Senior Pastor - Chad Morgan
Pastor Chad Morgan, a native Texan and military veteran, has lived in the Mohawk Valley since 2020. Pastor Chad met the love of his life, Emily, in Houston in 2013 and married her the following year. They have been blessed with four boys who keep their home very exciting. While both Chad and Emily will admit that life has not always been easy, they both credit the Lord’s grace in sustaining and growing their marriage into what it is today. Pastor Chad and Emily have a heart to see the Mohawk Valley reached with the transformative message of the gospel of Christ.
After leaving the Coast Guard, Pastor Chad was brought by grace to saving faith through the blessed gospel of Jesus Christ and was called to surrender his life to gospel ministry in 2009. Pastor Chad has a Bachelors degree in Theology from Liberty University and a Masters in Theological Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Hobbies: Hunting, Axe Throwing, Fishing, Refinishing Furniture
Favorite Books: Institutes of the Christian Religion (Calvin), Mortification of Sin (Owen), Letters to My Students (Spurgeon)
Minister of Worship - Mike Kessler
Mike has had the privilege of serving in various pastoral roles over the years. He is a man who is passionate about the Lord, His church, and the proper worship of God by His people.
Mike works for The Hartford insurance company as his vocation. He lives in Oneida with his lovely wife Lucy and sweet daughter Michaela.
Hobbies: Camping, Gardening, Studying Historic Culinary Traditions
Favorite Books: The Forgotten Trinity (White), Slave (MacArthur), The Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer), The Screwtape Letters (C.S. Lewis)
Deacon - Dan Murphy
Dan, and his wife Kim, are new to Central NY, moving here full- time in February, 2022. Dan is an assistant principal at Rome Free Academy and has been a public school administrator in NY for many years, after being a high school math teacher and coach prior to that. Dan holds a BS in Communications with a concentration in Public Speaking as well as an MA in Public School Administration.
The Lord saved Dan in 1999, as a 30 year old husband and father. He and Kim were attending and became members of Westminster Reformed Presbyterian church, Suffolk, VA, where they were discipled for 4 years before moving to NY. They then moved to the Hudson Valley and were members of Clinton Corners Evangelical Free Church for nearly 20 years. Dan served as a Deacon beginning in 2008 and was nominated for Chair of the Deaconate in 2012 where he served until moving to Rome. Dan was also a student of the Word in many Bible studies, mid- week classes and a faithful attendee of Sunday evening prayer meetings.
Dan and Kim have 3 adult children who graduated from their home school. Their oldest son married in the spring of 2022 and lives in Poughkeepsie. Their daughters live with them in Utica, although their youngest is at college in South Carolina. Dan loves sports and is an avid golfer. He also loves landscaping work and working on cars. He and his wife purchased an older home in South Utica and are excited about renovating it and having many dinners and gatherings there.
Hobbies: Golfing, Yard Work, Tinkering With Cars
Favorite Books: Scripture, Historical Fiction Novels by Jeffrey Scharra
Deacon - Brian Bookamer
Brian and Hannah Bookamer are the parents to seven kids and one super awesome grandbaby. They have lived in Norwich New York for nearly thirteen years. Brian was originally raised in Carlisle Pennsylvania, where he attended Grace Baptist Church. He was saved in 1988, in his senior year of high school, through strong testimonies of Christian friends and the faithful witness of the Godly men that he was surrounded by. After moving from Pennsylvania, owned his own contracting business for a brief time, before moving into the automation industrial control field. Brian has served as an adult Sunday school teacher and a Deacon for many years. Brian and Hannah began attending Christ The King Reformed Baptist Church of Utica in the summer of 2023. He has been serving as a Deacon at Christ the King since August of 2024. Brian enjoys
watching basketball, going to his children's sporting events, listening to sermons, and spending time with his children and grandson.
