Eldership
The Hartley Bridge Road congregation is overseen and served by elders (also referred to as bishops, presbyters, or pastors) as set forth in the New Testament. The eldership leads the local church (over which they have been appointed) in matters of judgment and are responsible for feeding (teaching) the church. To be an elder is to be in a place of service and work in the church. Elders have the responsibility of guiding and leading the congregation (members), overseeing the work of the congregation, and seeing that the congregation follows God's word given by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. It is the responsibility of the elders to encourage, lead, and support the members of the congregation; likewise, it is the responsibility of the individual members to support the eldership through submission to God's Word, cooperation within the church body, and perform the duties assigned to them by the elders in a respectful, timely, and professional manner. The eldership is ultimately responsible for seeing to it that the mission of the church is carried out by the congregation (i.e. evangelism, edification, and benevolence). We thank these good men for their service and dedication to the congregation. The authority of the eldership resides in the combined group of the elders and only over the congregation where they worship and serve locally. Elders are to be honored for their work's sake. They watch for the souls of the flock (members) and lead in matters of discipline -- 1 Timothy 3, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-5, Hebrews 13:7, 17.
Clifford E. Graham Jr.
Clifford Graham was born in Georgia in 1949. He served 4 years in the US Air Force including one tour in Viet Nam. Brother Graham has been a Christian for 36 years and has served as a deacon and an elder with two congregations. Brother Graham and his wife Dianne, have 3 faithful daughters and have been blessed with 7 grandchildren.
Malcolm W. James
Malcolm James is retired but keeps very busy. Brother Malcolm and his wife Jean have 4 sons and 1 daughter. They have 12 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
Ronald Hughley
Ron Hughley has been in the Lord’s church since September 1976. He and his wife, Jennifer, are from Columbus, Georgia. They graduated from high school together and married that same summer the day before 'they' entered the Air Force. Ron served in the Air Force for 21 years and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant. He is an assistant professor at Fort Valley State University (since 1993) and the Executive Director for Quality Directions, Inc. He is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in work with sexual and violent offenders. He and Jennifer have as their 'children', Nick, Bianca, and Emmalee.
Deacons
The Lord's church is served by deacons. The word "deacon" means servant. Deacons are servants of the church and serve under the oversight of the elders in many capacities, involving spiritual and material matters. One may read about special servants in the church in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Francis Leon Holmes
Francis Holmes has been working with the Hartley Bridge Road church of Christ for 20 years. Brother Francis was baptized in 1958 at the Highland Gardens church of Christ in Montgomery Alabama. Francis served in the US Army and retired in 1971. He and his wife Opal have been married for 55+ years and have 2 sons, 1 daughter, 4 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren.
Gospel Preacher
This congregation is also served by a preacher (or evangelist) who teaches and preaches God's word both publicly and privately in a spirit of love. His task is to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He is to speak as a herald of the soul-saving gospel. He serves under the oversight of the eldership, 1 Corinthians 1:23-24; 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Ephesians 4:15; Acts 20:19-27.
Stephen P. Waller
Steve Waller was born in Kentucky. He is a graduate of Mars Hill Bible School (Florence, AL). He attended Freed-Hardeman College (1966-68), and the T.B. Larimore School of Evangelism in Florence, AL. He has been preaching since 1966. He has also worked with several local congregations in various states and has preached in a number of lectureships and gospel meetings in the USA as well as in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. He and his wife Susan worked as full-time missionaries for 10 years in Indonesia (1998-2008) where they worked with first generation Christians and young churches. He is the father of two daughters and four grandchildren.
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