“Give double honor to spiritual leaders who handle their duties well. This is especially true if they work hard at teaching God’s Word.”

– 1st Timothy 5:17

CCG’s Consistory Board of Elders and Deacons

Sherri and Chris Dibble, Beth and Tim Daugherty, Mark Fichtner, Karen Folk, Pastor Stu King, Brian MacLean

Pastor Stu King

“My goal while I was with you was to talk about only one thing. And that was Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.”

– 1st Corinthians 2:2

Born in Akron, Stu moved to Pittsburgh as a kid and became, of all things, a Steelers fan. The good news is he saw the light and returned to his roots to attend and graduate from Ohio State with a business degree in marketing. From there, he set off on a career in Chicago and an M.B.A. in Finance from the business school at DePaul University.

Stu wasn’t raised in a Christian home or in the church, but came to faith in Jesus at the age of 27 after being led by the Holy Spirit to buy a Bible and then begin reading it for the very first time over the course of a few months. The day came when the Lord asked him, “Are you going to follow Me or keep living the life you’re living apart from Me?”  After that, everything changed because God had other plans for what He wanted Stu to be doing. It took a couple of years, but Stu and his wife, Deb, and their young family were then led to return home to Pittsburgh where he entered divinity school at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. After being ordained and serving as a pastor at a very large church for a number of years, he learned that wasn’t where the Lord wanted him to serve His kingdom. That’s when Stu was led to CCG as Senior Pastor 25 years ago in 1997.

The Bible verse from the Apostle Paul at the top of this page from 1st Corinthians sums up Stu’s calling – To start a whole new life preaching and teaching the good news of salvation found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stu and Deb have four grown children and two grandchildren. He also leads our adult Bible study on Tuesday evenings.

Beth Daugherty – Director of Christian Education

Hey, there! I can’t wait to meet you! As the Director of Christian Education, my role is to make sure that our children, teens, and adults are each provided with age-appropriate learning opportunities in a safe and loving environment. It’s exciting to see a church growing together in the Word of God!

A little bit of background…. Growing up, I attended Springfield Local Schools. I graduated from Grove City College in 1992 with a degree in French and Spanish and married soon after. I spent the next twelve years in Pennsylvania, serving in children’s ministry, both in the inner city of Philadelphia and in the coal region of Mount Carmel. God blessed our family with three children: Hannah, Benjamin, and Mary. We moved back to Ohio in 2004 and I found myself as a single mom just six years later. In 2018, I remarried, blending my family with my new husband’s family. Between Tim and I, we have seven adult children. We enjoy talking with other couples in similar situations at our monthly “blended & blessed” gatherings. 

When I am not at the church, I can usually be found working at my shop (My Sister’s Place, Hartville) or helping with my family’s business (Hartville Chocolate Factory). I enjoy meeting people, learning about new cultures, and spending time with my family. I especially enjoy spending time with kids and teaching them about Jesus. I have been doing just that for 35 years. Children are definitely a gift from the Lord!

Brian MacLean – Worship and “Ignite” Youth Leader

It was a cold and blustery early morning in March of 1981. The sun had not yet risen, and a light snow was blowing through the air. Suddenly the silence was interrupted by the cries of a baby as Brian MacLean came into this cruel, dark world…

Hmmmmmm, maybe that’s too dramatic. Let’s start over. Brian was born and raised in Allentown, PA, and later moved to right outside of Hershey (and yes, the air does smell like chocolate). In 1996, he bought his first guitar from one of his friends and started a Christian rock band. Since then, he has been playing and singing anywhere he has been able to, sometimes as a solo artist and sometimes in different bands. After graduating high school, he attended college for music education. Although he never finished his degree, he was still able to use his experience to work at learning centers and music stores teaching guitar and music. Years later, he attended school again, and this time earned his certificate in audio engineering.

Through all that time, Brian still had a passion to lead worship and sing for the Lord, first as a worship leader in Mohnton, PA, and then at a church in Akron. In November of 2016, he saw an ad for the worship leader position at Celebration Church and joined the staff a few months later. A year later he also took on the role of leading CCG’s Young Adult Group. Brian and his wife, Michelle, have a son and daughter, and live in Akron.