, as student pastor. He has been in the ministry for five years and comes to Alice Drive from Oklahoma City, Okla. He and his wife Melissa have a son, Parker.
JERRY SONGER has been called as interim pastor of First Baptist Church, Orangeburg. He has been an interim specialist for 10 years and has previously served 10 interims. Songer and his wife Brenda have five adult children.
Charles HallCHARLES HALL celebrated his 25th anniversary at Davis Memorial Baptist Church, Spartanburg. He became pastor of Davis Memorial in July 1982.