Chris Washing

I have been at Eastland Church for 16 years.  I started going to Eastland when I started college at the University of Kentucky to study mechanical engineering.  My brother Mark and his wife Carolyn attended the church at the time. When I came I felt right at home with the people.  At that same time I met my future wife Melissa who grew up at Eastland and we were married in 1995.  We really found out how great the church was with their love and prayers as we were trying to have a baby.  It was great having that support and love through some tough times, but after 7 years of prayers our son Jonathan was born 3/16/07.

Eastland has been a place for growth for me spiritually.  I became a Christian when I was 18 years old.  I was always a pretty good kid and grew up in a great Christian home, but at 18 I felt like I still hadn’t committed my life completely.  I was at my home church in Elizabethtown when a singing group was performing, and between songs they were giving their testimonies of what God had done in their lives.  At the end of the concert God told me that it was time to turn over my life to Him.  So that night I committed my life.  There have been some bumpy roads here and there, but God has always been there for me and has used Eastland to show his love to me, as well as, draw me closer to him with our different groups.  Eastland is a big part of my family’s life.

Lana Ledford

I have been a member at Eastland for 13 years.  My husband Joe and I are originally from Kentucky, but we moved to Atlanta, Georgia, right after graduation from the University of Kentucky.  We lived in Atlanta for 10 years, and it was there that we both really grew in our faith in God and began to serve Him with our lives.  We became actively involved in our church there, and I became the children’s director for the church preschool.  It was then that we found the joy in serving God and having wonderful Christian friendships that we had never had before.  Once our daughters Kate and Emily were born, we wanted to make Christ and our church the center of our home and family for them too.

Roger Clark

I have been attending Eastland for almost 3 1/2 yrs. I have a long background in the Church of God, serving in many capacities.  Although there is not enough time and space to give you a long list of my history, there are some defining moments: Originally from Michigan and a great Christian farm family, come to know the Lord as personal savior at age of 13, tour of Viet Nam solidified my faith, owner/ partner in our own farm business, married to the love of my life Susan, followed by 4 sons, the youngest two adopted from Colombia, the heartache of losing a child, God’s call to the mission field ended abruptly as a family situation arose, relocating to Kentucky and being an employee for the first time (from business owner).

There are so many milestones in life that it is difficult to highlight just one or two but I would have to say that my Christian family heritage, salvation at a young age and my supportive wife of 36 yrs. would be at the top of the list. There are times when Jesus has seemed distant, but over the years I have come to realize that He is not distant, I sometimes am. My life is typical, with the usual bumps in the road, but through every adventure my relationship with the Lord has remained strong and He has increased my measure of faith. I can say that I love Him more today than ever.

Keith Preston

My wife Ann and I have been married for 23 years and have three wonderful boys.  Ann is a 2nd grade school teacher. Matthew is a Junior at Anderson University preparing for the ministry with a double major in Bible/Religion and Computer Science.  Daniel is a Sophomore at Lexington Christian Academy. Andrew is in 8th grade at Lexington Christian Academy. We have a dog, named Snickers.  I graduated from Anderson College in 1983 with a B.A. degree in Mass Communications.  For the last 23 years I have been a banker, and am currently a Vice President/Retail Officer at Central Bank in Lexington.

I was born in Danville, KY where my grandfather was a Church of God pastor (he served the COG for 42 years). In 1968, at the age of 7, we moved to Lexington, KY where I began attending Eastland Church of God. For the last 40 years, Eastland has been a very important part of my life and the church family is very dear to me.  Most of my life’s major events have occurred at Eastland, including my salvation at the age of 12, spiritual growth and development during my teen years, meeting my wife Ann at a Singles outing, getting married to Ann at the church, the birth and dedication of all three sons, the healing and recovery during two miscarriages, the salvation of my boys, and many other special times. 

My spiritual journey has seen many of the struggles that most Christians face. Since I “grew up in the church” I have been fortunate to have good Christian role models and mentors that have helped me along the way.  As a teenager, I became very committed to the Lord and began my life of service to Him. My college years at Anderson helped me form my identity and purpose in life with a desire to serve others. However, it has been my solid relationship with my wife Ann that has really helped define me a Christian. She is a tremendous support to me and selflessly gives of herself to make me and my boy’s better people. God has truly blessed our marriage. We both do our best to love other people and allow Christ to show in our lives.

Lonnal Adkins

My wife Liz and I are from Huntington, WV. We were married in the Methodist church where Liz and her family attended.  I grew up in an independent church where my mother and father attended.  We stayed in the Methodist church until the Lord brought us to Lexington.  The first thing we looked for, outside our home, when we went to a new town is a church home.  We attended the Methodist church and several other denominations but just did not feel at home.  Our next door neighbor invited us to her church which was the Eastland Church of God.  When we went to Eastland we knew we had found our church home.  The people made us feel like we were part of their family and that was 34 years ago. 
           

We have two children Heidi and Mark.  Heidi lives in Lancaster Ky. and Mark lives here in Lexington.  I retired from Photo Science Inc. which is an aerial mapping firm and still do some consulting work for them from time to time.  I also enjoy fishing, shooting, working on my home and a couple of old vehicles.  I have had some of my best times in fellowship with our church family and friends.
           

I gave my life to Christ when I was 9 or 10 years old.  I grew up in the church but when I entered high school I began to drift away.  The lord changed my life when I met my wife on a blind date at a Halloween youth church party.  I became involved with her and her church functions and we were married eight months later.  We just celebrated our 50th anniversary Aug. 29th 2008 at Liberty Ridge.

While we have been at Eastland we have had many up and down times particularly with my son and all the trouble he has been in.  Without our Eastland church family and our faith in Jesus we would not have made it.  We put our lives in God’s hands and trust in him.  Everything with my son is not the way I want it to be but it is in the Lord’s hands.  We keep in contact with him and let him know we care about him and his family.  I have shared some things and events in our lives.  I pray that you can see we love our Lord and the church at Eastland.

Shirley Megill

My husband Howard and I have been married since 1983 and have three children.  Howard is the Associate State Pastor in Kentucky and our daughters are all in school.  Alex is nineteen and just finished her freshman year at Mid-America Christian University, where she is majoring in Specialized Ministries and Behavioral Science.  Rachel is sixteen and will be senior at Henry Clay High School, and Kelsey is thirteen and will be in the 8th grade at E.J. Hayes Middle School.  I work as a School Administration Manager at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary and truly love what I do!

I grew up in Pennsylvania in a Christian home.  At the age of fourteen, while with my older sister, I decided to accept Jesus as my savior.  For the most part, my Christian walk has been a steady one, with some mountaintops, and some valleys.  But, I know the Lord has always been by my side, even when I sometimes couldn’t feel Him there.

Howard and I came to Eastland in 1996, when he was hired as the Associate Pastor of Youth.  We served here for ten years until Howard moved into the state office.  With no family in Lexington, the people at Eastland have been our family.  It’s the place where we raised our girls and where they’ve grown to love Jesus and the church.  Our children are very involved in the youth ministry here and I’m heavily involved in music and children’s ministries.  I’m excited about the direction Eastland is going and about our future as we follow God’s direction for our church.