Both James and Jeannie enjoy travel having made eleven trips to Israel and four to Turkey as well as other parts of the Middle East and Greece. The Troglens have also been part of The Alabama Baptist Convention partnership mission trips to Guatemala and Spain.
Jeannie is employed with the Elmore County School System and enjoys walking and yard work. Dr. Troglen is an active scuba diver holding the skill level of a PADI Dive Master.
Charles Sylvest came as our Minister of Education & Children in January 2006. He previously served at First Baptist Church of New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina struck the city in August of 2005. Charles received his Bachelor of Science in Business majoring in Operations Management from Auburn University in 1990. He then worked in restaurant management, mortgage banking, and operations until answering God's call to ministry in 2002. He graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in December of 2004 with a Master of Arts in Christian Education. He was named Outstanding Student in Master of Arts in Christian Education program for the academic year 2004-2005.
Charles, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, is married to the former Laura Beth Ingram also of Montgomery. The Sylvests married in July of 2000 and have two children. Daughter Ella Lucile was born February 2005 , son Henry Ingram came along in June 2007, and finally Whitman Burke May 2011. Charles has wide-ranging interests including cooking some of his own Cajun classics as well as cooking in general. He loves the outdoors and college football. Laura is a Social Worker by education. She is an avid reader, likes to sew, and is an independent distributor of Premier Designs Jewlery (a Christian based company). In addition to being a great mom, she is a graduate of Auburn University (2000) and holds two Masters degrees from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (MACE 2002) and Tulane University (MSW 2004).
Charles' desire is that parents live Godly lives......more is caught than taught. Our homes are the true testing and teaching grounds of living out God's commands by exemplifying the Galatians Five Fruits of the Spirit and fostering an atmosphere that will cause your child (with the Holy Spirit's guidance) to want to become a follower of Christ. You may contact Charles at
charles@fbc-wetumpka.org.
Chuck Bentley
Chuck came to us in 2010 from Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a native of Georgia, Chuck says, “it was time to get back to the south”. He has over 25 years of ministry experience. Before moving to Colorado Springs as Worship Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church, the Bentleys lived in Nashville, Tennessee. From 1984 to 2001, Chuck was a traveling musician leading worship and performing concerts at conferences, camps, and in churches.
After graduating from Pike County High School, in Zebulon, Georgia, Chuck attended Gordon College in Barnesville, Georgia. In 1980 he transferred to Belmont University in Nashville and graduated with a BBA, majoring in Music Business. Chuck and his wife, Kathy, married in 1988 at the Mississippi State University chapel in Kathy’s hometown of Starkville. The Bentleys have been blessed with six wonderful children: Anna, Jackson, Leah, Carter, Macon, and Robert.
“I love to do things outdoors with my family. I look forward to discovering all that Alabama has to offer”, says Chuck. He also enjoys cooking, good movies, sports, reading, concerts, and great coffee.
“I can think of nothing that I would rather do with my life than to worship God and lead others to do so”, says Chuck. He adds, “I was made for this”.
Cathy Sanford
Cathy serves as the Child Development Center Director at First Baptist Wetumpka. She and her husband, Ed, have two sons, Wynn and Will. Wynn makes his home in Wetumpka, while their youngest son, Will, lives in Auburn. Ed grew up in Wetumpka and at First Baptist Church. Cathy and Ed have been active members of the FBC family for over 30 years.
Cathy attended the University of Kentucky and taught four and five year kindergarten for six years. She enjoys living in Wetumpka and has participated in community activities by serving on the Wetumpka City Council, Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Elmore County Community Foundation, Elmore County Children’s Organization, Wetumpka YMCA, and Assistant Administrator of Elmore Community Hospital.
Cathy now utilizes her spiritual gifts in the Child Development Center by mentoring and encouraging young families. She sees this ministry of FBC as an opportunity to strengthen families, build bridges to the community and develop independent thinkers, dependent on God as they learn and grow from their school experiences.
Rev. Bart Teel
After serving as a lay ministry leader for many years, Bart joined the FBCW ministerial team in January 2011 to serve full time as Minister to Students and Coordinator of Evangelism and Outreach Ministries. Bart and his wife, Denise, are both Wetumpka natives and graduates of Wetumpka High School as well as Samford University. Denise is active in ministry at FBCW, assisting in ministry to teens with Bart as well as serving as an AWANA handbook leader, a nursery and preschool volunteer, and as a member of the adult worship choir. The Teels have been blessed with four children -- Tori, a student at Auburn University; Karen, a student at Wetumpka High; Sam, a student at Wetumpka Middle; and Jay, a student at Wetumpka Elementary. The Teel family has been a part of the FBCW family since 1993.
In addition to a B.S. in Education from Samford University, Bart also has graduate degrees and certificates in teaching, coaching, and in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Auburn University Montgomery, and he is currently enrolled at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in pursuit of a M.A. in Christian Education. Bart has been blessed to minister to students and their families since 1987, serving in various roles including Christian rec. & fitness asst., physical education teacher, coach of boys and girls varsity and junior varsity athletic teams, Asst. Principal, and as a Principal in schools and churches in Birmingham and Wetumpka, AL.
Bart still enjoys being an active supporter of youth recreational sports and middle school and high school athletics in the Wetumpka community, serving as a volunteer coach in the Wetumpka Youth Baseball League and as the P.A. announcer for WHS Football. He also serves with a team of local student ministers to help lead the WHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Favorite music? "Worship and Praise Tunes, Christian Rap, & Christian Rock." Favorite group? "Without a doubt, 116 Clique. But I also like Third Day, David Crowder Band, Newsboys (old school with Peter Furler is best), Lecrae, Trip Lee, Pro, This'l, Kristian Stanfill, . . . oh well, the list goes on and on." Favorite book? "Word of God. Yes, seriously -- I absolutely love the Bible!" What are you currently reading? "Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman, The Way We Were by Fisher Humphreys." Favorite drink? "Coke Zero, coffee, water!" Favorite coffee? "Starbucks - 3 Region Blend -- man, that stuff is awesome."
What's your passion in ministry -- what really makes your heart sing? "There's nothing greater than seeing individuals and families grow more and more devoted to Jesus Christ -- committing all that they have and all that they are to Him, and then seeing and hearing from them how God fills their lives with love, joy, purpose, and hope regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves. It's an incredible privilege and blessing to walk alongside individuals through both the indescribable highs and darkest lows of life and see God use every single bit of it all for each person's very best and for His ultimate glory! Devoted. It's my personal goal and the heartbeat of our Student Ministry -- to see every student grow more and more devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ."
Dr. James W. Troglen
