Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly.
STAFF CHANGES
Phillip Bethancourt, to Central Church, College Station, Texas, as pastor. Previously he was executive vice president of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Candice Carter, to First Baptist Church, Kannapolis, N.C., as minister of preschoolers and children.
Peter Casarella, to Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C., as professor of theology. Previously he was an associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame.
Michael Evans Jr., to the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, as director of public policy.
David Goatley, to Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C., as research professor of theology and Black Church Studies and faculty director of the Office of Black Church Studies.
Brad Mitchell, concluding his tenure as pastor of Alpine (Ala.) Baptist Church, to become a chaplain for Tyson Foods in Eufala, Ala.
Steven Norris, to First Baptist Church, Griffin, Ga., as senior pastor. Since 2018 he has served as associate pastor there.
Samuel Vanslyke, now serving as pastor of First Baptist Church Bladenboro, N.C. He came from First Baptist Church, Rockwell, N.C., where he was pastor for youth and children.
Wylin Wilson, to Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C., as assistant professor of theological ethics. Previously she was a teaching faculty member at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics and a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School.
RETIREMENT
Jack Mercer, retiring as senior pastor of Church on the Drive, Orlando, Fla., effective July 31.
DEATHS
Paul A. Clark Jr., died April 3 in Washington, D.C. An American and Southern Baptist minister, he was director of education at both the Baptist General Convention of Virginia and the D. C. Baptist Convention. For the past 20 years he served as pastor and intentional interim pastor and clergy coach with Baptist churches in the D.C. area. He is survived by is wife, Brenda; a son, David; a daughter, Elizabeth Thasiah; and four granddaughters.
Craig Smith, 66, died April 19 in Heathsville, Va. For 21 years he served as pastor of Morattico Baptist Church in Heathsville. He is survived by his wife, Janet; his children, Diane Smith, Jessica Frere, Emma Smith, Martin Smith; step-daughter, Shannon Roeschlein; and three grandchildren.
Sam Underwood, 68, died April 24 in Carrollton, Texas. He was pastor of Carter Lake Baptist Church, Bowie, Texas, and pastor of First Baptist Church, Farmers Branch, Texas, for more than 29 years. He is survived by his wife, Ellen; son, Will; daughters, Pamela Underwood and Molly Mitchell; and a granddaughter.
KUDOS
ANNIVERSARIES
Lucas Dorion, 7 years as associate coordinator of Alabama Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
CHURCH ANNIVERSARIES
Second Baptist Church, Richmond, Va.; 200 years; May 3.
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In case you missed them:
Transitions for the week of 4-24-20
Transitions for the week of 4-10-20
Transitions for the week of 3-27-20
Transitions for the week of 3-13-20