Pastor Mark Pitts was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and spent most of his growing up years out in the country where his family raised quarter horses, as well as a complement of other pets. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior his senior year of high school. After high school he attended Murray State University to study construction engineering, but during his freshman year was dramatically called by God into vocational ministry.
Desperately needing some formal Christian education he moved to Arizona in the early 1970's to complete his bachelor degree at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. From there he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary earning a Master of Arts in Religious Education. Later he earned a Doctor of Practical Ministry from Trinity Theological Seminary.
He met the love of his life in the early 1980's and married her soon thereafter. They have two wonderful children, a son attending the Air Force Academy & a daughter recently married. He just recently became the grandfather of a beautiful new granddaughter.
Pastor Mark has been Senior Pastor of VMBC since 1996.
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Gale Trow - Administrator & Education Pastor
Gale Trow was born in Minnesota. His father was a Baptist Minister and his mother taught children in the church. At an early age, in a Vacation Bible School class, he accepted Christ as his personal Savior.
Gale grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. During college he managed retail department stores. After graduating from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, with a Business Management degree, he went on to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas.
He has served churches in Arizona, Louisiana, and New Mexico. He came to Village Meadows Baptist Church from Hobbs, New Mexico, in October, 2002.
He and his wife Brenda are the parents of Jon, who is a student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he is pursuing a Ph. D in Microbiology. His goal is do medical research. Brenda teaches first grade at Berean Academy.
Gale uses his spare time working with wood, building furniture, and making lots of saw dust.
Brian Ellsworth was born in Flint, Michigan. When he was six years old he understood that without Jesus Christ as his Savior he was headed for Hell. So, on Sunday at a small church in Michigan, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. When he was eleven, his parents joined New Tribes Mission and they moved to Wisconsin where his dad became the head cook at the Bible School.
After high school, he joined the Navy and married his wonderful wife, Jo. They have two children, a daughter in Maryland, and a son that is just finishing up high school.
While in the Navy Brian felt God calling him into full time ministry and therefore went on to study to prepare for his calling. He did his undergraduate studies at Southwestern Bible College in Phoenix, Arizona, and his graduate studies at Moody Bible School in Chicago.
He has been in youth ministry since 1985, and has been at Village Meadows since 1999. He believes that youth ministry is one of the most important things that we can do to help change our community and world.
Jim Hurlburt is from Northern California. Born and raised in a Christian home in the East Bay Area, he came to know Jesus as His Lord and Savior at the age of five while attending Vacation Bible School. His family was a musical one: both parents and his brother and one sister either sang or played instruments. His father was a sound engineer for television and radio stations and a very broad range of music was a constant presence in their home. Jim felt the call to ministry in high school, and in college God confirmed the call, directing him to a ministry in music and worship.
Jim graduated from Los Angeles Baptist College (now the Master’s College) in Santa Clarita, California in1985 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with an emphasis in Church Music, Music Education and Voice. He received a California Teaching Credential from the Master’s College in 1986. While in college Jim met his wife, Tina, and the two immediately became a musical team. Married since 1986, they have one daughter and two sons.
Jim has served as a Pastor/Worship Leader in California, Oregon and Washington since 1983. Jim sings and, for a number of years, was a member of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Chorus. He also plays several instruments, including trumpet and guitar.
Jim is an avid history buff and is particularly interested WWII and American history. Jim and his family love the outdoors and enjoy camping, as well as rodeos and fairs. They like to play music together at home and in ministry. Since 1999 they have had a concert ministry through which they have lead worship and ministered to thousands of people across the western United States.
Listed in Who’s Who in American Religion, 2001, Jim came to Village Meadows Baptist Church in July, 2006.
Larry Lane was born in Grand Junction, Colorado and moved to Tucson at the age of one year. He was raised in the Tucson area and accepted Christ as a youth.
Larry became interested in sharing the Gospel full time in 1989 and was ordained as a Deacon in Tucson in 1990. Larry and his wife, Susan moved to Sierra Vista and became members of VMBC in 1994 and became involved in missions work in 1997.
In 1998, God laid it on his heart to help a widow lady with some home repairs. Larry invited some brothers in Christ to help, and we started an organization called Widow's Mite. The Widow's Mite is a non denominational para church organization whose goal was to assist widows and orphans. Now the Widow's Mite assists those in need in our community. Through the efforts of Widow's Mite we have seen several people led to the Lord and lives changed.
As Mission Pastor it Larry's belief that missions is a very rewarding way to serve our God, and be in obedience to Acts 1:8 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 to go and make disciples. Missions is not something a church does it is something a church is.
In his free time, Larry enjoys reading, hunting, fishing, anything outdoors, and time alone with God, which is one of His great gifts.
T.J. Lewis is a Texan that just happens to have been born in Conway, Arkansas in 1983 while his parents were in college there. T.J. is from a family full of pastors, on both sides of his family. Being the son of a pastor, he moved around a lot. However, if you ask him, he will tell you that Anson, Texas is home. He accepted Christ as his savior at age 5 on Easter Sunday. He was called to the ministry at age 17 before his Senior year of high school. Because his youth pastor became the interim pastor of his church his Senior year, he got to serve as the interim youth pastor of his home church in Anson for a year under careful guidance. He says it was the best on-the-job training he could have possibly received.
T.J. graduated from Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas, the place of his birth. And just as his mom always told him he would, he met his wife Rebekah while there, 20 years after their parents attended and double dated together. They both graduated with degrees, his - a Bachelors of Science in Bible, hers - a bachelors of arts in Religious Education. They've been doing student ministry together for the last 7 years. They have a 3 year old son, and 1 year old twins, a boy and a girl. T.J. has been in student ministry for 10 years now, serving churches both in Texas and in Arkansas.
T.J. loves playing basketball, softball, and golf with men from the church, video games with the youth group, Disney movies with his children, and dates with his wife. You'll often find him listening to talk radio and reading the news as he enjoys current events. Dr Pepper and Buffalo Wild Wings is his feast of choice. The Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, and Texas A&M Aggies are his teams.
Pastor Mark Pitts was born in Owensboro, Kentucky and spent most of his growing up years out in the country where his family raised quarter horses, as well as a complement of other pets. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior his senior year of high school. After high school he attended Murray State University to study construction engineering, but during his freshman year was dramatically called by God into vocational ministry.
Gale Trow was born in Minnesota. His father was a Baptist Minister and his mother taught children in the church. At an early age, in a Vacation Bible School class, he accepted Christ as his personal Savior. 
Brian Ellsworth was born in Flint, Michigan. When he was six years old he understood that without Jesus Christ as his Savior he was headed for Hell. So, on Sunday at a small church in Michigan, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord. When he was eleven, his parents joined New Tribes Mission and they moved to Wisconsin where his dad became the head cook at the Bible School.
Jim Hurlburt is from Northern California. Born and raised in a Christian home in the East Bay Area, he came to know Jesus as His Lord and Savior at the age of five while attending Vacation Bible School. His family was a musical one: both parents and his brother and one sister either sang or played instruments. His father was a sound engineer for television and radio stations and a very broad range of music was a constant presence in their home. Jim felt the call to ministry in high school, and in college God confirmed the call, directing him to a ministry in music and worship. 
Larry Lane was born in Grand Junction, Colorado and moved to Tucson at the age of one year. He was raised in the Tucson area and accepted Christ as a youth.
