Mark LaValley has been our preaching minister since July of 2006. He and his wife Shelley were both born in Portland, Oregon, but have moved to various places throughout the country since they have entered full-time ministry. Mark got his undergraduate degree in Bible from Columbia Christian College and then attended Abilene Christian where he received his Master’s and Doctorate degrees.

Mark and Shelley have been married since June of 1991 and have three children: Katelyn (14), Nathan (11) and Kindra (8). They also have a pet cat named Whiskers. And they are learning to be Mountaineer fans.

Mark enjoys running, reading, camping with his family, and a variety of outdoor activities.

Jason has been our campus minister to students at West Virginia University since 2001. He was born in Canton, Ohio in 1967, and grew up here in Morgantown and in Tennessee. After getting an engineering degree from Tennessee Tech, he went to graduate school in Abilene, Texas. He married Julie Anderson in Austin in 1992.

Jason & Julie have two sons, Jericho and Jacob, who were born in 1996 and 1998 respectively. They have one dog, Mocha, a Lhasa Apso.

Jason enjoys golf, reading, traveling and playing ball (of all kinds) with his sons. He used to enjoy basketball before his second ACL replacement surgery in 2002; now he just coaches his kids’ teams. He roots for the Mountaineers and Steelers and likes going back to Prague, Czech Republic where he and Julie worked as missionaries.

Amanda Swick was born and raised in Wyoming. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wyoming, where she was very active in their campus ministry. In 2003 she married Jason Swick and lived three years in Port Orchard, WA until moving to Morgantown last summer. While working with the Mountaineers for Christ, Amanda mentors several of the college women, teaches college women’s classes, and plans outreach events. She is also currently working on a certificate in Spiritual Formation from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. When she finishes her apprenticeship in May 2008 she and her husband hope to go into full-time campus ministry. In her spare time she enjoys going hiking, mountain biking, and skiing with her husband.

Jason Swick was born in Wyoming and earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wyoming. He then headed to Port Orchard, WA to be an active part of the congregation there and work as a design engineer for the U.S. Navy. Six years later he was called into ministry. Currently, he is the male campus ministry apprentice with the Mountaineers for Christ. Jason is also pursuing a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from Harding University Graduate School of Religion. Next summer Jason and Amanda will be looking for a full-time campus ministry. Jason enjoys just about anything outdoors, especially mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, and skiing. They have a baby boy, Josiah, born here in July, 2007.

Bob (not pictured) and Janet Whisler have been our church custodians since 2001 at the Madigan Avenue building. They do a great job maintaining our building! Bob enjoys walking and watching the news. Janet likes to be with and teach children. She also teaches in our Tuesday School and is now in her 23rd year. She also enjoys cooking, working on their family tree, as well as reading and studying the Bible. Bob and Janet also enjoy working in their flower and vegetable gardens.