Jimmy Carter
Elder
jfcar2@verizon.netJimmy was named after his father, James. F. Carter. But "Junior" was not an option for a nickname because his uncle Roy ("Jr.") was killed in 1942 during the US Marine assault on Guadalcanal. So he was called "Jimmy". Who knew that twenty years later someone else named "Jimmy Carter" would be running for President of the United States?
So, it seemed that Jimmy was destined to be "name worthy" whether he wanted to be or not. But he will readily admit that the most important name to hime is Jesus. For were it not for Jesus saving him, this Jimmy Carter would be lost for eternity. Jimmy was baptized as a rising freshman in high school and met his wife, Susan, at Miami University in Ohio. They were married in 1976 and have a son and daughter. Jimmy flew as a US Air Force pilot for eleven years and then flew for a major airline for twenty-seven years. Susand and Jimmy served for over twenty-five years as staff members of Bible Study Fellowship International and moved from Fairfax County to the Warrenton, Virginia area in 2017 after retiring in 2016. They began attending WBF in March of 2018.
Richard Ashby
Elder
rchrdashby@aol.comRichard was born and raised in Fauquier County. He accepted Jesus as his Savior at a small community church revival meeting when he was about 12 years old, and rededicated his life to Christ with his wife in 1978 at a local home-based Bible study. This Bible study grew and evolved into WBF as it is today. His spiritual walk has continued to be enriched by attending conferences with WBF pastoral staff and other brothers in the church.
Richard received a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, which led to a career as a naval architect for the U.S. Navy in the area of submarine maneuvering. He is now retired. He met his wife, Carol, on a blind date on August 31, 1967, and they married exactly one year later to the day. Their daughter, Kim, lives next door with her family, and their son, Scott, lives in Washington State with his family to be near to his wife’s parents. Richard has a love of old-time fiddle and bluegrass music and has played rhythm guitar in various local bands for the last 45 years.
John Kuvakas
Senior Pastor/Elder
John was adopted at an early age and raised by two of the most loving folks a baby boy could be blessed with. He grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, in the tumultuous 1960’s and his worldview was formed by those amazing times of change. John married the love of his life, Kelly, in 1980. Two years later, he came to a knowledge of the saving grace of our Father through His only Son, Jesus Christ.
John and Kelly have two children. Their daughter, Ruth, lives in Vermont with her husband Todd and their devastatingly cute little girl, Sammi, and hereditarily handsome little boy, Alistair. Their son, Jason, lives in Manassas and is engaged to Katie Krause.
After having spent over 30 years in retail management, most of them managing automobile dealerships, John was called to the ministry, and joined the staff of WBF in 2002 as an intern. He became the Executive Pastor in 2004 and the Senior Pastor in 2005. After attending John MacArthur’s Shepherd’s Conference in 2003, John became an expositor and has since dedicated his preaching ministry to verse-by-verse teaching and preaching of the Bible. This high view of the authority of Scripture permeates all the teaching, preaching and counseling at WBF. John was ordained by the Evangelical Free Church of America in 2015 and has become a lifetime member of their ministerial association.
One of the greatest and most humbling honors John has ever had has been to serve the body of Christ as a pastor and a shepherd. He sees it as a wonderful gift of the grace and mercy of God. One of his most exciting blessings is to see people grow in their faith and in their understanding and application of the Word of God.
You’ll get a glimpse into John’s love of cars when you walk into his office and see part of his extensive collection of classic model cars. Too bad he won’t let the other pastors play with them. If you see him around town, you'll also see his love of coffee and fellowship. You can run into him at Panera, Chick Fil A, Starbucks, or just about anywhere that offers free refills and wi-fi! If there's an empty seat across from him, sit down and have a cup!