Church Officers

Pastor Mark Scholten

I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and baptized in a Christian Reformed Church.  I spent most of my childhood living just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan and I attended the Reformed Church of America.  I did not know Christ. At 16 years old I was converted while watching “Jesus of Nazareth” on television during the Easter season.  I saw the huge divide between my life and Christ’s perfect life.

Hope College in Holland, Michigan was my choice for further schooling simply because they had a religion department.  This course of study left me with more questions than answers. I spent a semester in the mountains at the Oregon Extension and here I saw myself, my sin, and Christ more deeply. I graduated with a BA in Religion in 1986.  I met my wife, Kathy, while at college.  She was raised in an ultra-conservative reformed church and she knew the doctrine well, but she did not have a relationship with Christ. I had Christ and she had doctrine, so God used each of us to strengthen each other’s weaknesses!  We attended L’abri Study Center in Switzerland for 6 weeks after we graduated from college.  Kathy studied education, worldview, and family living. I studied the authority, canonicity, and inspiration of the Bible. We got engaged in Switzerland and were married in October of 1986.

At this time I was wrestling with a call to the ministry and thinking about seminary but I needed to mature.  During these three years, I was under great preaching, studied several hours each day, and I began to grow spiritually. By now I had a wife, a daughter, and a baby on the way, so I tried to put thoughts of the seminary out of my mind.  I was told not to enter the ministry unless God drags you kicking and screaming against your will.  Others told me that seminaries do not make ministers; God makes ministers.  So, I spent three years working in the “real” world. I worked with juvenile delinquent girls in a group home with Bethany Christian Services.  I worked with developmentally disabled adults for Kent Client Services. I traveled throughout Michigan as a spokesman for Right to Life’s Committee to End Tax-Funded Abortions. I was also a cash register salesman for Great Lakes Retail Systems.

God finally impressed on my heart that I must follow His call to the ministry in 1989. My wife and I and our two daughters moved to Jackson, Mississippi and I enrolled in the Reformed Theological Seminary.  My first son was born the week I graduated from seminary in 1992. I served in a small, independent reformed church in Grand Rapids Michigan for 5 years.  We added two children.  Next, we accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church in Manchester Connecticut for 10 years.  The church grew, we moved onto new facilities and planted another church.  We also helped to start and run a Classical Christian School called Covenant Academy.  I served Faith Presbyterian Church in Akron Ohio for 8 years.  I have preached for 23 years and I love it.  My one desire is to pastor a growing, thriving church by building a godly community of grace-based relationships.

In my nearly 6 years serving the congregation here at Westminster, I have been struck by 3 things.  First, we enjoy a deep and sincere fellowship.  We say that the church is a family and here at Westminster you can experience it! Second, we have a great variety of gifts that God has given to this church family.  If everyone is using their gifts, then together we can form a formidable whole.  We are striving for an every member, gifted ministry here at Westminster.  And we have many gifted people!  Finally, we strive for growth.  We have many mature Christians who are willing to serve and disciple others.  We need people to fill our pews and grow in grace with us. I pray that God would fill the pews with growing disciples of Jesus Christ.

Eric Eagle – Active

Eric is an Army civilian stationed at Fort Gordon.  He is husband to Natalka and dad to Lilya.  He has served as an elder at an inter-denominational church in Darmstadt, Germany as part of Converge International, a church-planting organization with a vision to reach and disciple international English speakers.  He is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.  His favorite things include hanging out with his family, geography, 3D design and Linux.

Dr. Ed Payne – Active

Ed Payne served on active duty in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and Ft. Gordon.  He graduated from the Medical College of Georgia and taught there for 25 years in the Department of Family Medicine.  He has written several books, including, “Biblical Medical Ethics”, “Making Biblical Decisions, What Every Christian Should Know about the AIDS Epidemic”, “Biblical Healing for Modern Medicine:  Choosing Life and Health or Disease and Death,” and “God Confronts Culture.”  He maintains three websites:  biblicalphilosophy.org, biblicalworldview21.org and bmei.org.  He has served as an elder in the former PCUS at Lakemont Presbyterian, in the PCA at First Presbyterian and at Christ Church Presbyterian while it was independent.  He has practiced Biblical counseling in his medical practice and at First Presbyterian Church in the 1980’s.  He has been married to Jeanne for 51 years with four children and 13 grandchildren.

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Bryan McReynolds – Active

Bryan is a native Texan, with a Bachelor’s degree in communications from Stephen F. Austin State University.  He married his beloved wife, Debbie in the spring of 1982 and spent the first four years of married life serving on active duty as an officer in the United States Marine Corp. They have three children.

Bryan has worked in the industrial chemical distribution business since 1986, moving to the Augusta area with his family in 1988.  Shortly after their arrival here, the family joined Westminster Presbyterian Church, where Debbie

has served in various WIC positions, along with roles in childcare; while Bryan has served as Deacon and as an Elder.

Gary Mullen – Inactive

Gary Mullen was born and raised in Queens, N.Y.  As a child, he attended a Presbyterian Church in Astoria.  Queens.  Gary attended elementary school in Brooklyn.  He went to Pace University located in lower Manhattan, close to the World Trade Center, and graduated with a BBS in 1977.  In 1978 he was hired by S. Lichtenberg & Co. Inc., a manufacturer, and distributor of household window curtains.  S. Lichtenberg’s headquarters is located in New York City on Fifth Avenue.  In 1979, he was asked to try some southern living by working in the Augusta area at the curtain sewing plant in Waynesboro, Ga.  Gary liked Georgia so much that he decided to stay in the area and has been with the company for over 36 years.  Gary was invited to attend Westminster Presbyterian Church in 1980.  The warmth and the truth that was taught at Westminster made him want to be a part of this church family.  In 1982, a Yankee All-Star 2nd baseman came to Westminster for a conference.  Gary was invited to have lunch with one of these Yankee heroes at a church member’s home, who later introduced him to his wife-to-be, Darlene.  Darlene graduated from Shorter College in 1981, and when they met in 1982 Darlene was the music teacher at Glenn Hills High School.

It was love at first sight (at least for Gary).  Darlene had to get used to his Yankee accent!  Gary and Darlene were married in 1983, and the Lord has blessed them with four wonderful girls.  Gary has been a member at WPC since 1981.  He served multiple terms as a Deacon and then as an Elder.  Darlene has been the Choir Director since 1994.  Gary has the characteristic of sticking with the things he loves:  his wife, Westminster Presbyterian Church, favorite sports teams such as the NY Yankees, NY Giants, and Alabama football.  Yes, Gary routed for Alabama even while he was a boy in Queens, N.Y.!

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Dan Nielsen – Inactive

Dan was fortunate to grow up on the prairies of South Dakota in a Christian home as the oldest of five siblings.  He came to trust Christ as his personal savior during a summer camp meeting when he was 10, and he was baptized in a lake a few months later.  Although it was 35 miles to his church, his family was dedicated to attending and serving the church, and Dan continued this practice by becoming the youth pastor after he graduated from high school and while he went to the local state university to earn his degree in agricultural engineering.

With a career in product development and factory operations while working 30 years for Husqvarna, and having married in 1979, Dan and Anne moved to the south in 1985, living first in Savannah GA, then Orangeburg SC, and finally Augusta in 1996 where they joined Westminster.   While living in SC they found the PCA, and joined the church there in 1990, and he was first elected a ruling elder in 1992.  He was then elected as an elder at WPC in 2000.   Anne has primarily been a homemaker and artisan, and is now heavily involved in fine art painting.  They are the proud parents of two daughters; Sarah who is a business manager for a large restaurant in Charleston, SC, and Meredith who is a physician assistant and is married to Brad Thompson who is an assistant district attorney.   They live in New York City.

Dan is currently working as a forensic engineer for the lawn and garden industry and travels around the country investigating accidents and working with various manufacturers to defend their products in court.    At WPC along with serving in many capacities on the Session, he has taught Sunday School, is active in working with the diaconate, sings in the choir, loves to host and entertain guests at his lake home, and when in town is the friendly face you often see greeting at the front door or leading worship.   He has also served on the Ridge Haven Board of Directors since 2009, and for the last three years has served as President.

Dr. Ted Kuhn – Active

Dr. W. “Ted”  Kuhn is a professor of emergency medicine and professor of pediatrics.  He also specializes in tropical infectious diseases and is the fellowship director for the international medicine fellowship at MCG and associate director of the clinical ultrasound fellowship at MCG.   He is a fellow of the American Society of  Tropical Medicine and Hygiene..

Dr. Kuhn spends half of his clinical time in the  Pediatric Emergency Department at Georgia Regents University (Medical  College of Georgia) and the other half of his time working in the developing world under MTW (Mission to the World- the mission sending arm of the  Presbyterian Church in America).

He and his wife, Dr. Sharon Kuhn, are the co-Medical Directors of the medical ministry of MTW.  Special projects include malaria control in SE Asia and tuberculosis.  His passion is to pair medical ministry with the church planting ministry of MTW  and the mentoring and preparing of young medical professionals for medical missions in the developing world.

He is the author of three recent books that focus on medicine in the developing world especially directed to those who are involved in faith-based medical missions.   One is a textbook,  Global Medical Missions: Preparation, Procedure, Practice, which is co-authored by Dr. Sharon Kuhn.  The second is a collection of short stories about people he has interacted with during his travels, My Eyes,  His Heart.  The last is a book for health care workers interested in missions, Heal, In Imitation of Christ.

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