James McDonald, Teaching Elder
James McDonald, husband to Stacy, father of ten (two married, one on the way), and grandfather of one, serves as pastor of Providence Church. A graduate of the University of Idaho (BSME), James is on a lifelong quest to complete his Master of Divinity and is currently enrolled at The North American Reformed Seminary. One of James other goals is to find the world’s best crème brûlée. A man who has worn many hats, James has served as a design engineer, operations planner, global marketing director, and a publisher, but his true love is preaching God’s Word and ministering to God’s people.
James and his family moved to Central Illinois in 2006 from Southeast Texas, where he served as pastor of Crown and Covenant Presbyterian Church. The McDonald family lives on two acres of heaven in the middle of nowhere Illinois (actually just up the bluff from Kingston Mines), where they spend their spare time raising a few chickens, adventuring in the woods and corn fields, and reading a few good books.
Bryan Evans, Elder
Bryan Evans serves as an elder at Providence. He is blessed to have Kimberly as his wife, and to be the father of six sons and two daughters. Bryan also serves as the CFO for a national Christian health care sharing ministry. Bryan’s giftings are teaching, counseling, and hospitality. His interests include theology, early American history, and marksmanship. The Evans family hosts a very popular rifle match on their property south of Hopedale each year. One of his favorite quotes is, “Aim small, miss small.”
Scott Price, Elder
David (Scott) Price
Scott and Janice Price began their marriage journey over 30 years ago after meeting in church. Scott is a graduate of Iowa Sate University (BSME 1975) and has worked in design engineering at fortune 500 companies for over 35 years. He is the author of KiDSCo – Empowering the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs in Building a Family Legacy. Since his retirement from Caterpillar in 2009, his desire is to help families build God honoring family legacies. Taught by a life of shifting paradigms, Scott is a visionary, with a desire to hide God’s Word in his heart, an ability to bring Scripture to appropriately bear on all of life’s concerns, and a growing commitment to help families establish a legacy for future generations. He lives in the Peoria, IL area with his wife, Janice. They have three children, all home schooled up to college and two grandchildren. Scott has served Providence Church since its founding in 2002.
Steve Bandy, Deacon
Steve Bandy, with his bride Kelley, have been blessed with 2 sons and 3 daughters. Steve served 4 years in USAF repairing communications equipment while completing his AAS and BS degrees in Radio Communications and Industrial Technology. After the military, he inspected welding and served as a nuclear quality and system engineer 7 years. Since ’88 has worked for the state as an analyst, programmer/instructor, supervisor, speaker & technical consultant. He enjoys carpentry at home in Fancy Prairie (25 yrs), reading good books, spending time with family and singing. Steve, Kelley & family enjoy cooking, hospitality and serving others – however the Lord opens “doors”.
Tom Candler, Deacon
Tom’s history began in Central Illinois where his father, Rev. T. Owen Candler, pastored several small Methodist Churches. As he grew up God graciously kept Tom close to Himself. Tom joined the United States Coast Guard after one year at Greenville College where he studied Elementary Education with an emphasis in Physical Education. He has traveled through and worked in several states during his tours of duty with the Coast Guard. He retired from the Coast Guard in 2004 as a Chief Warrant Officer (W-4). Since 2005, he has been working with Samaritan Ministries’ Member Services Department. Tom is blessed to be the husband to Espi of over 20 years and father to Josiah, Sierra, Lenna, Elita, Hannah, and 7 blessings in heaven due to miscarriages. The Candler Family resides in Tremont.
Daniel Ryken, Deacon
Daniel Ryken, husband to Sheri and father to 4 daughters and 3 sons. He served 8 years in the Army including Operations Desert Storm, Desert Shield, and peace keeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina. After tours of duty in Panama and Maryland, he moved his family back to North Eastern Illinois, where both he and Sheri grew up. In 2007, Daniel felt the Lord’s calling to move his family to some acreage in south of Pekin. The family joined Providence Church, where Daniel serves as a deacon. Life is full with his employment for a computer security company and working alongside his family raising chickens, enjoying God’s creation, chopping wood, and learning to live a slower country life.
Bob Sanford, Deacon
Bob Sanford, husband to Katherine and father of 14, serves as deacon of Providence Church in Morton. A graduate of Randolph Macon College with a BA in Religious Studies, Bob has always been involved in ministry. Since 1988, he has worked for a large insurance company based in Bloomington, IL where he has held the positions of underwriter, supervisor, staff assistant and business analyst. He enjoys tending his land and his children’s hearts, and over the past ten years has become an adoption advocate and consultant supporting adoptive parents.
Originally from Virginia, Bob and his family reside on six-acres outside of Downs. All enjoy a good game of softball or Ultimate Frisbee, taking walks, playing games, camping (two very large tents!), Church, family worship, listening to good books read by Dad, and pizza with a DVD. His oldest sons are currently serving in the US Military.
