Adam Bortka
Adam and his sweet wife Erin found our church through a Google search and decided to give us a try. Man are we glad they did. They didn’t waste any time getting connected to people and ministry in our church. Adam has become a key Ministry Leader at The Waters.
He is a co-Leader in our Maintenance Ministry. This ministry’s main purpose is to free up the staff of our church, so that they may fulfill the role of the ministry. He and his co-leader are responsible for the overall maintenance and management of our facilities.
Adam is also a Life Group leader with his wife, Erin. They lead a young professional Life Group that is thriving, partly due to he and his wife’s passion for young professionals.
On Sunday Mornings he also leads a Life Seminar P.L.A.C.E. workshop. This workshop is designed to help people find out how they would best be used in the body of Christ. This program considers natural abilities, spiritual gifts, and life experiences to help maximize a person’s life.
Adam is a structured leader who thrives within organization, and is one of the most dependable people you’ll ever meet. You will love his gentle, humble spirit and brilliant mind.
Ben Dawson
Have you ever known someone that just seems to be good at everything? Seriously. It almost seems like there’s nothing they can’t do. Well meet Mr. Ben Dawson. I don’t even know where to start with this guy. His attitude about life is summed up with this statement, “There is no try…only do.” He isn’t afraid of any challenge. He gets involved, figures out solutions, and takes the necessary risks to pursue success. He is a vital part of the success at The Waters, and one of the most dependable guys you’ll ever meet.
Ben is a “totally behind the scenes” guy. He makes so many things happen around this place. He’s done everything from designing and building our stage to engineering our sound system. He is the leader of all our technical and sound ministries. You’ll find him every Sunday morning up in the sound booth (which he built) making sure everything looks and sounds excellent.
Next time you see him, thank him for all the behind-the-scenes work he does for us.
Bill and Lidia Lantier
Talk about people magnets! These two know how to throw a party, and how to pack the house for one. When they first started going to our church, it wasn’t long before all their neighbors started finding out about it.
Bill and Lidia serve as Life Group leaders at The Waters. Their faithfulness to this important ministry has touched the lives of many people over the years. they are some of the most “real” people you could ever know. It’s the main reason why so many people adore these two. There’s no pretense, no masks, no acting. Just authentic and genuine people who really care about others.
A friend invited them to come to the church several years ago. After their first visit, Bill and Lidia felt like they were home. They were amazed at the warmth and acceptance of the people of the church. And as soon as they joined in, that warmth was raised up a few notches.
They’ll be some of the first people that introduce themselves to you on a Sunday morning. And even if you don’t like the Dallas Cowboys, they’ll still be your friends. (Bill, you like how we put that in there?!)
Brandy Goudreau
Brandy helps with our greeting ministry and our youth ministry. She is an excellent personality at the door and the Welcome Center every Sunday morning. When you visit she’ll be one of the ones handing out worship guides and saying “howdy” when you walk in. She is also the game coordinator of our Wednesday night youth ministry program, H2O. The kids love her. And you will too!
Brittany Walsh
Brittany sets a whole new standard for real love for teens. This young lady lives to serve the teens at The Waters. You won’t believe the different kinds of desserts she makes by hand for the kids every Wednesday. We are all in awe. She is always looking for a new and creative way to reach out to teens with acceptance and guidance, God’s way.
She is relentless in her attempt to reach teens and keep them informed of what’s going on in the youth ministry. She is active with online social connections, as well as birthday cards, we-miss-you notes, text messages, and anything else she can use to get their attention. She is also very gifted in the area of graphic arts. If you see anything on our walls or in your email box about youth ministry, she created it. What in the world would we do without her?!
Erin Bortka
Erin Bortka’s thumbprint is all over our church. When you first walk in the door, you’ll quickly notice the creative way our beautiful chairs (that we bought for a buck a piece!) are arranged. It’s all her design. Erin is a creative leader with an absolutely brilliant mind. She is good at so many things.
She is our Women’s Life Seminar leader on Sunday Mornings…and our women adore her. She is great at bottom shelving truths for everyone to understand. She also co-leads a Life Group with her husband, Adam. This group is thriving partly due to her passion for young professionals. And her talents don’t stop there. Every Sunday Morning you will find Erin on stage during worship playing keyboard and oboe in our worship band, “By All Means”. When we need an engineering mind we feel blessed to have Erin.
She is quick to the task and loves a challenge. Next time you see her make sure you ask her how many chairs can fit in our auditorium, at what angle they should be placed, and how many rows and aisles there should be. You won’t believe how on the ball this girl’s mind is!
Jon Walsh
Ok, so when you look up “dependability” in the dictionary, you’re going to see this guy’s face. Jon is a breath of fresh air when it comes to youth ministry leadership. He is truly in this position for all the right reasons. He isn’t some weirdo who likes to hang with teens because he can’t get any friends his own age. He loves and leads these teens because he truly wants to help. He always says that if he can help just one young person keep away from the mistakes that he made in his teen years, and if he can lead just one closer to Jesus, then it’s all been worth it.
He puts in a lot of hours and blood, sweat and tears into making H2O a successful ministry at The Waters. We like to say that even though we can’t compete with some of the bigger youth programs in this city, we can certainly provide the teens that God brings to us with love, acceptance, genuine care and concern, and truth.
You’re going to love this guy…even if he hates the Dallas Cowboys…
Jordan McClinton
If we had to pick a man to be in the trenches with, we promise this man would be at the top of our list. He and his wife have been with us from day one… literally! He has never wavered or budged from his original commitment to this church’s mission and people. The staff of The Waters Church will forever be blessed and inspired by this man and his wonderful wife, Angela. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for this family.
Jordan co-leads our worship service every Sunday with Russ. He also helps plan weekly worship services. You can find him leading vocally, playing the acoustic guitar or even behind the drums on occasion. Jordan’s passion for true Worship is never more evident than when he is leading Gods people in Praise, leading our band members, and researching the scriptures for what true Worship is.
Jordan also maintains our website. And he keeps us current by ensuring that our podcast is up and running with each week’s messages from our Lead Pastor. What would we do without this guy!?
Kristin King
Kristin King is our Life Group Ministry Leader. She is responsible for overseeing the overall organization of Life Groups; The Waters’ small group ministry. We are so fortunate to have her. She has previously served as the staff leader of a very large college ministry organization in East Texas. She brings a wealth of knowledge & creativity to our small groups. She has a passion for people and their spiritual growth.
She is currently working in the counseling field, and does professional photography work. Check out her skills: Kristin King Photography
Robert Macfie
This Puerto Rican is one crazy guy! ~ Robert came to us in the beginning days of our church. He met Dustin Laich (one of our members) at work and was inspired by his lifestyle. Dustin had something that he wanted. He didn’t know what it was at first, but soon found the same source of strength that Dustin lived by…Jesus Christ. Robert’s life was a mess when he first attended. His marriage was on the rocks, he was addicted to drugs, his life was in shambles. After weeks of observing Dustin he finally asked him “what the heck?” Dustin simply invited him and his sweet wife, Nancy, to come test The Waters. Just a few days later Robert surrender the leadership of his life to Christ and became a fully engaged Christ follower. He was the first person ever to become a Christian at The Waters Church. Praise God!
Robert is a gifted artist. His murals are on the walls of our auditorium, and they are amazing. Robert and Nancy co-lead a Life Group with Dustin and Shannon Laich. On Sunday Mornings you’ll see Robert serving Communion along side the elders. Robert is one of the best examples we have ever seen of how Jesus can change a life for the better. Robert, we are so proud to have you serving as a ministry leader in our church.
Russ King
Eddie Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Carlos Santana & Russ King! Holy Smokes this guy can play electric guitar! We can’t tell you how amazed we continue to be with his skills on the guitar. Visit one of our services and you’ll immediately know who Russ is.
And his talents don’t stop there. Russ also co-leads our worship services with Jordan. He truly makes our music sound good. You will find Russ leading vocals as well as electric guitar on Sunday’s from the stage. Whether Russ is singing Praises to the Lord or shredding on his guitar, it is impossible not to be blessed by this man. You’ll seriously enjoy being led by him.
Tonia Paschall
We are all privileged each week to be led by Tonia as a vocalist in our band, “By All Means”. There are many songs that our church has fallen in love with, and a large majority of them are led by her. Simply put… our people love it when she sings.
Tonia has a extraordinary thirst for knowledge. She is always reading something new. This passion is extremely contagious. She passes this on to everyone she meets. Tonia is a wonderful mother of two awesome kids whom she has homeschooled since kindegarten. She is married to her best friend (who happens to be our Lead Pastor), and they’ve had a great marriage since 1992. You’ll love getting to know this gal.
Trina Dawson
Trina originally connected with a lady in our church on My Space. She started learning a little about our church and decided to give us a shot. Next thing we know she and her husband, Ben, became major leaders in our church. Trina quickly became our right arm. She’s all about “behind the scenes” type work, and she’s great at it.
Although, she has played in our band a few times…she plays a mean viola. She is an incredibly dependable part of our team. When we give her a task we know for sure that she’s going to come through. She helps us all stay on our toes around here. Trina handles our media & communications to our members & guests. She also serves in our kids ministry area every Sunday. We would be in deep weeds around here if it wasn’t for her.
Mary Gray
Mary’s testimony is one of heartache, pain and betrayal prior to knowing Christ. At the age of 27, she realized that she needed a Savior. She jumped into Christianity with everything she had and dedicated her life to Jesus. She soon met and married the love of her life, Frank Gray, who was pastoring a Baptist church at the time. As a young believer and new pastor’s wife, she dove into all things Jesus and passionately developed her relationship with Him. She immediately felt a call to minister to others the love and forgiveness and new life she had received from God.
Growing up in a home with much dysfunction and pain, Mary also pursued healing of past wounds and hurts with a vengeance. She has experienced a great amount of healing and wholeness and has a sincere passion to see other women set free from the hurts of the past and destructive patterns that keep them in bondage today. She has learned the biblical steps to freedom and has been trained in the program called “Coming Alive in Christ” which leads people from bondage to freedom. She is gifted in counseling and discernment which helps pinpoint the root causes of issues in people’s lives. She loves to give out what God has done for her and desires that all walk in the joy and freedom that God has for them.
She has led various home groups, including a support group for stay-at-home moms. Being a stay-at-home mom for 18 years has given her a heart for women in this challenging and rewarding season of their lives.
Seeing that God loves to talk to His kids and answer their prayers has given Mary a passion in this area. She has served and led many prayer teams, including Sunday morning Altar Ministry Teams. She has taught on prayer in various settings and developed and presented a Ministry Team Training Guide. She loves praying for people and watching the amazing things God does in and through them!
Mary has had a fruitful ministry as a teacher and writer. She has taught seminars for various ministries, specifically in the area of the prophetic gifts. She has been published in and been on the Board of Directors for a Christian magazine.
She was licensed to the ministry in 2001 by the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in St. Louis.
Mary has been married to Frank for 21 years and they have two children, Frankie (19) and Abby (16). Frankie lives on his own and is going to school to be a nurse. Abby is a Sophomore at Cy-Lakes High School. Frankie’s girlfriend, Christy Rocker, lives with their family and is a huge support for Mary in many ways. Last year Mary returned to work and is a Special Education Secretary at Holmsley Elementary in the Cy-Fair School ISD. She is very excited to step into this role of Women’s Minister at the Water’s Church and serve the women in this congregation.
