Jeff Birch
Pastor of Sports Outreach
Eastland Church of God

Jeff Birch serves on staff at Eastland Church as Pastor of Sports Outreach.  Jeff came to Eastland Church in 2001 as an intern working with the church’s youth ministry.  During that time he also attended school at Asbury Theological Seminary.  Then in January of 2003 he was brought on as a full-time staff member to work in his current role.

Jeff is 32 years old and is originally from Clearwater, Florida.  He attended college at Anderson University in Indiana, earning an associates degree in finance.  Following college he then took a job with State Farm.  He worked there for 1 year, and it was at this point that he began to sense that God was calling him into the ministry.  He left State Farm to begin going to school at Asbury Seminary, while working part-time at Eastland Church.  He completed a Master of Christian Education Degree from Asbury Seminary in December of 2003.

While at Eastland Church, Jeff has served in a variety of roles.  He was the lead pastor for the Middle School youth at the church.  These last several years he has been the director of the church’s athletic ministries.  He has also served as the primary preaching staff member in absence of the pastor.

Jeff was married in 2001.  He and his wife Miranda have two children, Micah is 11 and Veda is 5.  Miranda is from the central Kentucky area, and is currently working part-time while also home schooling her children.  They enjoy family, traveling, sports, movies, and friends.

Contact Jeff Birch at jeff@eastland.org

Rodney N. Martin
Associate Pastor, Worship through the Arts

Rod Martin is a third generation Church of God Pastor and resides in Lexington, Kentucky where he serves as associate pastor at Eastland Church Of God. Rod, his wife Marcia and four children, Sarah, Jennifer, Ethan, and Zack moved to Lexington in June of 2000. Prior to ministry in Kentucky, Rod served the church in both Albany, Oregon and St. Helens, Oregon since realizing his call into pastoral ministry in 1992. Since then he has enjoyed pastoring in the area of worship and arts ministry.

While attending Warner Pacific College and through several years after, Rod toured as a professional musician and as a sound and lighting engineer. During those years he worked with concert artists from many musical genres i.e. jazz, pop, country, gospel, etc… He still enjoys some consulting and technical work in the industry including the annual event, “Maximum Impact” with John Maxwell in Atlanta, Georgia. Occasionally Rod will teach workshops or develop sound and lighting designs for churches and concert tours. He also leads worship for camp-meetings and events across the country.

In his free time Rod enjoys spending time with his family, either at sporting events, concerts, camping, or just being together laughing.

Contact Rodney Martin at rod@eastland.org

Nancy Hall

Associate Pastor,Children’s Ministries
Eastland Church of God

Nancy Hall serves on staff at Eastland as Children’s Pastor.  Before coming to Eastland, Nancy was an elementary school teacher at Bethel Christian Academy in Illinois and worked as a bi-vocational Associate Pastor of Youth Ministry.  She, her husband Chris, and their three daughters, Catie, Allison and Leah moved to Kentucky from the St. Louis MetroEast Area in 2003 when she accepted the call to full-time ministry. 

With a background in Art and Elementary Education, Nancy recently furthered her education in ministry and receiving a degree in Ministry and Leadership from Asbury College December, 2008. 

Along with leading Children’s ministry for ages birth to fifth grade and ministering to children and their families at Eastland, Nancy directs the Kentucky State COG Middler Camp, works with the Asbury Christian Ministries Department with interviewing and reviewing portfolios of graduating ministry students, serves as substitute chapel speaker for Lexington Christian Academy East Campus, and speaks on occasion at camps, children ministries events and classes, women’s events and on Sunday morning at Eastland.

Nancy and her family enjoy hiking, traveling, watching movies and laughing together.  When she finds free time you might find her on her computer creating and editing videos, selling items on eBay, writing, creating anything from paintings and sculptures to gifts for others or dabbling with her relatively new interest, sewing.

Contact Nancy Hall at nancy@eastland.org

Justin Key
Chaplain to Liberty Ridge
Eastland Church of God

Justin Key serves on staff at Eastland Church as the Pastoral Care Chaplain for Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community. Justin came to Eastland Church four and half years ago to serve as an intern chaplain at Liberty Ridge while attending school at Asbury Theological Seminary. Since then, the position has become part-time, then three-quarter time, and will be full-time beginning in January 2009.

Justin is 28 years old and is originally from southeast Tennessee. He attended college for three years in Tennessee, earning an associates degree and then spending one year at Middle Tennessee State University studying public relations and marketing. At this point God’s call led him to begin studying for the ministry and he transferred to Mid-America Christian University in the fall of 2001. He graduated from Mid-America in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry/Bible-Theology. As well, in May of 2007 Justin completed a Master of Divinity Degree from Asbury Theological Seminary.

While at Eastland Church, Justin has served in the area of Christian Education and with the Church Health & Wellness Team. He has also served a three-year term on the Kentucky Ministries State Board of Christian Education. Most recently, he was appointed by the Liberty Ridge Board of Directors to serve on the newly formed Liberty Ridge Foundation. On the side, Justin teaches two online classes a year for Mid-America Christian University on the subject of Synoptic Gospels.

Justin was married in December 2005. He and his wife Kristi have a dog named Anabelle and are expecting a child in early June. Kristi is originally from southern Illinois and works at Bluegrass Community and Technical College here in Lexington. They enjoy family, traveling, eating, sports, and hanging out with friends.

Contact Justin Key at justin@eastland.org