Pastor Ken
Pastor moved to Gainesboro from Bloomington, IL in the summer of 2004 with his wife, Di and 3 of his 6 children. Since then his 3 other children have followed suit and all now reside in Jackson County with their families as well. In 2008, in obedience to God The Bridge was started and he became a pastor.
Alongside being a full time pastor, he is a full time master carpenter as well, owning his own business- Legacy Mountain Woodworking that includes old home restorations. He is also a very proud "Papaw" to 12 grandchildren.
Di Lewis
"Ms. Di" is a mighty woman and one of all trades. Amazing wife to Pastor Ken, she also sits on the Maranatha "team", is apart of the worship team, homeschools 3 of her 12 grandchildren, and manages to upkeep their home and gardens.
While sitting on the Maranatha Team, she also does the residents' weekly phase appointments, interviews for potential residents, picking up new residents, and taking ladies to court dates. On top of these responsibilities, many of the interviews, court dates, and pick ups are out of county or across the state.
Ms. Di is also in charge of the "back room", and helps run and operate The Exchange along side her daughter, "Liza"- she additionally goes in during the week to sort and put away donations.
Pastor Brett Knight
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Barbara Matz
"Ms. Barb" has literally dedicated her life to serving.
She became the house mom at Maranatha over a decade ago, not just dedicating her time, full time, but moving onto the property and into the "yellow house" with the ladies.
From getting up at the crack of dawn to take someone to work, picking them up in the afternoon from work, taking them various places for volunteer hours, grocery shopping, transportation to classes, counseling, and church, and administering drug tests as well.
She's.. the mom, She loves and cares for each and every woman that comes to and through the program and is the living example of unconditional love and service.
"Liza" Lewis- Green
Also daughter to Pastor and Ms. Di, Liza resides on "the farm" along side her parents with her husband Michael, 3 sons and their fur baby Daisy Mae.
Liza manages the audio, visual, and livestream for services, the websites, and some of the social media for the church and connected ministries.
She also in charge of the front counter, helps operate The Exchange with Ms. Di- along side of vital staff members Josi and Jennifer.
Additionally, she is on staff for Maranatha as a chaperone, and head of security.
Linda & Richard Vickers
Linda and Richard Vickers reside in Algood. Together they have 3 children, all grown and on their own, and 8 grandchildren. Both are active members at The Bridge, and Life Church in Cookeville.
Richard and Linda both sit on the “team” for Maranatha.
Additionally, Ms. Linda is the head of the jail ministry- for The Bridge and Life Church.
She is also the founder and administrator of Safe Haven, a ministry that will be up and going later this year.
Josi Lewis
Second oldest child of Pastor and Ms. Di, Josi moved to Jackson County and started attending The Bridge in 2018. She has 2 sons, Brian and Alton, and dog, "Togo".
She leads the Wednesday morning women's Bible study, and gives the announcements during service on Sunday nights.
Josi also is also a vital staff member of The Exchange, working wherever she is needed during store hours, and going in every week day to sort and distribute incoming donations to prevent them from piling up.