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A FIRM Foundation September 2013

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Pat Williams The NBA Orlando Magic

Pat Williams is the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. As one of America’s top motivational, inspirational, and humorous speakers, he has addressed thousands of executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies and national associations to universities and nonprofits. Pat is also the author of over 65 books, his most recent title being Coach Wooden: The 7 Principles that Shaped His Life and Will Change Yours. Pat spent seven years in the Philadelphia Phillies organization—two as a minor league catcher and five in the front office—and has also spent three years in the Minnesota Twins organization. Since 1968, he has been in the NBA as general manager for teams in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia—including the 1983 World Champion 76ers—and now the Orlando Magic, which he co-founded in 1987 and helped lead to the NBA finals in 1995 and 2009. In 1996, Pat was named as one of the 50 most influential people in NBA history by Beckett’s, a national publication. He is a member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame after catching for the Deacon baseball team, including the 1962 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship team. He is also a member of six other hall of fames around the country. Pat and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of 19 children, including 14 adopted from four nations, ranging in age from 25 to 38. Pat teaches an adult Sunday school class at First Baptist Church of Orlando and hosts three weekly radio shows. In the last 15 years, he has completed 58 marathons and also climbed Mt. Rainier. Pat earned his bachelors degree at Wake Forest University, and his master’s degree at Indiana University. He will address the convention in General Session II on Friday at 8:00 AM and will be signing books immediately following.

Dr. Alan Pue The Barnabas Group Dr. Alan Pue is President of The Barnabas Group, a ministry that specializes in providing strategic planning, leadership/governance development and marketing assistance to churches, Christian schools and colleges. He has earned an M. Ed. from Florida Atlantic University and an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware. Dr. Pue has been involved in Christian schooling most of his life. He is a graduate of Dade Christian School in Miami, FL, served for many years as a Christian school teacher, guidance counselor, coach, and headmaster. He has also served as Senior Vice President and Provost of The Master’s College in Santa Clarita, CA.

As President of The Barnabas Group, Dr. Pue travels extensively throughout North America speaking at Christian school conferences and working with ministry leaders in the areas of strategic planning, governance, and marketing. He is the author of over two dozen published articles, writes monthly book reviews, and his book, Re-Thinking Sustainability: A Strategic Financial Model for Christian Schools was recently published. He has been happily married to his wife, Linda, for 43 years; has two married children, both graduates of Christian schools, and six beautiful granddaughters. He will open the convention by delivering his keynote address in General Session I on Thursday morning at 8:00 AM and will present a workshop in each of the seven sessions.

Pastor Denis McBride The Campus Church, Pensacola Christian College Pastor Denis McBride became the Pastor of the Campus Church in August of 2011. He has taught Bible and History at Pensacola Christian Academy for 28 years and is a video teacher with A Beka Academy. He served as principal at Pensacola Christian Academy for 6 years and has taught Education courses at Pensacola Christian College. Pastor McBride and his wife, Connie, celebrated 40 years of marriage in August. They have two married sons and are looking forward to becoming grandparents in October 2013.

He will close the convention by delivering his keynote address in General Session III on Friday at 11:45 AM.

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A FIRM Foundation September 2013

Mark and Melissa Barnes First Coast Christian School FACCS Celebration! Team Mark and Melissa Barnes currently live in Jacksonville, Florida. Mark is the Executive Pastor/Minister of Worship & Music at Yulee Baptist Church in Yulee, FL, just north of Jacksonville. Melissa is teaching Middle School and High School Chorus as well as High School Grammar and Composition at First Coast Christian School. Mark and Melissa each received their Bachelor's Degree in Music from the University of Mobile. They have served churches in Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Florida. They have led and performed with musical groups throughout the United States, Europe, and Brazil. Mark proudly served in the United States Air Force for ten years. Rising to the rank of Captain, he was the Chief of Air Traffic Control Operations at Dobbins AFB in Atlanta, GA,

when God called him to his first full-time ministry position. Melissa has worked in Christian education for over twenty years. She has also served as a director of the Training Choirs for the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus. Mark and Melissa are proud of their long association with FACCS. They have three adult children who each graduated from First Coast Christian School. Their oldest daughter is now teaching at FCCS and their youngest daughter is a sophomore at Trinity Baptist College. They will lead us in celebration of and praise to our Savior in all General Sessions.

Meet Our Musical Guests Buddy Davis

Answers in Genesis and The Creation Museum

Speaker, Author, Illustrator, Singer/Songwriter, Adventurer & Dinosaur Sculptor!

Special Guest Musician Gifted by God in many ways, Buddy Davis is a speaker and singer/songwriter for AiG. He is an adventurer and paleo-artist, and he leads the very popular “Creation Adventure” children’s workshop at AiG conferences. Buddy plays many acoustic instruments, and his music is enjoyed around the world. As a speaker for AiG, Buddy’s talks cover a wide range of topics. Whether geared for adults, children, or the whole family, Buddy’s messages are aimed at the lay audience. His easy-to-understand style makes him popular with listeners of all ages. As an author and illustrator of children’s and family books, Buddy is once again able to minister to a wide range of people. Fiction and non-fiction, print and audio, Buddy’s easy-to-read style is perfect for family read-aloud time and classroom use. As a songwriter, the sole purpose of Buddy’s music is to uphold the authority of God’s Word and draw people to a closer walk with Jesus Christ, our Creator and Savior. Hard-hitting songs like “Godly Men” and “I Believe” (written by Buddy) have ministered to many. Buddy plays a variety of folk-style instruments (e.g., guitar, mandolin, harmonica, et al.), and his down-home-America singing style is pleasing to all. Buddy’s greatest adventure happened in the north of the Alaskan tundra (within the Arctic Circle) with his search for dinosaur bones. His exploration for Noah’s Ark took him to Mt. Ararat in Turkey. Buddy is easily recognized in his explorer clothes and trademark hat. This image allows Buddy to connect with families in a special way, and the children always recognize him as the star of the Creation Adventure Team award-winning videos. As a “paleo-artist,” Buddy specializes in building life-size dinosaur sculptures. He has sculpted more than 60 impressive dinosaur models, many of which have found a new home in the AiG Creation Museum. His work has been featured worldwide in newspapers, magazines, books, and on television. He will sing and minister in all three General Sessions and will present four workshops throughout the convention.