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Orchard Staff
"Leading the Orchard to Grow New and Stronger Followers of Jesus"
Among other duties, each staff person at The Orchard has two main jobs:
1) Every staff person, in every role, has the primary objective of "growing new and stronger followers of Jesus" through specific tasks and ministry areas.
2) Every staff person, in every role, works to empower the non-staff people at The Orchard to be ministers themselves. It is not the job of staff people to do ministry, but to organize and support the ministry efforts of others.
Read on, and meet these dynamic people who support, empower, and challenge the people of The Orchard to be all that God intends them to be.
Ben Cathey - Lead Pastor and Ministry Coach email
Ben has a big passion for growing an amazing church. He believes that if followers of Jesus will gather together and align their talents and resources with God's plans and purposes they will literally change the world. Ben oversees all aspects of ministry and church life at The Orchard by approaching his position through a unique perspective. Called by God to plant The Orchard in 2000, Ben realized that the church could not be all that God intended if he did all the ministry himself. Ben's desire is to grow new followers of Jesus, then see as many believers as possible strengthened in the faith because they are using their gifts and talents in ways that honor and glorify God. He loves to see lives changed as ministry happens.
Ben has been married to his high school sweetheart, June, for 16 years. They have three children: Bentley ('93), Ashlyn ('94), and Amber ('96).
Ben has been in full-time ministry since 1993. He was ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church (UMC) in 1999 and previously led ministry at Temple UMC and Mountain Park UMC before coming to Loganville to plant The Orchard in 2001.
Ben attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA, before obtaining a B.S. degree in Construction Science from Auburn University. Called to ministry while at Auburn, Ben obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1997. In 2006, Dr. Cathey completed a Doctor of Ministry degree in Preaching and Leadership.
Ben's Personal Stuff:
On my ipod: Coldplay, U2, The O Band, JOhn Mayer
P.O.D., LifeChurch.tv Podcasts, Pillar, Boston,
Caedman's Call, Chris Daughtry, and Waylon Jennings.
On my Bookshelf: Simple Church by Thom Rainer,
The Bible by God's People, A Walk In The Woods
by Bill Bryson, Sudoku, Crosswords.
Last Summer: We moved. Yikes, that was a big process.
One house to another in the Loganville area, but
we were homeless for a month during the transition.
I stayed Loganville while June and the kids stayed in
Marietta with my in-laws. Still had fun though. A
family trip to Surfside Beach, SC. and a Ben and June
trip to Vogel State Park where we camped, kayaked
the Chatahoochee, and hiked to the summit of
Blood Mountain - the second highest in Georgia.
My Pets: A chocolate lab named Reese; white, mostly
German Shepherd, named ButterCup; a cat
named Mittens. We don't name the fish or frogs!
When I'm Not Working At The O: I hang out with June
and the kids, work in the yard, read, workout, and jog.
I enjoy golf, watching football, movies,
and adult league soccer. War Eagle!!!
You Might be Surprised if You Knew: I'm pretty good at
EA Sports Madden Football. I failed 1st grade.
I have a BS degree in Construction Science
from Auburn University. I've been on Reality TV.
Dianne Hall - Children's Pastor email
Dianne's passion for children's ministry began as a simple love for all children. Dianne says, "If you want to get a fresh look at the world, just spend some time with a child." She loves  children because of their energy, enthusiasm for life, and the open spirit with which they approach learning. Dianne believes that there is no better time to plant the seeds for learning about God and His word than in childhood. Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Dianne is honored to be able to partner with parents in the great adventure of training a child in the way they should go.
Dianne has been married to Terry for 26 years. They have two children, Lauren (90') and Brian (85').
Dianne has worked with elementary aged children for 24 years as a teacher at Mount Carmel Christian School. Her ministry experience also includes work with children at Tucker Christian Church, Northview Christian Church, and prior to coming on staff, with the various children's ministries at the Orchard.
Dianne received a BS in Education from West Georgia College and an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Dekalb College.
Dianne's Personal Stuff:
In My CD Player: Nicole Nordeman, Starfield, Josh Groban,
Chris Tomlin, Charlotte Church.
On My Bookshelf: Books by Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury,
Lori Wick, Janette Oke, Charles Swindoll, and lots of
teacher/ministry resource books.
Last Summer: Vacation Bible Camp, yard work, books, movies,
time with Lauren, celebrated my 27th wedding
anniversary. A family trip to the beach.
My Pets: A huge, black Doberman named Apollo who is a
sweetheart and an orange tabby cat named Sammy.
When I'm Not Working At The O: I'm teaching fourth grade at
Mount Carmel Christian School, putting together the
school's yearbook, grading papers, reading, scrap
booking, spending time with my husband and two
children, and swimming.
You Might Be Surprised If You Knew: I studied voice and
opera in college, and I play the flute. I love action
movies. I was crowned the Corn Queen once.
Heather Hopkins - Student Pastor email
Heather came on board with The Orchard in September of 2007. Heather comes with a passion for seeing youth come to know Jesus and what it means to live a life that is constantly  reflecting His “awesomeness”. She wants youth to know that following Jesus is not all about living right, it is about living fully with enthusiasm and anticipation. She wants to help youth cultivate a faith that will follow Jesus recklessly wherever He may lead! Basically, she wants to invite youth to join in on this rollercoaster ride that we call the Christian life!
Heather has experience with youth from Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church, Saint Simons United Methodist Church and through Crossed-Up Ministries. She currently still helps to lead Crossed-Up Ministries that puts on passionate worship-driven events in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. She recently graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Science in Sociology and is pursuing a Masters of Education in Christian Counseling from Liberty University.
Heather’s Personal Stuff:
On My ipod: The Fray, Rascal Flatts, Hillsong United,
David Crowder Band, Watermark, Steve Fee,
Kristian Stanfill, John Mayer, Dave Barnes,
Matt Wertz and the list goes on and on and on….
On My Bookshelf: Dangerous Wonder, Captivating,
Authentic Beauty, Don’t Waste Your Life, Releasing
the Rivers Within…yet another really long list
Last Summer: I traveled all summer leading Worship
for a whole lot of youth…INCREDIBLE!
When I’m Not Working At The O: School (yuck),
playing with my dog Khaki (yes, I named him the color that he is),
playing keyboard/guitar, singing, anything active,
traveling, if I am really lucky I am at the beach!
You Might Be Surprised If You Knew: hmm . . . this one
makes me feel boring! I can’t stand feet but I prefer
flip flops or being barefoot…does that count?
Eric Rubio, Lead Worshipper email
Eric became The Orchard Lead Worshipper in April of 2005. He brings a fresh approach to leading worship, starting with his title. "The Worshipping is done by the Congregation . . . the Praise Team and I just lead them." Eric believes that the church needs to be a place where  people can come and experience worship that is exciting, authentic, moving, and relevant, and where denominational backgrounds or previous church experience (or lack thereof) do not hinder people from experiencing true worship. "We use various musical styles, including rock, country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, etc. We also use hymns, choruses, modern worship songs, and I especially like to take a secular song and give it new meaning." Above style and genre, Eric believes very strongly that the praise band should strive to play skillfully and to continue to lead people to respond to God in authentic worship.
Eric has been married to Jennifer, his college sweetheart, for 10 years. They have four sons: Hudson ('00), Cooper ('02), Maddox ('05), and Miller ('06).
Eric has experience leading contemporary worship and youth worship at Corinth Christian Church in Loganville as well as worship concerts around Atlanta. Eric is Student Services Coordinator with Walton County Schools and holds a BA in Psychology and Religion and a MSW degree, both from UGA.
Eric's personal stuff:
In My CD Player: Chris Tomlin, David Crowder,
Todd Fields, Circleslide, Watermark, 722,
Follow For Now, U2, DJ Andy Hunter,
Aaron Shust, Passion, Rob Bell, Louie
Giglio, Donald Miller, Andy Stanley
On My Bookshelf: Jewish New Testament
Commentary, Understanding the Difficult
Words of Jesus, Velvet Elvis, Revolution
Last Summer: My wife had our fourth son,
Miller (yes, 4th). I was able to stay home
for four weeks to help out. I took my oldest
two sons to Stone Mtn Park, visited my mom,
swimming, bowling . . . it was a lot of fun!
My Pets: Did I mention I have four sons? Who
has time for pets? Besides, I'm allergic
to cats . . . real manly, huh?
When I'm not working at The O: I'm answering
questions about what I do in my spare time . . . also,
I'm raising boys to be men (did I mention four of 'em),
working in the yard, playing guitar, spending time
with my wife. I used to really love basketball,
football, soccer, tennis . . . most any active sport.
Golf bored me . . . too much standing around. I would
love to be able to find time to do those things again
soon. I love to watch college football,
especially SEC . . . GO DAWGS!!!
You Might Be Suprised If You Knew: I'm very left-handed,
although I play guitar right-handed. I grew up in Texas.
I'm a good dancer—just ask Jennifer.
I'm not the best cook, unless grilling counts.
Lisa Smyrl - Communications Assistant email
Lisa began working part time at The Orchard as our Communications Assistant in July of 2006. Wanting to spend more time with her son, she left her fulltime position after 7 years at the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation working as their Programs Director. She  loves working with all the wonderful Orchard people and the NEVER BORING staff team. Lisa oversees the Orchard office, bulletin production, web updates, Orchard data systems, and various other mailing projects, publication projects, and software systems. Lisa attends St. Oliver Catholic Church.
Lisa received a BS degree in Recreation (with emphasis in Theraputic Recreation) from the University of South Alabama in Mobile. She minored in Business Administration.
Lisa has been married to Kevin for six years, and is the proud new mother of Philip who was born in Feb. 2005.
Lisa's personal stuff:
In My CD Player: Michael Buble', Rod Stewart,
Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
On My Bookshelf: Books by James Patterson and
Stewart Woods, Suduko.
Last Summer: My husband, son and I went to
my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to watch
my younger brother get married. Visited Cleveland,
Ohio, for my younger sister's wedding shower
and bachlorette party. I got to ride the world's
largest roller coaster that has a height of over
400 feet high and a start speed of over
120 mph. in 4 seconds. Whew!
My Pets: I have a Golden Lab mutt named Vinny.
He keeps us very busy.
When I'm Not Working at The O: Spending time with
my family, helping the Empty Stocking Fund during
the Christmas season, reading, sewing and building
our side company, Beautiful Blinds and More.
You Might Be Suprised If You Knew: I love to sew and
ride motorcycles. Since the birth of our son,
the motorcycle riding has been put on hold.
I also enjoy working in the yard and building
things for the home.
Jennifer Wadsworth - Nursery Coordinator email
Jennifer just started working at the Orchard in October of 2007. In her role as Nursery Coordinator, she wants to not only provide a safe, loving environment for the infants and  toddlers, but also to hopefully enhance the worship experience for their parents by making them feel comfortable leaving their young ones in the nursery and not having to be concerned about their welfare during worship. Jennifer is responsible for staffing and scheduling of the nursery volunteers and ensuring that the necessary materials and supplies are on hand and generally that things go smoothly on Sunday mornings.
Jennifer has been married to her husband Jason for 12 years. They have 2 wonderful boys, Jackson (99) and Cooper (03) They have resided in Loganville for 11 years.
Jennifer taught elementary aged children for 10 years in DeKalb and Walton counties. After being home with her children for several years, she has returned to teaching Pre-K in Gwinnett County. Jennifer has been involved with various children's ministries at The Orchard. Jennifer holds a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University. (War Eagle)
Jennifer's personal stuff:
My XM Radio: 70's, 80's, Classic Rock, 90's
Alternative and Christian
On My Bookshelf: Have not unpacked the books
yet. You'll see why next.
Last Summer: An offer was made on our
house after being on the market for
approximately 10 days. Great, however
the bad news was that the buyers wanted
us out within 3 weeks. We had to find
a house in 3 days and moved in 3 weeks
later. Crazy!!
My Pets: We have an old mutt named Bailey
and the world's longest living beta
fish, Peyton Manning Wadsworth.
When I'm Not Working at the Orchard: Teaching
twenty 4 year olds, spending time with my
family, and scrap booking when time allows.
You Might Be Surprised If You Knew: I attended
and worked at the Tennesse Camp for Diabetic
Children for 11 years. I was 21 and still going
to summer camp.
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