Previous Speakers

David Brock grew up at Ironwood and graduated from Ironwood Christian Academy before attending Bob Jones University. After seminary in Pennsylvania, he served as the college pastor at Tri-City Baptist Church in Arizona for over 12 years. Yvonne, born in Hawaii, was living in Alaska when she and David met while he was speaking at a summer camp. They married in 2013 and joined resident staff in 2014. David directs Ironwood’s Ministry Connect program, focusing on ways Ironwood can better serve churches; he also pastors Faith Baptist Church of Cherokee Road. David and Yvonne have two children.

Mark Brock was born in California but grew up in Wisconsin. He was raised in a Christian home and was saved at an early age. He met his wife Charity while attending Maranatha Baptist University and Seminary. Burdened for the West, they moved to Bakersfield, CA, after Mark completed seminary. They planted Crossway Baptist Church and continue to serve there. Mark desires to clearly teach and preach God’s Word and help others apply it to their daily lives. He and Charity have six children and are involved in foster care.

Sam Brock moved to Ironwood with his parents, Walt and Betty Brock, in the early 1970s. He and his wife Cindy met at camp and both attended Bob Jones University. They married after graduation and joined resident staff in 1991. He served as the camper services director setting priorities for the various operations crews as well as filling the calendar before he became the director; he became executive director in 2013. He and Cindy have four adult children and seven grandchildren.

Allen Cover was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He has been involved in youth ministry for the past 12 years and serves in the music and youth ministry at his local church. Several years ago he started a residential services company called Homes Reimagined. He and his wife Laura have four children.

Mark Cover and his wife Ann Marie reside in Houston, Texas. He is a proud father of four grown children and happy grandfather of nine. He has served or currently serves in various capacities including boards of several civic and religious non-profits as well as supporting his local church through Sunday school teaching and outreach over the years. Currently he is involved in supporting a church planting effort in inner city Houston. Professionally Mark works in large scale commercial real estate development and investing. He enjoys mentoring men in their personal and public walk with Christ through a layman’s eyes.

Will Cover grew up in the Houston area and moved his family back there in 2017 to start Arise Baptist Church. He and his wife Shandi have been serving together since they first met while working as camp counselors at Southland Christian Camp in Louisiana.  They love serving God together with their five children.

Gary Gerrard started Gerrard Excavating in 1984 with one employee and a small backhoe. Today the company is one of the largest infrastructure/site development contractors in Colorado’s Northern Front Range, working on real estate developments, commercial and industrial sites, and government/public works projects.

Joe Helm practices law part-time and is the associate pastor at Brookside Baptist Church in Brookfield, WI. He has served in various capacities at the church with his wife Lana Lee since the church was founded in 1983. He serves on the boards of Bob Jones University and Ironwood and frequently speaks in both the United States and overseas about stewardship, finances, and estate planning. He has a burden for believers to understand stewardship responsibilities in all areas of life and for laymen to be committed to Christian service, regardless of their vocation. He and his wife Lana Lee have three adult children.

Nathan Mestler grew up in a missionary family in Kenya, East Africa, and graduated from International Baptist College with a missions degree. He directed the youth program at Tri-City Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, before earning his master of divinity at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. He is the dean of students at International Baptist College and is a chaplain in the Arizona Air National Guard. He and his wife Bethany have two sons and two daughters.

Ron Perry was saved at the age of 18 after running from the Lord for a number of years. He graduated from Bob Jones University and moved to California to become part of the Ironwood team. While serving at Ironwood, Ron planted a church in the small, rural community surrounding the camp. In 2009, he and his family moved to northern California where he pastors Faith Baptist Church of Folsom. In his free time, Pastor Ron enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife Beneth and two daughters, reading westerns, and bike riding.

Josh Teis grew up in a pastor’s family in Las Vegas, NV. At a young age, he put his trust in Jesus as Savior and surrendered to full-time ministry at 15. He earned his BA in Pastoral Theology from Pensacola Christian College where he met his wife, Heather. He finished his Master’s Degree in Bible Exposition from Pensacola Theological Seminary in 2010 and Master of Divinity from Liberty University. Josh and his wife have ministered to the southwest valley at Southern Hills for the past fifteen years as they have pastored the people of Las Vegas. The church has grown from a small church plant to 1,100 members in that time. He and his wife Heather have three children.