Pastor Art Stratton
Senior Pastor |
Pastor
Art was raised in a family that had roots in Roman Catholic, Baptist
and Presbyterian traditions in New York City. He came to a personal
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ at age 18. His first career was
in aerospace engineering and production supervision. After marrying
Nancy Lou Berg, in 1973, their commitment to serve Christ led
him to enroll in seminary. He completed both his Master of Divinity
(1980) and Doctor of Ministry (1988) degrees at Gordon-Conwell
Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.
After graduating from seminary, his first pastorate was in southern
New England: a Baptist church which experienced the Holy Spirit’s
blessing spiritually and numerically. Dozens of individuals came
to faith in Christ and were either discipled or mentored over
a period of six years. This was an example of Dr. Stratton’s passion
for discipling people one-on-one. In 1987 Pastor Art and his wife,
Nancy and a small group of dedicated people founded New Hope Christian
Chapel, an independent, interdenominational church. Growth of
the Chapel was attributed in part to the biblical discipleship
principles and methodology developed by Pastor Art.
Five generations of people within the Chapel were discipled and
or mentored and several pastors from other churches in New England
were trained in the multiplication of leaders for the local church. |
Pastor Art assumed the position of Senior Pastor of Community Congregational
Church in July of 2005. A great deal has occurred since that time.
His vision for creating a learning and worshiping environment through
biblical teaching made relevant in today's world is positively affecting
our church.
Our Senior Pastor is a disciplined pastor-teacher, evidenced by
the detailed expository sermon outlines in the bulletin each week.
Ask him and he will tell you he loves to go deeper and deeper in
the Word of God, and he loves the pastoral ministry which affords
him the opportunity to help people grow in their faith.
Pastor Art has been married to Nancy over thirty years and they
have two children. Their son, David, and his wife, Michelle pastor
a church in Massachusetts and they have made Art and Nancy proud grandparents. Their daughter, Grace, is
a college student and an accomplished pianist. |
Dan McLaughlin
Associate Pastor of Christian Education
|
Dan
McLaughlin joined the staff of CCC in January 2007 as Associate
Pastor. His primary area of responsibility is in the area of Christian
Education where he envisions providing people with the resources
and direction to develop their relationship with God and with
each other. Prior to joining CCC, Dan has served as a youth pastor,
senior pastor and teaching pastor. Dan grew up on the south side
of Indianapolis, graduating from Perry Meridian High School before
attending Taylor University in Upland, Indiana to earn his Bachelor
of Arts in Psychology and later completing a Masters of Arts in
Religion through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield,
Illinois. Occasionally finding time for hobbies such as golf and
woodworking, most of his time is dedicated to spending with his
growing family. He and his wife, Denise, were married in 2001
and they have 2 children. |
Deanna Miles
Music Director
|
Deanna joined the CCC staff in June of 2008. She is an Indiana native who brings over 20 years of worship experience to our church. Deanna, a graduate of Indiana University, is an accomplished pianist, keyboardist and organist and has been serving as a church musician since her teenage years. She trained as a classical pianist and accomplished accompanist for many years before expanding her music education to include contemporary worship formats, praise band styling, handbell ringing, directing and children's musicals and studio recording. She enjoys many styles of music and believes God has blessed her through many different worship and leadership experiences, always preparing her for His next step in her life. Deanna and her husband, Matt, have three children. Deanna is a homeschool mom and active volunteer in the community. She enjoys a variety of interests and hobbies, but her main passions are living for the Lord, seeking Him through His Word, raising a God-honoring family and ministering to others through the power of His Holy Spirit. |
Debi Macy Smith
Church Secretary |
Debi Macy-Smith has been our secretary since 2002. She has a caring and helpful spirit with a joyful love for God. You could say she is the glue of the church, making sure the weekly operations and Sunday morning Worship run smoothly. If you stop in to say hi, you will get a friendly greeting in return. When not working at the church, she and her husband, Roger Smith, share their musical gift with their music ministry of Macy-Smith & Co. Their love of various music styles takes them many places throughout Indiana to perform, bringing joy and laughter to those they come in contact. She is a life-long member of Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, where she has always been active in the music ministry and Roger is Minister of Music Worship and Arts. Debi loves her family, cooking, gardening, reading, refinishing furniture and the Lord's outdoors. College students Hannah and Adam and family dog Gidget round out the family. |