Our Team — Immanuel Baptist Church

Elders

Dave accepted Christ at a church retreat when he was 12 years old. When his children were born, he decided to take his faith more seriously and began teaching adult Sunday school classes. He became a deacon in 1989 and remains passionate about teaching. He currently teaches classes for adults and children.
He and his wife Linda have been married for 55 years. They have two children and eight grandchildren.

Bruce and his wife Felicia have been members of Immanuel since 1997. Bruce retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2001 and then retired from Civil Service in 2024. He has served as a Deacon, adult Bible study teacher, and is the Chairman of the Elder Board. He and Felicia have two grown daughters, Heather and Melissa, and three grandchildren. Bruce loves to play golf, is an avid hunter, and loves the outdoors.

John Schroeder is an elder at Immanuel Baptist Church, where he has served for over forty years. Raised in the Catholic church, he became a born-again Christian on his 30th birthday and started attending Southern Baptist churches in various states. He has served in multiple ministries, including feeding the homeless, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, missionary trips to Mexico City, Ghana, Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, Nickelsville, Baton Rouge, Eastern Shore, and many short trips within Virginia. In the past, He has also worked with the Royal Ambassadors and the youth ministry.

Rob Swale bio should go here. It should be about three sentences long and explain his testimony and qualifications as elder.

David came to Christ as a college freshman and quickly felt called to ministry. After serving as a volunteer youth leader for a few years, he decided to seek ministerial training at a seminary. After graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary, her served as a youth pastor for 10 years, then accepted a position as Senior Pastor at a small church in Oden, Arkansas. In 2019, he moved to Virginia to become the pastor of Immanuel. He is passionate about connecting people with Christ because a relationship with Christ is the only hope we have for a meaningful life.
David has been married to his wife Amy for more than 20 years and they have five wonderful children.

Patrick Annette felt called to ministry the summer before 10th grade. He would later graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies from Liberty University. He met his wife there and now has three kids. He works full-time at Chick-fil-A. He has a passion for developing and training up teens for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Amy came to know Christ as a small child in a faithful church that was dedicated to teaching children the truths of God. As a mom of five, she started to volunteer in children’s ministry out of a desire to strengthen the Christian education that her children received in church. After a couple of years, her passion for children’s ministry grew deeper, and she decided to pursue a seminary education. She graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2026 with a Master’s in Christian Education. Although most of her children have aged out, she continues to strive to educate children and support families to help them grow in knowledge and faith.

Steven brings over twenty years of musical experience in performance, education, and ministry. Holding a Master’s degree in Percussion Performance, he has served as a school band director and theme park entertainer, and is currently a musician in the United States Air Force. Music has been a central part of Steven’s faith journey, and he is grateful for the ways God has used it throughout his life to draw him closer to Him. Steven is passionate about creating worship environments that help people connect with Christ and engage meaningfully in worship.

Karen has been a dedicated member of the Immanuel community for over a decade, serving faithfully in both the children’s ministry and as a deacon. Bringing a strong background in education and Christian studies, she is excited to step into her role as the Director of Immanuel Early Learning Academy, where she can nurture both the minds and hearts of our youngest learners.

Tom Annette bio should go here. It should be about three sentences long and explain his testimony and places of service.

Marlene Bates has been a faithful member of Immanuel Baptist Church since 1991 and was married for more than 58 years. A devoted wife, mother of two, grandmother of 13, and great-grandmother of three, she has served through WMU and participated in numerous mission trips to Africa, South Dakota, and Louisiana. As a military spouse who lived around the world, she enjoys traveling, learning, volunteering, and watching game shows, and treasures the encouragement found in 1 Peter 3:15.

Heather bio should go here. It should be about three sentences long and explain her testimony and places of service.

Dwayne has been an active member of the Immanuel community for over ten years. A computer engineer and proud grandfather of two, he was ordained as a deacon six years ago in recognition of his consistent leadership and service. Today, Dwayne directs the media team, coordinates Parents’ Night Out events, and serves at the coffee bar.

Nick bio should go here. It should be about three sentences long and explain his testimony and places of service.

Tyler came to know Jesus in middle school thanks to the teaching and faithful direction of his great-grandmother. She taught him that Christians need to be the representation of Jesus to the world, particularly to those who are not privileged to have the same example he was blessed to have. In college, he served as a volunteer in high school ministry. He currently works in the IT department at NASA and serves on the worship team both in media and on stage. He also enjoys helping with the youth, Parents’ Night Out, and being the church tech meister.