Our pastor is married to his wife Shelly, and the father of two boys, Jesse and wife Sarah, and Tyler and wife Emily. Jesse and Sarah have three children, Presley who is in heaven, Hayden (5) who is our safety officer, and Blakelynn (2) who thinks she is 42 and loves babies. Tyler and Emily have two children, Adilyn (4) who is NOT our safety officer and has no fear, and Layton (10 months) who is perfectly happy as long as momma is holding him.
Brad likes to hunt and be outdoors, enjoys working as an electrical and HVAC contractor, and, of course, playing with those grandbabies! He loves to teach Bible studies and really enjoys the interaction of others, especially when it challenges what he thought he knew.
Brad has been at Calvary 14 years, and hopes to be here when the Lord calls him home. “I have never been more blessed to be a part of a functioning body of believers, seeking the Lord with all our heart and saying ‘Yes Lord!’ to whatever task he calls us to.”
Our worship leader, Billy Owen Jr. (JR), has been married to Sheila for 18 years. They have four children: Taylor and wife Amy, Travis and wife Kati, Shonda and husband Jacob, and Shanae and fiancé David. Proverbs 17:6 says, “Children’s children are the crown of old men,” and the grandchildren certainly are that! Claire (11) and her little brother Theo (7) belong to Taylor and Amy. Ava (6) and Lincoln (4) belong to Shonda and Jacob. Eleanor (almost 3 and waiting not so patiently for baby brother) belongs to Travis and Kati.
JR and Sheila joined Calvary in 2009. He was ordained as deacon in 2011, and he became worship leader in 2013. His granddad, Wayne Owen, served as deacon at Calvary, and his dad, Bill Owen, currently serves as deacon. JR helps with the food distribution and GriefShare ministries at the church and enjoys Bible studies and discussion.
JR is a truck driver, and he and Sheila own a small trucking business delivering feed to dairies. His hobbies include gardening, blacksmithing, woodworking and most of all playing with grandkids.
Our associate pastor is married to his wife Doris, he is the father of two grown children. His son Mark is the pastor at Ranchvale Baptist Church, and he and his wife, Sherri, have three grown children, one daughter and two sons. Mark and Sherri's daughter has two children, Wes and Doris' 2 greatgrandchildren. Wesley and Doris' daughter, Cheryl, is a teacher, and her husband, David Wilkins, is a pastor in Texas. They have two grown sons.
Wesley entered the ministry in 1961. He holds degrees from ENMU and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He has pastored in Missouri, Colorado, California, and New Mexico. While being a member for quite some time, Wesley did not come on staff as our associate until 2020. He has filled his position, in supporting the pastor, with excellence.
Wesley leads our prayer ministry and loves to teach and talk about the Spirit filled life. If ever you would like to meet with him to discuss this topic, his door is always open. Call the church office, make an appointment, and be ready to be blessed!
Our Education Pastor is Anthony Griffith. He is married to Debbie, and they have three grown sons and eight grandchildren. He was saved at six years old and surrendered to the ministry (the first time) at age twelve. However, after a time of running from the church and God's call on his life, Anthony surrendered again in 1992. It was then that he was ordained and soon began studying for the ministry. He has a Bachelor and Master of Theology from Andersonville Baptist Seminary in Camilla, Georgia. Anthony pastored several small churches in east Texas and Dallas, Texas, before serving in Dora as the senior pastor for several years.
Anthony joined the staff in November 2021. He has a heart for missions and has written the Sunday School Curriculum we are currently using on this topic. He loves helping members grow in their understanding of God's Word and how they can apply this learning in their daily lives. His encouraging persona is contagious.
Besides preaching and teaching, Anthony enjoys hunting and target shooting. His article, "Rebirth of the Rifle That Never Was," was recently published in the magazine, Single Shot Rifle Journal. Anthony was a small business owner, served seven years active Navy, eight years active Army and two years reserve. Such experience is beneficial to ministering our area, and we are thrilled to have him on board.
Our Women's Ministry and Volunteer Coordinator, Dee Sewell, has been married to Dr. Dag Sewell, the director of the Baptist Student Union (BSU) Christian Challenge at ENMU, for 38 years come November. They have four grown daughters, four sons-in-law, and eight grandchildren. The eldest daughter and her family live in Louisiana, and the second and her family live in Colorado. The third and fourth daughters and their families live in New Mexico, but none of them are as close as Dee would like
. Dee grew up in Portales and was raised going to Emmanuel Baptist Church. She gave her life to Christ at 15 and surrendered to fulltime ministry at 17. She came to understand that ministry to be the wife of a pastor, and she continues to enjoy that role. Once the girls left home, Dee completed her bachelor's degree in religion at ENMU in 2013 and her master's degree in theological studies from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in 2015. She has taught, and hopes to continue to teach, religion classes at ENMU as well as the PHED 1830 Walk/Jog class. Dag and Dee feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to get to know the students who come to the BSU while attending ENMU.
Dee's heart desire is to help the women of Calvary to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and to help all members find a place to serve and get plugged into the church. Dee is concerned for both the spiritual and physical health of our members and hopes to start a walk class at the church again soon. Right now, she enjoys teaching Bible studies and helping in the various ministries of our church. We wouldn't say she's quiet, by any stretch of the imagination, but she's friendly and would love to share Jesus with you! So, call the office and make an appoint to have coffee/tea with her and a good ole' heart-to-heart chat.
Kelley joined the staff in 2020.She is married to Jimmy, and together they have two grown children, a daughter and a son. The daughter (with her family) lives in Olton, Texas and the son lives in Portales. They have three grandchildren. Kelley drove a school bus for years and also worked as a secretary for another church in the area before accepting this position. She has been an active member of a Baptist church since the 1970s and enjoys helping others. Kelley brightens the office with her sense of humor and compassionate spirit. We are blessed to have her leading in administrative duties.
