Melissa and I have been involved in ministry together since before we were married. Most recently, we have served in Los Alamos, NM at the First Baptist Church of Los Alamos. I was called as the Minister of Youth and Education in the fall of 1999. The First eight years of ministry at FBC-LA had me developing a thriving youth ministry as well as over seeing all aspects of the Education ministry of the church (preschool, children, AWANA, adult Sunday School, and adult small groups). In 2008, my roles shifted at FBC-LA and I became Associate Pastor of Worship and Small Groups, taking on responsibilities of pastoring the worship ministry of FBC-LA while continuing my education ministry responsibilities.
Several years ago, Melissa and I began to pray about what our next chapter of ministry would be. God had greatly blessed our ministry in Los Alamos, and we had no intention on leaving any time soon. However, we also felt that there would be a day that we would called to do something different for the Kingdom of God. God began to burden my heart for planting a church. After sharing this with Melissa, we began to pray about the possibility of one day planting a church. We also began preparing our lifestyle and our family for the possibly of starting a new church.
Approximately four years ago, I began to feel specifically burdened for the community of Santa Fe, NM. Santa Fe is thirty-Five miles southeast of Los Alamos. We frequently shop there, visit for entertainment, as well as pass through on our route to other locations in New Mexico. We began praying about the possibility of beginning a new church in Santa Fe. Last summer (2011) we determined that God was impressing on us that it was time to move forward with a plan to move our family to Santa Fe in 2013 to begin the process of starting a new church.
Jamie was born on July 15, 1971. He was born and raised in Truth or Consequences, NM and came to know Christ as his Savior and Lord at the age of nine. He sensed God’s call to ministry at the age of twenty-one. Jamie received his B.A. in Psychology from NMSU (1995) and his MDiv from Southwestern Seminary (2000).He has served as Associate Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Los Alamos (Worship, Youth, Small Groups) since September of 1999. He loves family, his community of friends, music, the outdoors and has an unnatural affection for Texas Rangers Baseball.
Jamie was born on July 15, 1971. He was born and raised in Truth or Consequences, NM and came to know Christ as his Savior and Lord at the age of nine. He sensed God’s call to ministry at the age of twenty-one. Jamie received his B.A. in Psychology from NMSU (1995) and his MDiv from Southwestern Seminary (2000).He has served as Associate Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Los Alamos (Worship, Youth, Small Groups) since September of 1999. He loves family, his community of friends, music, the outdoors and has an unnatural affection for Texas Rangers Baseball.
Melissa was born on July 14, 1972. She grew up in Wyoming and North Dakota. She accepted Christ as her savior and lord at the age of seven. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education from NMSU (1996). She and Jamie met while at NMSU and were married August 5, 1995 in Las Cruces, NM. Melissa has taught in public schools (kindergarten, reading, and second grade). She also has extensive experience in preschool and children’s ministry.
The Duke’s have three incredible children. Emily (12), Ryan (8), and Megan (5) and a faithful dog named Annie.
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