Meet
our Staff
Eddie
Schafer
Pastor
I
was born in Dallas and raised in Irving. I haven't strayed
very far from home.Being raised in a Christian home it was
easy for me to ask Jesus into my life at the age of 7. At
the age of 15 I felt called into the ministry. I've graduated
from MacArthur High School, Dallas Baptist College (now it's
a big university) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Before attending Southwestern I attended DTS (not to be confused
with Dallas Transit System) and took classes at Bright Divinity
School. While attending graduate school I worked at United
Parcel Service.
Just
before graduating from SWBTS, and accepting my first church,
I married Rochelle. She works at Denton Baptist Association.
We have three boys: Steven, Michael, and Nathan. They are
my delight. In my 20 years as serving as a pastor, I've served
in 5 churches. In May of 2000, I came to Highland. We consider
Denton to be a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
And we consider the folks at Highland to be the best around.
They are a delight to serve.
I
like to play the guitar (self enjoyment), fish (I caught a
9 pounder out of Lake Ray Roberts last year), and golf (I
took it up a few months ago not having played in 25 years).
Well,
enough about me. Why don't you stop by and tell me a little
about yourself!
Earl
Nuckels
Worship Leader
Earl
Nuckels is a native of Denton, Texas. He was born in Denton
August 20th, 1950 to Bee and Mary Nuckels. He attended College
View Baptist Church where his father was an active Deacon.
In 1958 he accepted Christ as Savior and was baptized. At
the age of 14 he accepted the call to Christian service while
attending Falls Creek Baptist Encampment in Oklahoma. During
his High School year at Denton High School he accepted the
position of music and youth director at Towne North Baptist
Church in Denton. In 1971 he accepted the position of music
and youth director at First Baptist Church, Little Elm, Texas.
In 1972 he married Martha Christian of Denton. Earl served
in Little Elm while attending North Texas State University
where he received his Bachelor on Music degree. Following
his bachelors degree he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary where he received his Master of Religious Education
degree. Earl and Martha have two sons Christian 20 and Jordan
16. After serving full time in ministry in Little Elm, Sherman,
and Henrietta, Earl and Martha moved back to Denton in 1989.
Earl has served as Worship Leader in several Baptist churches
in Denton County since returning to Denton. He will be concluding
his fourth year as worship leader at Highland Baptist Church
in August of 2002.
Larry
Davis
Minister to Senior Adults
I
felt God calling me to the ministry at an early age. I was
a member of a small Baptist church in Oklahoma. Since I didn't
realize there were ministry opportunities other than preaching,
I didn't answerthe call. Later I was made aware of other areas
of ministry and realized
I could serve in other ways. While working on my degree in
accounting at McNeese, I worked in Lake Charles, LA, at Hercules
full time. I was active as a deacon serving in many capacities
of the church. I surrendered to God's call while at the Southern
Baptist Convention in New Orleans in 1983. I came to Denton
in 1975 and worked at Denton Lawn Sprinkler while attending
seminary. I graduated in 1989 with an associate degree in
Religious Education. I returned to seminary in 1990 for further
studies, finishing in 1992. I came to Highland in 1991 as
Minister of Education, always having adesire to work with
Senior Adults. In 1997, the Lord opened the door for me to
serve in the rewarding capacity of Minister of Senior Adults
here at Highland.
Cory
Mauritzen
Minister to Students
I was born in Dallas
TX on June 13 1982. My family moved to Waco when I was 3 and
my parents still live there to this day. I was raised in a
Christian home and was at church every time the doors were
open. I asked Jesus into my heart at the age of 7, but I don’t
think it was until 8th grade that I realized fully the decision
that I had made when I was younger. I was fortunate to have
many opportunities to serve the Lord growing up through mission
trips, camps, and other activities with the youth group. This
is where the stirring began in me to find out what God wanted
to do through my life.
I
graduated from Midway High School in Waco and then went to
Stephen F. Austin where I received my bachelors’ degree
in Business Administration. During college I was involved
in the Baptist Student Ministries where I had many opportunities
to serve. Through the BSM I was a student missionary in the
states of Washington and Idaho during the summer of 2003.
After the summer I received the opportunity to work as a youth
intern at First Baptist Church in Nacogdoches. During my time
at the church I realized that God was calling me to work with
youth as a career. I worked at the church for 2 years, and
from there I moved to Fort Worth to attend seminary. Before
seminary I accepted the call to be the minister of students
here at Highland. I am currently attending Southwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary getting my master’s degree in Christian
Education with a concentration in students. I have loved the
time spent here at Highland getting to know and serve the
people here at the church.
I
love sports mainly watching them, but every once in a while
I will participate in something active to get the blood flowing.
I love playing the guitar and singing. If you see me around
the church come up and say hello.
Kayla
Kisor
Minister to Children
Growing
up in Oklahoma, I was always
surrounded by family who supported me in every endeavor I
pursued. My parents faithfully took me to church. As a child,
I was acitve in Children's Choir and GA's. I began studing
piano at the age of 9, and then I progress to study the French
Horn with Dr. Sion Honea at the age of 12. As a youth, I spent
several summers at Fallscreek campgrounds in Davis, Oklahoma.
I also had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mexico
and work with children there. This was a very rewarding experience
for me. I qualified for the Central Oklahoma Director's Association
Honor Band for four consecutive years, and then was selected
for OMEA All-State the following year. At age 17, I accepted
the Lord as my Savior. Ever since, I have been striving to
grow closer to Him on a daily basis. Presently, I am pursing
a degree in Music Education at the University of North Texas.
I recentlty had the
opportunity to go to Budapest, Hungry to observe and study
music. Although, this trip was "educational", it
was a life-changing experience that was spiritually challenging
and I have grown because of it. I feel that my musical talent
is definitely a gift from God and it is my responsibility
to share this gift with others. It's my desire to teach children
about God's love and to help them recognize the gifts He has
given them. I am very thankful to the members of Highland
Baptist Church for allowing me to love on their children during
Sunday
School, Children's Choir, Vacation Bible School, and other
children's events. I would like to invite you to bring your
children to Highland Baptist Church and give us the opportunity
to help them grow and learn God's word.
