Author: GCI Media

Todd Crouch (pictured at right with his wife Denise) is living one of his life’s dreams. “For as long as I can remember, even from age four or five, I have always wanted to know God and to really understand the Bible. I even talked to my Methodist minister about becoming a pastor.” Todd’s dream came true and he now pastors three GCI congregations: Wheeling, West Virginia; Washington, Pennsylvania; and Cambridge, Ohio.

Growing up in the small town of Speers, Pennsylvania, Todd’s first contact with GCI was through a cousin. “He gave me a subscription to The Plain Truth as a Christmas gift in 1974. I read it and for some reason it struck a chord…there was a real zeal. I appreciated that the WCG encouraged people to look into Scripture and that Christianity was meant to be something engaging that would change us.” Todd began attending WCG in 1981 in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania (now the Mt. Pleasant congregation), and was baptized later that year.

Todd met his wife Denise at a church function. She was attending the Washington, Pennsylvania congregation. “In 1983 we got married and we moved to Bentleyville which is where we still live. It’s about halfway between our two families. We attended the Washington church with family.”

Todd and Denise have two sons, both married. David and his wife Elissa live in Moore, Oklahoma. David works as a SharePoint Administrator for Chickasaw Nation Industries. Elissa is a meteorologist for Weather News in Norman. They attend the Oklahoma City church. No grandkids yet.

“Our youngest son Jonathan is an officer-ranger with the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources and Conservation policing the state parks. His wife Jill is a forensic scientist with the Pennsylvania State Police. Jonathan is a member of the Washington, Pennsylvania church. Jill attends the church she grew up in. No grandkids yet.”

Todd, who worked in advertising, was asked to become the bi-vocational associate pastor of the Mt. Pleasant congregation in 1999. “I’m not sure what led to it other than at that time when many were leaving our fellowship, we stayed. We attended new pastors’ training at HQ in 2000. In 2005, Todd was hired full time and became the senior pastor of the three congregations.

What Todd enjoys most about being a pastor is, “Telling others about Jesus and having conversations with people about Jesus. I also love fellowship and worship. Pastors have the opportunity to participate with Jesus in ministering in many ways. You are bound up with the lives of so many and you experience so much through these relationships. Building relationships with other Christian pastors and churches is also a big plus.”

His most memorable moment as a pastor happened in Palm Springs during the International Pastors’ Conference, “when I first realized that Jesus had not left his humanity in the grave and is thus still ‘one of us’ and always will be.”

Speaking about GCI, Todd said, “God has given us a unique history and story to be a part of. I also like that so many of us know one another and have mutual friends. Also there is an intangible quality with GCI that is hard to define, but it’s there. It’s the desire, I think, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit with the focus on Jesus. We desire to know Jesus deeply and to see lives changed as we understand what Jesus has done for us all.”

Todd loves to share what God is doing with the three small churches he pastors. “We have a radio program called Fountain of Life. It is heard on a small radio station here in Washington and we have an ever-growing audience of online listeners in over 310 cities in America and all over the world at www.rkpradio.com. This shows us that Jesus uses our loaves and fish as we bring them to him.”

When does Todd feel closest to God? “In times of worship, both privately and when the church comes together.”

Mike Swagerty’s career track made a radical turn at a young age. He explains: “I have never been convicted as an arsonist, but as a child I am afraid I was a budding pyromaniac. At age eight I started a fire on our farm that nearly burned down all the houses and out-buildings. Needless to say the punishment that was forthcoming basically got me over my ‘fire bug’ ways.” Mike has replaced pyromania with playing cards. “I love to play cards, especially bridge. I have belonged to a Thursday night bridge group for many years.”

Mike, who pastors GCI’s church in Sacramento, California, lives about 100 miles from where he grew up. “I grew up on a peach farm about 11 miles southeast of Modesto. I never moved from birth until college from that farm. After being accepted to college and being ordained a minister at graduation, I simply moved wherever HQ told me to go. My first assignment was in Toledo, Ohio and my last transfer was to Sacramento in 1991.”

At age 15, Mike started listening to The World Tomorrow radio broadcast. “I remember the question on the broadcast that caught my interest: ‘Why were you born?’ This led to booklets, 58 Correspondence Course lessons, magazines and then applying to college after my graduation from high school. I became a baptized member of GCI during my freshman year at Ambassador College in 1964.”

Mike and his wife Sandy will celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary in May 2014. “I met Sandy while we were in college in Pasadena. Funny that we didn’t even date until we were seniors. Our final week was a real whirlwind. We got married on a Sunday. We graduated and I was ordained the following Friday. By Monday we were headed for Toledo, Ohio, our first pastoral assignment.”

Mike and Sandy have two sons. “Terry, our first, was born while we were finishing our stay in Toledo. He was only three weeks old when we traveled to New Jersey. Our second son, Robert, was born in New Jersey. Terry is now 44 and Robert is 40. We have four grandchildren—a boy and a girl from each son. The boys are Jakob and AJ,and the girls are Trinity and Maddie.”

When asked what he enjoys most about being a pastor, make replied: “There’s almost nothing I don’t enjoy—even the paperwork. But my greatest love is sharing the lives of people. I have met so many interesting people over the years and I never get tired of hearing their stories.”

Mike has several stories of his own. “The one that stands out is a baptism in a stream. I was in my suit and didn’t have a bathing suit. So I took off my socks and shoes, and my coat and tie, and rolled up my pants. I was baptizing a lady and her adult daughter. The bottom of this stream was covered with round stones that had moss growing on them. The footing was treacherous. Just as I bent over to lower the daughter into the water, my foot slipped and the whole crotch of my pants tore from one end to the other, leaving me just a bit exposed! Not to be defeated, I tied my coat around my waist like an apron and we finished the baptism. Funny thing, the mother was a seamstress and we went back to her house where she sewed up my pants!

Sandy is a big part of Mike’s ministry. “Besides helping me with office work, visitation and all the normal things pastors’ wives do, Sandy has hosted a women’s small group at our home for 18 years. She has been involved as a singer on the worship team for our entire 22 years here. She has been very much involved with Connecting and Bonding, which is an outreach to ministers’ wives led by Jannice May. Sandy is a prayer warrior, never missing the opportunity to add to her considerable prayer list. She also works as a cashier at Target, where I refer to her as “Mother Teresa,” as she is always a good listener, comfort giver, and prayer partner for all who come through her line.”

When asked what he loves about GCI, Mike shared, “The fellowship and the many friends. We have folks scattered all over the world that we consider friends. I know of no other church denomination that can say this.”

When asked about his passion, Mike said, “My passion right now is to pass along my faith to the next generation. I am very active in the lives of my children and grandchildren. In the last two years I have found a real interest in summer camp. I am part of the team preparing to start a new GenMin camp at Lake Tahoe.”

Mike feels closest to God “in the early morning, and especially in the beauty of his creation. I love my morning time spent with God at around sunrise each day.”