[Winn Collier]
winn@dcf-clemson.org

At DCF

Winn has been at DCF since January 2002. His role is to lead the DCF staff, serve as the lead teacher for our Sunday gatherings, team up with Miska to guide Church on Camelia Lane, and to dream with the elders about what God is crafting in his church.

Outside DCF

Winn is a writer. His work has appeared in various places, but he is currently wondering why his book Restless Faith is so low on the Amazon sale list. He has a regular gig with Relevant Magazine, and you can find out more about his writing at www.winncollier.com. He is currently the director of The Genesis Project, a group that is a resource for church planters. His favorite hobbies are backpacking, reading, movies, cooking skiing, laughing with his sons, and spending time with his best friend Miska.

Flavor

Winn is a Texan. (He said that was all anyone needed to know about him, but we offer a little more). He went to college in Florida, seminary in Dallas, and has worked at several ministries between here and there. He even had a stint as a broker for Charles Schwab and Company (but he requests that no one ask him for stock tips -- he has no idea).

Family

Winn is married to Miska who has a masters degree in counseling and a heart for providing spiritual direction. They have two sons, Wyatt and Seth.

God Story

God has pursued me in relentless love. I have rebelled. God has pursued me in severe mercy. I have relented and repented. God has pursued me in refreshing wonder. I have rebelled again.

And that is just chapter one.

Movie Character I Identify With

On some days, I resonate with Maximus from Gladiator, a man who knows his name. On other days, I feel more kinship with Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, just plain ol' confused.

Music You'd Find in My Car

Josh Rouse, Johnny Cash, India Arie, Switchfoot, U2, David Crowder, Dave Matthews, Coldplay, Robbie Seay, The Curious George soundtrack, and -if I can get in the groove of using it- the Paste sampler for the month.

Little Known Facts

Winn was once detained in the Moscow airport with Russian guards for 18 hours, and there really was a time when he regularly watched Walker, Texas Ranger. Miska invented the chocolate chip but is currently in a patent battle with Nestle. If she were stranded on a desert island for two months ... she wouldn't care.

Hope

My hope is that DCF is always a body of passionate risk takers who live for pleasure in the glory of God. God has called us to God-sized things. May we be wounded enough to listen, adventurous enough to dream, and faithful enough to live in the seasons between the two.

[Nathan Elmore]
nathan@dcf-clemson.org

At DCF

Nathan is pastor-guide for our House Church communities. He is something of a gardener who desires to spend his time and energy cultivating a practiced theology of Christ-type community.

Outside DCF

Nathan's pleasures include: the morning newspaper and a coffee; following Arsenal (soccer club in England) and the New York Mets; reading and writing (but not arithmetic); discussing and interpreting film; shooting hoops; a meaningful conversation; red wines; the moon; Amie.

He prays nightly for the utter destruction of the New York Yankees (and all other evil empires).

Background

Born: Pensacola, FL. Childhood: Dallas, TX. Adolescence: Cedarville, OH. College: Cedarville University; B.A. Broadcasting Communications, 1994. Post-college residences: Akron, OH; Waukegan, IL; Salem, OR.

Nathan received his Masters of Divinity in 1999 (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, near Chicago, IL) and required his wife to call him "the Divine Master" upon the day of graduation. He served as Pastor of Young Adults at a church in Oregon from April 2000 until August 2003.

Before coming to DCF in May 2005, Nathan worked for a few months as a Security Guard where he secured various parking lots at various times in various places in a post-9/11 world.

Family

Nathan married Amie in October 1996. Amie hails from Pennsylvania. She graduated from Cedarville University in 1996 with a degree in Elementary Education. In 2004, she completed a masters degree in Counseling through George Fox University in Oregon.

Nathan and Amie have two children who arrived on the same date, but three years apart: Camden, on January 18, 2002; and Katherine, on January 18, 2005.

Story

Missionary kid. Pastor's kid. Professor's kid (Christian college). And I lived to tell about it (the memoir rights to such a story are lucrative). Somewhere in between those decisions which were not mine and somewhere in the middle of the Christian subculture, Christ brought me into the life that is real - his life - and I love him for it and continue to choose him for it.

Favorite Films (the short-list)

Pi / Pulp Fiction / The Royal Tenenbaums / Magnolia / Divine Intervention / Fight Club / The Godfather (parts 1 and 2) / Garden State / Hero

Special list of favorites from the Coen brothers: Fargo / The Big Lebowski / The Man Who Wasn't There / O Brother Where Art Thou

Music You'd Find in My Car

Johnny Cash / Damien Rice / Pink Martini / Garden State soundtrack / Derek Webb / U2

Little Known Facts

In a circumstance of extreme intestinal distress, I once used a restaurant urinal for the purposes of "number 2." The toilet was occupied. When the occupant came out of the toilet, it was a MasterCard moment.

Personal Note

The South may not rise again, but it is certainly growing on us...slowly. Amie and I are privileged to play a part in the DCF story and continue to ask ourselves first as we ask others: Do we really believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?

[Stuart Hayes]
stuart@dcf-clemson.org

At DCF

Keeping the elders in tow is a full time job for Stuart, not to mention a task fraught with occupational hazards. Stuart and Shannon lead Church on Riggs, one of DCF's house churches. Stuart also mentors leaders and shares teaching responsibilities.

Outside DCF

A Chemical Engineer for the BASF Corporation, managing a manufacturing operation that produces chemicals making Urethane foam.

Background

Stuart graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University where he also earned his MBA. He is homegrown, hailing from the great city of Anderson, South Carolina.

Family

Shannon graduated from Clemson with a degree in Biological Sciences, a minor in Psychology, and has earned her Master's degree in Physical Therapy at MUSC. Stuart and Shannon have two sons, Silas and Luke, and were the first couple at DCF to sport a minivan.

Story

When I was three years old, I knew that loving others was not natural for me. I did not desire to share my toys with anyone else. At that point, I realized that I deserved to be separated from a holy, loving God in Hell. However, I knew that Jesus had died for my sins, that He paid the price for my mistakes. I believed that He was the only way to have a relationship with God. Could I verbalize all of this at three? No, but I knew that I wasn't good enough, nor never would be, for God. Growing up, I struggled, but trusted that God would continue to work in and through me. I experience a relationship with God that continues to grow as He teaches and I listen and learn.

Movie Character I Identify With

Ethan Hawke in Dead Poets Society

Music You'd Find in My Car

Actually, none - the stereo/radio in both my cars is broken; and when it does work, I'm normally listening to Jim Rome, though I'm definitely not a clone.

Little Known Facts

Stuart can arrange music, play drums, play the marimba. He also enjoys hiding in places and reading so he can get lost in his thoughts and in God. He & Shannon enjoy sports events, theater, and skiing. Stuart's favorite food is old-fashioned macaroni and cheese.

Personal Note

Shannon and I are committed to investing in this generation, in order for them to experience true love from a God that has pursued them from the beginning of time.