Meet Our Staff
Dr. James W. Adams, Pastor
James was born in Memphis and graduated from Central High School. In 1975, he married his high school sweetheart, Charline Jeter and established Merton Avenue Baptist as his home church. In 1979 James trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord and several months later surrendered to the Gospel Ministry. He was licensed and later ordained by the Merton Avenue Baptist Church.
Sensing a call to serve was a call to prepare, James enrolled in Mid-South Bible College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministries in 1985. The Lord led him to pursue a Master of Divinity and then a Doctor of Philosophy from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Adams has pastored churches in Tennessee and Missouri and is excited to be at Colonial.
Randy Bennett, Business Administrator
Randy was born in Memphis and graduated from Woodale High School. He and his family attended Cherokee Baptist Church where at 9 years of age Randy made a profession of faith. He attended the University of Memphis where he received his Bachelor of Business Adminstration with a major in management and minor in accounting.
Randy met and married Mary James at Colonial Baptist Church in 1981. They have two children, Ashley, a teacher at Southern Baptist Educational Center and James who is a junior at the University of Memphis. Randy loves sports, fishing and gardening.
Randy worked in the retail supermarket business for 20 years before coming to Colonial Baptist Church as Business Administrator in 1992.
One of Randy’s favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Wayne Hollie, Minister of Music
Wayne was born in Memphis and has been a part of Colonial Baptist Church for most of his life. While at Colonial during his teenage years, he surrendered his life to Christian service. He attended Mississippi College and Memphis State University where he received his Bachelor of Music Education.
At twenty years of age he left Colonial to serve three different Southern Baptist Churches, as Minister of Music for the next four and a half years. At this time, he started serving in his first full time position where he met his wife, Phyllis, and they had two boys born during this time, Jeremy and Bryan. He not only served in the church, taught senior high chorus in the academy and worked in accounts payable and accounts receivable. He remained in this capacity for the next twelve years.
Then he returned to Colonial for worship and started a new career at FedEx Express. He assumed a management position for the next eighteen years. While at FedEx in 1995, his back was broken during an industrial accident. The Lord continued to place His hand on Wayne during his recovery period. During this time Colonial lost their Minister of Music and Wayne was asked to serve as interim worship leader. He was soon asked to continue his position on a permanent part-time basis.
For the last 8+ years, he has served in this capacity and maintained a full time music program for all ages. He also sings in a southern gospel quartet "Call To Worship" which was formed out of Colonial.
Wayne and Phyllis are now the proud grandparents of twin girls, Esther and Joy and grandson, Josiah. Their parents, Jeremy and Rachel are serving as missionaries in Peru. Son, Bryan and wife, Amber live in Franklin, TN.
As Colonial starts the next fifty (50) years, he feels as others, that Colonial has the best days ahead.
David & Jennifer Foust, Youth Minister
David was born in Memphis and lived there until his family moved to Marion, AR when he was 12. He realized his need for a Savior later that year. At the age of 17, he began to get active with the youth group at First Baptist Church in Marion and realized what it means to be an obedient Christian. As David taught Sunday school classes and Bible studies over the years, he began to realize that God was calling him to serve in the ministry vocationally. David served as the youth pastor at New Hope Baptist Mission in Marion, AR. He married Jennifer in July 2007 and they are very excited to be serving and working with the teenagers of Colonial.
David graduated from Marion High School and went on to major in Art at Arkansas State University. After finishing college, he started seminary in 2007 at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Cordova, TN and is working on his Master of Missiology.
David's favorite verse is John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Support Staff
Margaret McCarty, Librarian
Sandy Murphree, Pianist/Music Associate
Pat Rodgers, Pastor's Secretary
Sondra Wright, Church Secretary
