click to enlarge

Dr. W. Stephen Neel has been the pastor of South Columbia Baptist Church for 26 years. Born in Washington D.C., Pastor Neel grew up in Maryland. He holds degrees from Washington Bible College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife Nancy have three children: Jeremy, Joshua and Sarah. Pastor Neel's vision for South Columbia Baptist Church is that it be a worshiping, nurturing, and outreaching church.

Listen to and/or download Pastor Steve's Weekly Sermons

click to enlarge

Born in Dallas Texas, the son of a gas company supervisor, Terry lived most of his life in Texas and Oklahoma. Some family members believe the first inclination that God might have been calling Terry into the ministry was when, at the age of two, he stood in the pew and shook his finger and "preached" back at the pastor. The pastor, W.A. Rudd, was his grandfather.

At the age of nineteen Terry accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. This was a major turning point in his life. Prior to this he had been preparing for a career in medicine. He continued his studies and became active in the Baptist Student Union, a campus ministry. Terry graduated from Baylor University in December of 1976 with a B.S. in Biology as a Pre-Med major. In January of 1977, less than a month after graduating from Baylor, Terry entered Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the school of Religious Education. Upon completing the course of study for a Masters in Religious Education he graduated in 1979.

Terry stayed in the Ft. Worth area for several years working at a local hospital wondering why God had not allowed him to leave and serve in a church. It was during this period that Terry met and married his wife, Marcy. "God had a plan for my life, I just had to stay around long enough for everything to work out". Terry and Marcy married in 1982 and soon left for their first staff position with a church in Albany, Texas. Over the course of Terry's ministry God has given him the privilege of serving with churches in both Texas and Louisiana as Minister of Education and Youth. Most recently, he served as Minister of Education with Hillcrest Baptist Church in Nederland, Texas. Terry joined the staff of South Columbia Baptist Church as Minister of Education and Outreach in February of 2002.

Favorite verse: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20.

click to enlarge

After graduating high school in Columbia, Missouri, Mitchell received a Bachelor of Music in Church Music from Southwest Baptist College, Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri and did additional graduate work in Vocal Pedagogy and Opera at the University of New Mexico.  Mitchel has served churches as Minister of Music in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Maryland, as well as Stephens College and College of the Southwest.  He has sung professionally for several opera companies in the United States. 

Mitchell is married to Pawnee, a native of Maryland.  Pawnee also holds a degree from Southwest Baptist University and has completed additional work in Vocal Performance at the New Mexico State University.  She has performed with opera and musical theatre companies in New Mexico and Missouri.  Pawnee has led conferences as a drama consultant at the Southern Baptist Convention's national Music Leadership Week at Glorieta and Ridgecreast Conference Centers and at the SBC National Drama Festival.  She is sought after as an enthusiastic worship leader, solo dramatist, theme interpreter and inspirational speaker in regional and state Christian conference and retreat settings. She is also an avid writer and maintains a column in the Maryland/Delaware Convention of Southern Baptists newspaper.

The Camps have performed together as soloists and in partnership at such national conventions as the Southern Baptist Convention's Fall Festival of Marriage; National Opera Association annual meeting; numerous concerts, revival meetings and conferences including the annual state meetings and Evangelism Conferences of the Southern Baptist Conventions of Maryland/Deleware, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Kansas/Nebraska and New Mexico; and the Northeast Baptist Leadership Development Conference.