About Ben
As a junior at the University of Georgia, Ben met Jesus who forever altered the course of his life. Just a few months later his future wife and high school sweetheart surrendered her life to Jesus. The same year God told Ben that he would one day preach. God used Ben at UGA for his remaining 2 years there. He became a leader at the Baptist Student Union, beginning an evangelism ministry, and leading a bible study. After college Ben moved home, married Tiffany and started building houses. Life was comfortable, but Ben continued dreaming of pastoral ministry. As Ben’s desire to preach and his burden for college age singles increased he started a college ministry at his church. After leading this for about a year, God began to draw Ben toward church planting. However, Ben knew he needed training in this area. The Lord led Ben and his family to Graystone Church in Grayson, GA. Graystone’s desire was to become a training center and launching pad for church planters. In the fall of 2010 Ben underwent an intense church planter assessment process led by John Worcester. After being confirmed in his calling, Ben began an internship at Graystone Church to prepare him for church planting.
The Call
After the Lord had burdened us deeply for the New England area, my wife and I began to pray asking the Lord to show us the place he wanted us to plant our first church. One night the Lord spoke to me as I studied Psalm 32:8 which says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Right then he told me that the place we were to move to was called Wilmington and that it was located in a valley. I googled “Wilmington” and found that there was a Wilmington located in the Deerfield Valley of Vermont (the least churched state in America). I did not tell Tiffany what the Lord had said, only that the Lord had given me the name of the place he wanted us to plant a church. The next morning Tiffany told me that she believed the Lord had spoken to her. I asked her what the Lord had said, and she replied, “Wilmington”.
