Dr. Charles Murphy – Senior Pastor
Pastor Murphy has dedicated his pastoral ministry to serving God’s purposes.
He was born in Beaumont, Texas, but grew up in Shepherd. He surrendered to the ministry in 1966 and has been at Heritage Baptist Church since Oct. 2, 1973. He has a master’s degree from Texas Baptist Institute, a doctorate from the Peruvian Baptist Institute and another doctorate from Heritage Baptist Institute.
Pastor Murphy’s goal for Heritage is for the church to reach people with the Gospel and train them to reach others with the Good News of God’s love and the salvation He offers. This is what God has commissioned His churches to do and it’s a task to which Pastor Murphy has been and will be committed.
On Jan. 30, 1960, Pastor Murphy and his wife Mary were married. They have four children.
Bro. Dennis Bell – Music Minister
Originally from Modesto, Calif., Bro. Dennis earned a bachelor’s degree in music from The University of the Pacific. He then received a master’s degree in music from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music.
Bro. Dennis came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in March 1966. He began his music ministry in 1980 and has been at Heritage since 1994.
“The Ministry of Music at Heritage Baptist Church exists to reveal the glory of God more clearly and to inspire listeners to worship Him with renewed spirit,” Bro. Dennis said. “We encourage musicians of all ages to use their musical gifts in the proclamation of God's greatness, love and mercy.”
It is Bro. Dennis’ prayer that the church’s efforts to experience the joy and worship of God's presence will result in a foretaste of the worship we will experience in the company of all the saints and angels! (Rev. 5:13)
He and his wife, Mary, were married in 1979 and have four sons: Matt, Tim, Kevin and Brian.
Bro. Brian Simmons – Associate Pastor of Ministries
Bro. Brian was born and raised in Texas City, Texas and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior in December 1989. He surrendered to God’s calling to the ministry in 1999. He is a 2005 graduate of Texas A&M University and has been taking courses at Heritage Baptist Institute since the fall of that year. He earned an associate’s degree in applied ministry in the spring of 2007.
He was called to be the Associate Pastor of Ministries at Heritage Baptist Church in October 2007. Part of his ministry at Heritage is to oversee church growth programs. Bro. Brian is encouraged by the willingness of the congregation to dedicate their time and efforts toward God’s work and is excited about the amazing potential for growth, both in spiritual and numerical terms, at Heritage.
Bro. Brian and his wife, Cheryl, were married in June 2006. They met while both were attending Texas A&M.
Bro. Jared Murphy – Youth Minister
Bro. Jared came to Heritage Baptist Church in October 2004 after graduating from Sam Houston State University and growing up in Shepherd, Texas. In addition to leading the youth at Heritage, he is a teacher at Foster High School.
Bro. Jared desires to see the youth group live for God on an every day basis. He says he grew up “playing church” and it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he truly understood that God wanted to use him and wanted total commitment from him.
“I don't want to see these kids waste as many years as I did,” Bro. Jared said. “I want to see them ‘get it’ and truly live it.”
He married his wife Jennifer on March 11, 2006 after four years of dating.
Deacons