Pastor - Rev. Don Morris E-mail: dmorris@bethlehembaptist.org
It is with great joy that I serve as pastor at the church in which I was raised. People are the heart of my ministry, and I have opportunities to minister through the practical preaching of God’s Word, teaching and discipleship, and compassionate shepherding of the people. I seek to encourage our people to become fully-developing followers of Jesus Christ who exalt the Savior through worship, equip one another for service and evangelize the sinner through ministry and missions. My wife, Cindy, is an important part of my ministry. She is involved with the ladies and children’s programs of the church and also serves as our church and school secretary.
My education includesWord of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, NY. I met my wife while attending Practical Bible College (now Davis College). I have also attended Moody Bible Institute external studies program and Southwest Bible College & Seminary. We served as missionaries for 6 and one half years with Child Evangelism Fellowship, and received a call to come and join the staff at Bethlehem in 1993 and I accepted the call to serve as senior pastor in January 2002
Cindy and I have 2 adult children who love the Lord. My hobbies include Bible Study, Cleveland Indians baseball, fishing and golf. Cindy enjoys reading, sewing, crochet and hospitality. She is my helper and best friend.
BCA Administrator - Christine Warner E-mail: cwarner@bethlehembaptist.org
I grew up in a Christian home. When I was 8 years old my Sunday School teacher was teaching in John chapter 3 the story of Nicodemus and how we need to be born again. The Lord convicted me of my sin and my need for Him as Savior. I asked her about this and she led me to the Lord and I asked Christ to be my Savior.
After graduating from High School I attended Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA. God used BBC to change and grow me in many areas of my life. It was during my six years at BBC that the Lord gave me many opportunities to serve Him. Through these ministry opportunities I knew the Lord was directing me to serve Him full time.
After graduating from BBC the Lord led me here to Bethlehem Christian Academy. I have had the special privilege of teaching at BCA from 1988 - 2001. In the fall of 2001 I accepted the position as Administrator of Bethlehem Christian Academy.
BCA Faculty & Staff
Church/School Secretary - Cindy Morris E-mail: cindy@bethlehembaptist.org
I was not born into a Christian home however, when I was about 5 years old a neighbor was faithful to share Jesus with my Mother and she became a believer. Another neighbor would take her, along with us kids, to church every week. Not long after that a grandfather who I had never met passed away. It was through the funeral experiences and my subsequent questions that my mother was able to share about why people die, our sin, and God's redeeming love. That night I confessed my sin and received Jesus as my personal Savior.
I met my husband, Pastor Don Morris, while attending Practical Bible College (now Davis College). We have two now grown children. We have served as local missionaries with Child Evangelism Fellowship and I have been on Staff at Bethlehem since January of 1991. I enjoy sharing an office right next door to my husband and being a part of the daily ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church and Bethlehem Christian Academy.
PreKindergarten - Barbara Gunter E-mail: bca-k4@bethlehembaptist.org
Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I received Jesus at an early age. He is the Rock of my salvation and all my hopes are in Him.
God has given me the gift to teach children from PreK to Jr High. I am blessed to be able to serve Him by educating the spiritual, academic and devlopment of young children. A spiritual foundation erects a strong and durable body. I have been blessed to share my gift at BCA for the last eight years as the PreK teacher and one year as a sub. My educational experience spans over 35 years. My church home is Bethlehem Baptist Church under the tutelage of Pastor Don Morris.
Kindergarten - Jessica Tucker E-mail: bca-k@bethlehembaptist.org
I praise God that I have had the privilege of growing up in a Christian family with parents who continue to live out their faith. I was exposed to the Gospel at a very young age, but did not accept the Truth until I was ten years old. I recognized that I was a sinner (Romans 3:23) and in need of a Savior (Romans 6:23). I confessed my sins and acknowledge that it was by God’s grace through faith that I could receive eternal life (Romans 10:9,10; Ephesians 2:8,9). I rededicated my life to Christ during my teenage years at a summer camp and realized the importance of reading God’s Word daily. I had many opportunities to serve the Lord throughout my high school experience by the use of music, drama, and teaching. I also developed a passion for foreign mission work and had the opportunity to serve Christ on a short-term mission trip to Japan.
As I began to look at various colleges and universities, I realized that I desired to attend a Christian school that had a passion for training ministry leaders. I fell in love with Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, PA where I eventually graduated with a bachelor in Bible and Elementary Education. The Lord taught me so much over the span of four years. He brought great people and ministry opportunities into my life that challenged my thinking and encouraged me to live a godly life. I also came to understand an important life-changing truth that I was free in Christ and was no longer in bondage to the slavery of sin (Galatians 5:1).
The Lord has led me to teach kindergarten at Bethlehem Christian Academy. I am so thankful to be at a school that desires to serve God and to impart Biblical truth to their students.
First Grade - Alisha Bostic E-mail: bca-1@bethlehembaptist.org
Growing up in the Seattle area, I attended church with my parents and sister. I accepted Christ at a children’s retreat when I was 7. I continued learning and growing in God’s Word through the church’s programs, summer camps, and short missions trips in the summer.
After receiving my BA in Education from Western Washington University I moved to the Cleveland area to follow my parents and sister who came here a year earlier. Not knowing any schools in the area, I chose to help out my Dad where he worked. I stayed at that company for 5 years and shipping large machines around the world. At times it was a fascinating job, and I enjoyed helping my Dad, but I didn’t feel that it was what God called me to do for a career.
God, in the way He works, led me to quit my secure job and begin subbing in the area schools. I was able to get experience in a variety of classrooms in public and Christian schools, while praying about where God wanted me to teach. Through God’s leading I chose to teach at Bethlehem Christian Academy. I love that I can openly share about Christ, and how to apply God’s Word in all we do. I’m enjoying teaching and learning from my first graders. They have a joy of learning and a faith in Christ that reminds me of Jesus telling us adults that we need to be like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Second Grade - Sue Corbett E-mail: bca-2@bethlehembaptist.org
My Personal Testimony - I was saved as a young child at my mother's bedside. My mother knew it was important to attend sunday School each week. One Sunday, I remember coming home and asking my mother about getting saved. She explained that everyone was a sinner. No one was good enough to get into Heaven on their own. Mom told me God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for my sins. All I had to do was confess my sins, believe that Jesus had died for my sins and ask Him to live within my heart.
That was more than 40 years ago. Each year God has shown his faithfulness. We saw Him make a way to send our children to Christian school. He has been with us as our daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He has provided a way for me to go back to teaching even with a special needs child. Each of our daughters are serving the Lord in their daily lives. My life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."
I came to BCA in August of 2003 as the Seventh & Eighth grade teacher and moved to the Second grade with the 2004 school year. I have many years of teaching experience in Northeast Ohio.
Third Grade - Chris Kapottos E-mail: bca-3@bethlehembaptist.org
Growing up in a Christian home I always thought I was saved just because my parents were and we always went to church. I knew all the right answers and how to act. I just never made it personal until I was 14 when I was struggling. It was at that point in my life the Holy Spirit was working to bring me to asking Christ to be my personal Savior.
I received my degree from Philadelphia College of the Bible (now Philadelphia Biblical University). I started teaching Pre-school in 1981 until I decided I wanted to move on. I taught Kindergarten for a year in California. Of course since it is so expensive to live there it was hard to live on a Chrisitan school teacher's salary. It was then I moved back home to Cleveland and taught at Westside Baptist, where I taught for many years. The Lord brought me to Bethlehem in 2004 to teach third grade. I am grateful for the opportunity to minister here at BCA.
Fourth Grade - Sharon Mieden E-mail: bca-4@bethlehembaptist.org
I grew up in a Christian family and thought I was saved at an early age. I had no personal memory of that however and God began to convict me of my personal need for a Savior while in high school. I struggled with this until the summer after I graduated from college, and it wasn't until then that I confessed my personal need for a Savior and had assurance of my salvation.
I received my degree from Baptist Bible College and taught 2nd and 3rd grade for 3 years until beginning a family. I have three children and taught preschool part-time while they were young. I began teaching 4th grade full time in 1998 at Painesville Christian Academy. God opened the door frome to come to Bethlehem in the fall of 2005 and I look forward to continuing to minister here.
Fifth Grade - Mark Kulchar E-mail: bca-5@bethlehembaptist.org
I became a Christian when I was 15 years old. My stepfather had witnessed to me for a while, and he had invited me to church. I went a few times to "Get him off my back", but soon realized that the Lord Jesus was working on me. After thinking, "I need to make a decision one way or another", I accepted Jesus in my heart as I lay in bed that night.
After being saved, I know that the Lord wanted me to serve Him in a full time capacity. Taking advice from my youth pastor, I attended Baptist Bible College of Clarks Summit, PA. Upon graduation I taught at Brunswick Christian School for 3 years, Westside Baptist Christian School for 1 year and have been at Bethlehem Christian School since 1988. The Lord has blessed the ministry here for which I give Him all the praise.
Being confident of this very thing that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.Philippians 1:6
Junior High - Gary Johnson E-mail: gjohnson@bethlehembaptist.org
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior while attending Bob Jones University. After living with two Christian roommates, I realized that they had a spiritual peace in their lives that I did not have in mine. To that point in my life I had professed to be a Christian, but soon came to the conclusion that I only had a head knowledge of Christ. So on November 10, 1968 I asked Christ into my life as Savior.
After accepting Christ I felt called to serve Him in some sort of full time service. While attending Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tennessee I earned a Bible degree and a BS degree in Education. Since then I have served thirty years in Christian school administration and as a teacher.
Junior High - Todd Teske E-mail: tteske@bethlehembaptist.org
Man's greatest two needs are forgiveness and righteousness. Whithout these two things man is lost and hopeless. Fortunately, they are both found in Jesus Christ. I learned at a young age through Scriptures, that I was a sinner. I had no forgiveness of sins, and was bound to die and pay the penalty for those sins in hell. I knew that there was no way to obtain forgiveness on my own. I could not make myself righteous in God's eyes no matter what I did or how hard I tried. Just because I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian school, went to church three times a week, and had daily devotions did not make me saved, forgiven or righteous. What a blessing and comfortto know that eternal savation is not earned, produced, and kept on our own efforts or merits.
For several years now, the Lord had allowed me to serve Him as a teacher. In the spring of 1989, after I completed my student teaching assignment at Menitta County Public School were I taught Jr High Government, I graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. Upon graduation I had three teaching offers. One of those offers came from Bethlehem Christian, which is the offer I accepted. I remained at Bethlehem from 1989 through 1998 teaching the sixth grade. The Lord brought me back to Bethlehem again in 2005 where I now teach in the junior high. Teaching is something that i enjoy doing very much. I know what I am doing will have an eternal impact. I know that "things" do not last for eternity, but people do.
Spanish & Music - Kaelie Eernissee E-mail: spanish@bethlehembaptist.org
I was so blessed to be born and raised in a Christian home, surrounded by believers within my family, church and schools (I am a BCA alum!) who have lovingly supported and consistently pointed me to Jesus. Though I was very young when I accepted Christ as my Savior, His redemptive work in my life has been an ongoing process. My ever-growing understanding of who I am as a sinner sends me daily running toward the cross and throwing myself on His love and grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
After joining a small group Bible study when I was 16, I came to realize how desperately I needed a day-to-day, dependent relationship with Christ and began to sense the Holy Spirit speaking more clearly to my heart concerning His plans for me. He began to open doors for service and missions, including one special trip to Los Brasiles, Nicaragua, in high school. It was here that the Lord first impressed upon my heart that my love of the Spanish language was a God-given passion that He wanted me to offer for His service (1 Peter 4:10). Prayerfully, I enrolled in a four-year program at Messiah College in Grantham, PA, to further pursue His will for my life. During my time as a college student there, I was able to spend time in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, studying and doing missions work. I graduated in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Spanish Education PreK-12. That same year, I married my husband Caleb and also began working at BCA where I teach Spanish, Music, and a Junior High girls class on purity and our new identity in Christ. I am grateful each day for a place where we can teach God's Word, whether the subject is Spanish, math, or science. Each day I am reminded also that apart from Jesus, our school would be and could do nothing (John 15:4-5), but His Holy Spirit is the source of our strength.
Student Financial Services / Librarian - Cathy Eddie E-mail: cathy@bethlehembaptist.org