LEAD PASTOR

Blake Deibler

Blake Deibler has been the lead pastor for over 25 years at Wesley Church.  His prime responsibility is to lead people to Jesus Christ and to have them receive Him as their personal Savior.   To accomplish this, he assumes the major job of preaching the Gospel and connecting it to contemporary life in a way that is understandable and applicable to the people of our community in today’s world.  This entails visioning the needs of the people, affirming and guiding the lives of those who have already been born again and are living their lives according to the teachings of Scripture, and assuring that Wesley Church and its congregation remains a welcoming, compassionate church that will challenge its parishioners to walk and journey with Christ.

How did Blake end up at Wesley Church?  He grew up in Memorial Church in Quarryville, PA, and received Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 17.  He began teaching math in the Solanco School District, but his passion for his God and his belief in Christ led him to become active in a licensed local pastor program.  He felt he was fortunate to be able to teach school for 34 years.  This allowed him to have a connection with young people on a daily basis and to set an example for them that would help establish a foundation for their future lives.  During this time, he was a part time pastor at Wesley and with the help of his wife and three children, he was able to do both jobs. In 2012, Blake retired from teaching and became a full time pastor.

Blake’s personal goals are to continue being faithful to the word of God, to keep going in his journey with Christ; to be a good father to his children  and a good  husband to his wife;  to pastor, to teach, and to be a great family guy.

Blake’s goals for Wesley Church are to expand the ministry, to deepen the faith and to aid people in their life journey with Christ.  He believes that until everyone one in Solanco has come to Christ, his work here is not done.  He wants to be part of this experience and fulfil God’s plan for him!

EXECUTIVE PASTOR

Rich Stevenson

Rich came to Wesley with experience in pastoring, church planting and missions. He responded to the invitation to join the pastoral staff at Wesley because of his deep commitment to the local Church. It really is “plan A,” and there is no “plan B.” Rich is delighted to share in the administrative tasks of local Church ministry, but is overjoyed at the thought of investing in young adults and cultivating a greater emphasis on prayer.

Rich is the author of five books:

Secrets of the Spiritual Life—10 Lessons from the One Thing Passages (Baker Books, 2003)

A Voice from Home—The Words You Long to Hear from Your Father (WaterBrook Press, 2005)

Let’s Dance – A New Way of Relating to Jesus (1elevenmedia, 2017)

40 Days of Easter – Walking with Jesus from the Resurrection to the Ascension (1elevenmedia, 2017)

Scattered Sheep – For Those Prone to Wander (1elevenmedia, 2017)

He graduated from Asbury University in 1984 with a BA degree in Philosophy of Religion and Asbury Theological Seminary in 1987 with a Master of Divinity degree. In 2010, Rich received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Union Biblical Seminary in Yangon, Myanmar.

Rich has been married to Tania since 1982 and they have four children and four grandchildren: Zachary and Meghan with daughters Naima and Aria;  Jacob and Lena with sons Grey and Levi; Jessica and Corrie Emma.

WORSHIP DIRECTOR

Craig Deibler

Craig has  been with Wesley since 2012.  His duties at Wesley are to oversee the entire worship service from the technical and musical standpoint.  This entails designing the service order, overseeing our Worship Team, and mentoring and coaching those involved in leading on Sunday morning.

Before serving at Wesley he was the Worship leader at Memorial Methodist Church in Quarryville, PA, for 13 years.  He felt God completing his ministry there.  Craig and Lisa visited Wesley with our daughter, Sarah.  They loved Wesley and felt that they were being guided to follow that lead.

At Wesley, ‘We believe that Worship is not a warm up to the sermon but a warm up for Heaven.’  We desire those who attend to feel the freedom to worship how they feel led.  Craig is excited about leading worship and being a part of a growing congregation here at Wesley!

DIRECTOR OF HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRIES/FACILITIES MANAGER

Lester Davis

Lester has been on staff since September of 2014. His responsibilities revolve around the personal and spiritual growth of students in the community. Lester graduated in 2013 from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s Degree in Technology Education. He plans to seek further education at Lancaster Bible College with a goal of one day obtaining his Masters of Education in Professional Counseling.

Lester grew up in the southern end and graduated from Solanco High School in 2009. You may see him in the schools periodically as he is also a substitute teacher for both the Solanco and Conestoga Valley School Districts. Lester has a genuine passion for working with students in the public schools, but his true desire is to see students come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through authentic relationships and intentional connections.

Lester currently resides in the village of Nine Points with his wife Melody, whom he married in June of 2016. They have a son, Cannon who was born in 2017.  He and Melody share a passion for youth ministry. Lester enjoys the outdoors, building stuff, hanging out with friends, and simply being in fellowship with believers.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Julie Walton

Julie is no stranger to Wesley Church. She and her husband Ken have been part of Wesley for 22 years. Julie enjoyed being a stay at home mom while their son Kenny grew up and now they are getting use to having an empty nest. Julie loves being able to help with Wesley’s Care Team, Youth Group, A-Team  Sunday School and where ever else she’s needed. During the week you can find Julie in the office ready to greet you with a smile and help you in any way she can.

WESLEY NETWORK AND COLERAIN WORSHIP LEADER/CUSTODIAN

Patrick Buckner

DIRECTOR OF MIDDLE SCHOOL MINISTRIES

Nathaniel Lacy

COORDINATOR OF CONGREGATIONAL CONNECTION

Kim McCardell

INTERIM DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES

Kari Griest