staff

Chris Acuff | Young Adult Pastor
cacuff@lhchurch.com

A native Memphian, Chris joins the Living Hope Staff with a desire to disciple and equip young adults. Chris, along with his wife Suzanne, has served in various areas of lay ministry for several years and now feels a specific calling to pastoral ministry. Chris is passionate about being a part God’s redemptive work and leading and equipping others to do the same.

Chris has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Memphis and a Masters of Christian Studies from Union University. In addition, Chris has 15 years of experience in the commercial construction industry.
Chris and Suzanne have three children, Sarah, Abby, and Cooper.

Bill Christian | Small Groups Pastor, Teaching Pastor
bchristian@lhchurch.com

Bill calls New Orleans, LA home and is a huge fan of those Fighting Tigers from LSU. He is a graduate of Louisiana Tech and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Bill and his wife Carla have been married for nearly 30 years, they have 3 children and 2 grandsons. Danielle is married to Gabe, and they are finishing up school at Mississippi State. They have 2 children, Chapman and Luke.   Meredith is a senior at Mississippi College , and Kaitlin is a sophomore at Western Kentucky University. Bill serves as an elder and our Pastor to Small Groups at Living Hope, while Carla is the head of the special education department at Collierville High School.  If you want to go for a run, play a round of golf, or grab a cup of coffee to talk about the pursuit of God in the company of friends, give Bill a shout.

Pete DeMoss | Directional Pastor
pdemoss@lhchurch.com

Pete serves on the elder body as a visionary elder and is responsible for facilitating the total ministry and mission of Living Hope in accordance with elder direction. He also oversees the work of the church staff—encouraging and exhorting them in their area of calling and giftedness. Pete is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University and Golden Gate Theological Seminary in California. He, along with his wife Mary Kay, have served God through local church ministry for almost 30 years. They have two children, April and Jeremy.

Greg “Gib” Gibson | Teaching Pastor
ggibson@lhchurch.com

Gib joined the Living Hope staff in December 2006 after accepting the call to be our primary teaching pastor. He and his wife, Jill, are originally from Oklahoma, where Gib graduated from Southern Nazarene University. As teaching pastor at Living Hope, Gib aims to teach Jesus from all of Scripture, knowing that the Gospel alone creates real change, community, and mission. Gib and Jill reside in north Mississippi with their two daughters, Reese and Libby.

Lana Grogan | Office Manager
lgrogan@lhchurch.com

Lana is responsible for managing the church office and assisting the staff. Lana has experience in many areas including management, accounting, and administration, but more importantly, she has a heart for ministry and loves using the gifts that God has given her to serve Him and to serve the church.

Greg Jackson | Student Pastor
gjackson@lhchurch.com

Greg has served in the Student Ministry of churches in Alabama, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Studies from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. As Living Hope’s Student Pastor since December 2006, Greg is very excited about building a ministry that is focused on building authentic community among students and challenging them to serve their world.

David Lewis | Worship Pastor
dlewis@lhchurch.com

David began leading worship in high school, and since then has been using music to bring glory to God as a touring musician, producer, and worship leader. He felt a specific calling to pastoral/church ministry has been serving in this area for over 7 years. David grew up in Holcomb, Mississippi, and graduated from Delta State University. David and his wife Tara have two daughters, Caroline and Kate.

Anita Sisk | Children’s Pastor
asisk@lhchurch.com

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Anita has been involved in ministering to children in various capacities since she was 16 years old. Anita and her husband Richard have been married for over 30 years and have two adult children.  Together they lead a small group.

Matthew Watson | Mission Pastor
mwatson@lhchurch.com

For the past seven years Matthew and his wife Lisa have been joining their lives with the lives of the poor and marginalized.  Prior to joining Living Hope the Watsons lived in downtown Fresno, California, one of America’s poorest neighborhoods and then in Nigeria, West Africa where they served among those affected by, fighting against, living with and dying from HIV/AIDS.

Matthew draws on his experiences in urban ministry, community development, nonprofit management and international mission in an effort to develop disciples who love God and love their world.

Matthew and his wife Lisa, both graduates of Golden Gate Seminary, have a son, Nathan and one more on the way.