Staff Bios
Rev. Marcus E. McGill, Senior Pastor
Marcus has been our pastor since July 2016. Before coming to Ross Grove, he served as Minister of Youth at Piney Grove Baptist Church in Mt. Airy, NC, while he completed his Master’s Degree. He and his lovely wife Brittany are both natives of Georgia but have lived, loved, and served in NC since 2012. Marcus graduated from Young Harris College (BS in Business & Public Policy, 2012) and Wake Forest University School of Divinity (Master of Divinity, 2016). The McGills have one dog (Duke). The McGills welcomed their first baby boy, Jameson, in March 2020, at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Jameson was born with many medical difficulties, one of which eventually required open-heart surgery when he reached six months old. He passed away in October 2020 after complications due to surgery, and he will forever be missed. In March of 2022, the McGills welcomed their second child, a little girl named Eliza Jayne. She is happy and healthy.
Marcus enjoys cooking for others and doing DIY projects around the home.
When asked what he loves most about Ross Grove, he says, “I love our church because of the people and their spirit of familial hospitality. Our church members are quick to welcome and love everyone that comes through the doors of our church. They graciously accept new people into the church family at a moment’s notice. In a sense, Ross Grove is a place to call home, and the congregation comprises people one can call family.” And that’s what our pastor sees for our church: a place to belong, feel safe, and grow and serve our Lord together.
Connect with Pastor Marcus via email by clicking here.
Teresa Heffelfinger, Minister of Music
Teresa came to Ross Grove as a pianist in 2015 and moved into the position of Minister of Music in 2016. Teresa previously served for 18 years as Minister of Education at Boiling Springs Baptist Church. She has also served as Senior Counselor at Shelby High School for the last 30 years and recently retired from education after 37 years. Teresa is married to Mark Heffelfinger, who is also a retired teacher from Shelby High. Both currently work part-time for Cleveland Innovations Academy, and they have three children and four grandchildren. Kristen (married to Rev. Chris Wilson) is a PA at Medac Urgent Care in Wilmington, and she and Chris minister at a church plant (Restoration Church) in Wilmington, NC. They are the proud parents of three girls – Ramsey Jane, Leighton Ruth, and Paige Caroline. Jamie (married to John Harris) is a wedding planner and event coordinator, and John is a youth minister at the Florence Baptist Church in Forest City, NC. They have one son, Levi James. Matthew (married to Alexis) is the program director at The Bald Head Club on Bald Head Island, and Alexis works in a retail shop on Bald Head.
Teresa enjoys sewing, reading, playing the piano, singing, and leading the choir at Ross Grove. “I enjoy bringing in different types of music and a variety of musicians to create an environment conducive to corporate and individual worship. Worship is a vital part of our lives as Christians, and at Ross Grove, our gatherings include opportunities for authentic worship of our awesome God.”
Connect with Teresa via email by clicking here.
Helen Williams, Administrative Assistant
Helen Williams came to Ross Grove in June of 2021. Helen has worked in bookkeeping and payroll for over 35 years. Here at Ross Grove, she is responsible for day-to-day clerical duties, as well as preparing the weekly bulletin, monthly calendar, and newsletter, along with other concerns, to help committees and church members throughout the church.
Helen lives in Vale, North Carolina, with her Great Dane “Jolene”. Helen’ has a daughter, Megan, who was married to Nolan in December of 2023 and lives in Hickory, NC.
When at home, Helen spends most of her time in the kitchen. She is very passionate about baking and cooking and spends a lot of time entertaining and cooking for her family. She also enjoys Carolina Tarheels Basketball and Carolina Panthers Football.
Connect with Helen via email by clicking here.
Kristen Hutton, Children’s Ministry Director
Kristen graduated from Gardner-Webb University in December of 2017. She has been at Ross Grove since January 2021. She and her husband, Thomas, joined the church in May of 2021. Immediately, she asked what she could do to help with the children of the church. She has a heart for kids, especially the younger ones of our congregation. She teaches the Preschool Sunday School class on Sunday mornings, and she teaches the K-5th Grade class on Wednesday nights. Kristen is also the director of Vacation Bible School. She loves planning crafts and activities for the kids to do, and more importantly, she loves to tell them about Jesus. Her most favorite memory from working with the kids at RGBC is when one of her students asked to say the closing prayer. Hearing the words that they spoke touched her heart, and she was assured that she was where she was meant to be. Kristen is also in charge of our promotions and photography at our church, so if you see her running around the sanctuary during special events, just smile and know that she is trying to capture the perfect shot. She would love to connect with you and your littles!
Connect with Kristen via email by clicking here.
Lindy Bryson, Music Ministry Intern
Lindy Bryson attends Gardner-Webb University. After college, she plans to become a worship leader and serve in ministry wherever God opens doors. She started singing in church when she was three years old and has loved music ever since. Her biggest passions are singing, playing the guitar, writing songs, and leading worship. She loves being outdoors and playing with her black lab named Koda. In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends and taking trips to Holden Beach!
Lindy began writing songs in 2020. In September 2021, she released her first EP with a few of her original songs on all music platforms. She has released many songs, including “Muddy Waters,” which won first place in the Don Gibson Singer Songwriter Competition.
Lindy became the Music Ministry Intern at Ross Grove In October 2021. Lindy says, “I love the community of Christians at Ross Grove. Everyone here is so welcoming, and it is an honor to be able to lead worship here every Sunday.”
Ministry Support Team & Other Key Volunteers
Greg Gantt, Sound Ministry Director
When I first started coming to RGBC, I knew I had found the Church I was supposed to be at. Everything just “clicked”, from hearing Pastor Marcus bring the word, to how welcoming everyone was. There were Sunday school classes for every age group and a terrific nursery for the little kids. Everything was just great!
Somewhere around my 3rd or 4th Sunday, while Pastor Marcus was preaching, I heard a screeching sound that was like “fingernails on a chalkboard,” only much louder. I wanted to ignore it, but the entire congregation turned around to look at a small hole in the wall at the back of the Sanctuary. Long story short, the sound system that the church had been using was well out of date. The sound guys worked their absolute best with the equipment they had.
After a few months, Jesus and I decided that it was time for me to join the church. It seems like after I joined, every week or two, there would be more new people joining the church. Since then, our church has grown tremendously in membership, and we were at a point where we needed a new “modern” soundboard; with the Church voting on it and approving it, we were able to install a brand new Behringer X-32 compact soundboard, to top it off, this awesome new soundboard was installed in a new sound booth. We have quite a few very good singers in our church, and this new soundboard helps bring their voices out for everyone to hear, much clearer than the older sound system. For me, if you have singers in the church using their voices to praise God’s Name, you want their voices to be heard loud and clear! As a member of the Sound Ministry at Ross Grove Baptist Church, I enjoy helping make this happen.
If anyone is interested in learning to run the sound, please feel free to reach out to me.
Connect with Greg via email by clicking here.
Thomas Hutton, Visual Ministry
Hi! My name is Thomas Hutton, and I serve in Visual Ministry here at Ross Grove! I moved around a lot growing up but settled here in Shelby upon graduation from Gardner-Webb, where I met my wife, Kristen. We have 2 dogs that we love very much. I love spending time with family and friends and can be described as a sports fanatic. I serve in visual ministry, which enhances the worship experience for our members and visitors. I work with the worship staff to prepare for the services upcoming, for people who enjoy technology or prefer to serve behind-the-scenes visual ministry may be for you. If you are interested in serving with the team, find me or reach out by email by clicking here.
