Meet the ministry staff and elders at Fairfield Christian Church.
LYNN COLEMAN
Senior Minister
lynn.coleman@myfcc.church
Lynn began his ministry with Fairfield in 2010. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian University earning a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Divinity. Lynn, and his wife Sandi have five adult children: Joe, Landon, Josh, Caleb, Annie along with two grandsons. Having served in a wide variety of roles Lynn has experience in virtually every area of the church. One of the many rewards of preaching is watching the light come on for people, or to hear someone say “I get it.” In addition to hanging out with their family, Lynn & Sandi have many interests and not enough time to enjoy them all. They enjoy boating, the theater, Lynn enjoys snow skiing, they love to travel, and enjoy getting together with friends.
JAY BENNETT
Associate Minister/Youth Minister
jay.bennett@myfcc.church
Jay Bennett grew up in Plainfield, IN. He met his wife, Pamela, while they were at Ball State Univ., and they have been married since 1995. They have 3 children: Jacob, Parker (waiting for them in Heaven), and Paige. Jay earned a Master of Divinity degree at Anderson University School of Theology. Jay’s mission is to transform lives by dusting off faith, making it authentic, and putting it into practice. He also desires a life changed for Christ, a church revived, a nation reformed, a world evangelized, and he is excited to live that out with the families here at Fairfield Christian. Jay and Pamela continue the mission with their ministry: Helping Hearts Horse Ranch. They offer free riding lessons & horse activities to help disadvantaged youth, women, and veterans find hope, healing, and the unconditional love of our Triune creator God. Jay enjoys horses, golf, camping, water skiing, reading, and spending time with his family.
KYRSTI STRYKER
Children’s Minister
kyrsti.stryker@myfcc.church
Kyrsti grew up in Greentown and attended FCC for the majority of her life. She attended Eastern High School and graduated from Johnson University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Children’s Ministry with a Preschool/Daycare Emphasis. She married her husband, Garritt Stryker, in November 2015. They have two boys, Isaiah and Miles. She was an Early Childhood Minister on the west side of Indianapolis for a year and a half after graduating college and was the Ministry Assistant here at FCC for 5 years before entering into the Children’s Minister role. She has a heart for families and kids and loves seeing them growing closer to Jesus. She also has a passion for missions and has traveled to Mexico and Africa.
JACKIE HIGHT
Worship Minister
jacklhight@gmail.com
See Bio Below
GARRITT STRYKER
Worship Associate
garrittstryker@yahoo.com
Garritt is an ordained minister and graduated from Cincinnati Christian University in 2007 with a BS in Youth Ministry. After graduating, Garritt went back to his hometown of Windfall and served as an Associate Minister for 5 years where his main focus was on worship and youth ministry. Garritt has been attending Fairfield Christian Church since 2013 and has been helping with worship at Fairfield ever since. He is married to our Ministry Assistant, Kyrsti Stryker, and has two boys, Isaiah and Miles. He loves being involved in worship and letting his passion show while leading others in worship. He now serves as our Worship Associate, where he devotes many hours to creating an inviting worship atmosphere at our Sunday morning contemporary services.
JOHN BRANYAN
Elder
jbranyan@gmail.com
Occupation: Full Time Speaker/Comedian
Family: Wife – Lori; Four Children – Amanda (McKinney), Timothy, Tabitha (Farkas), Andrew. Four Grandchildren – Cami, Collin, Emmi, Silas
Hobbies: playing board games, writing comedy, reading, watching movies (and complaining about them)
Why I Love FCC: Fairfield is family. It brings me peace knowing that I’ve decided where I’m going to call home. No matter the circumstances, this is where I belong.
KEITH CRAMER
Elder
kcr444@yahoo.com
Occupation: Retired Minister
Family Members: Wife – Jo Ellen; Daughters – Karen Cain & Cathy Thomas
Hobbies: woodworking, playing music with Keith Ewing at nursing homes every week
Why I love FCC: Through eighteen years of ministry here, not only have I had the privilege of ministering to people but also have come to love the people as well. I also appreciate the church’s commitment to the Bible and outreach to the community and support of missions.
CONDE ECHELBARGER
Elder
conde.echelbarger@gmail.com
Occupation: Engineering Supervisor/Manager @ Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), 1987 Purdue University @ Indianapolis graduate, 33 years at General Motors / Delco Electronics / Delphi, 3 years at FCA
Family: Wife – Lori; Son and Daughter-in-law – Tyler & Annie; Daughter – Rachel; Son – Brayden
Hobbies/Social Interests: teaching and coaching kids, Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds fan, Indiana University Football and Basketball fan
Why I Love FCC: Lori and I love kids and serving at Fairfield. We love the church (people at Fairfield). We have been attending Fairfield since January 2001. We have lived our lives for the past 17 1/2 years with Fairfield (the people). Good times & bad times but always BLESSED times. We love you Fairfield Christian Church! I Thessalonians 5:16-18 (16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.)
KEITH EWING
Elder
maewing@aol.com
Occupation: Retired 18 years ago as an engineer from Delco/Delphi after 42 years of service (4 U.S. patents & 2 technical papers published)
Family: Wife – Mary; Children – Melody & Timothy; 5 Grandchildren; 7 Great Grandchildren
Hobbies: designing and building (storage sheds, decks, & theatrical sets), music (singing and playing mountain dulcimer), preparing & teaching Bible studies, gardening, fishing, reading, writing essays
Social Interests: Fairfield Christian Church (Elder), Past Board Chairman of Rainbow Christian Camp Board of Directors, Past President Kokomo Community Concerts, Treasurer Indiana Christian Youth Convention in 2001, Former Financial Secretary of Chiredzi Christian Children’s Home (Zimbabwe, Africa), Member of Phi Beta Kappa, Board Member of Kokomo (Indiana) Golden “K” Kiwanis Club, Play mountain dulcimer with the Hoosier String Players
Why I Love FCC: Over 43 years ago, I found Fairfield, met a lot of great people, and discovered this was a wonderful place where I could serve the Lord. There have been many opportunities for spiritual growth at Fairfield. In brief, Fairfield has given me a way of serving God and loving people.
SHAWN FLANARY
Elder
sflanary@kokomoschools.com
Occupation: Kokomo School Teacher, Tennis Coach and Director of Howard County Indoor Tennis Center
Family: Wife – Liza; Kids – Ella, Audra & Silas
Hobbies/Social Interests: camping, tennis, 4-H pigs, and family
Why I Love FCC: It is family focused, biblically based, and has great people!
CHRIS GREMELSPACHER
Elder
cgremelspacher@gmail.com
Occupation: President of Staffing Resources. We are a full-service employment services (staffing) company.
Family: Wife – Monica; Kids – Micah, Nathan & Luke
Hobbies/Social Interests: coaching, golfing & fishing
Why I Love FCC: We love that it is a New Testament church modeled after the first church. We, our family, loves that FCC places a priority on missions. My family and I feel that Fairfield is full of great people & families that care, not just about one another but the community in which we live. We feel strongly about relationships and the commitments that we place upon them. This means to our spouses, families, friends and the church!
JACKIE LEE HIGHT II
Elder
jacklhight@gmail.com
Occupation: Supervisor at Kokomo Casting Plant or highly paid babysitter
Family: Beautiful Wife – Vanessa; Kids – I lost count… Clayton, Connor, Ethan, Hayden, McKenna & Jackson
Hobbies/Social Interests: I like singing in the shower, playing golf but don’t get to usually, & spending time with family.
Why I Love FCC: I like the coffee, oh and the people are pretty cool too, but mostly the coffee. OK, the coffee is horrible, Lindberg has no idea what coffee is suppose to taste like. The fact that we have a one eyed guy making coffee is beyond me! On a serious note, Fairfield has great Godly people. The kind of people who, when you leave for three years and then come back, it feels like you never left!
JASON MONTGOMERY
Elder
jkmont71@gmail.com
Occupation: I have a background in Graphic Design and both residential and commercial Architecture. I am a licensed Architect and have been at Dimensions, Inc. here in Kokomo for 15 years. My firm’s specialty is in the hospitality industry; we have designed and built hotels all over the U.S. I have a design degree from Purdue – probably the only Architect that can say that!
Family: Wife – Lisa; Daughters – Kelsey & Kendall
Hobbies/Social Interests: I am a nerd with a unique (some would say extreme) love of tabletop board games – I mean REAL board games – nothing you’d find in the local superstore. Ask me about it sometime, but be prepared. I like to make things with wood. I like to camp & hike. I like the beach, I LOVE the mountains! I love good food! I like to tinker with photography, gardening, and fixing things. I like searching antique stores for a hidden treasure (maybe a long lost board game?). I love to travel – I’ve been to 46 of the 50 states. I love roller coasters. I’m involved with 4-H leadership. I love to golf (which is similar to hiking through the woods at times). I am a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fanatic – I grew up in the rural southeast corner of Marion County so I consider The Queen City my second home. Love the Colts and the Broncos (yes, even before Peyton). I have an unusual loyalty to both IU and Purdue – grew up a die-hard IU fan, but Purdue is my Alma Mater (a concept that makes many heads explode). I love hanging out with friends… and most of mine are here at FCC! (Oh, yeah..I play a few musical instruments too.)
Why I Love FCC: Lisa and I came here in the spring of 2001 and we never left – we knew immediately that this was where we belonged. The Truth is proclaimed here. I see so much potential in the lives of those who serve here. My daughters have grown up here. The friends we have here have become family – the church is a family of families. We love the people. FCC is our home.