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Leadership

The one supreme authority for the church is the Lord Jesus Christ (Col 1:18), and the church leadership is appointed by His authority (1 Thess 5:12, Eph 4:10-12).

The Scriptures designate two official positions in the Christian church: elders (or overseers) and deacons, both of whom (along with their wives and family) must meet biblical standards of Godly character and ability (Titus 1:6-9, 1 Timothy 3:1-13). A pastor is simply an elder who is given the task to preach regularly, serves the church full-time, and is financially supported by the church (1 Timothy 5:17-18).

The elders are charged by God Himself to lead, teach, protect, serve, shepherd, and be examples for the church (1 Peter 5:1-3, Acts 20:28) as the congregation willingly and joyfully submits to their leadership (Hebrews 13:7). The primary responsibilty of deacons is to serve the tangible and physical needs of the church, freeing the elders to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:1-5). They therefore supervise the mercy ministries, organize events, undertake the maintenance of the church building, etc.

Calvary Baptist Church is not ruled by a democracy (we practice "elder rule" as opposed to "congregational rule". See this short 2-part article from Pulpit Live for more about elder rule vs. congregational rule in the modern church). Furthermore, before a man may serve officially as an elder or deacon, he must first undergo a period of testing and oversight (a "candidacy" as per 1 Timothy 3:10), during which his giftedness and character is evaluated. Once it is determined that the individual is called, he is then formally ordained by the church.

Calvary Baptist Church currently has two elders, one elder candidate, and three deacons. We are also blessed to have one exceptionally gifted church member on staff, who manages and directs our worship and youth ministries.

1. Elders:

Joseph Babij

Pastor Babij (pronounced ‘Bobbie’) came to know the Lord while serving aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga in the United States Marine Corps. Although he was a successful enlisted man and initially had interest in pursuing a military career, he believed the Lord to be calling him out of the armed forces and into pastoral ministry. Shortly after he returned, he was married and entered Northeastern Bible College, Essex Falls, NJ, where he completed his BA in Biblical Literature. Since then, he has completed graduate work at Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA, where he received his Masters of Ministry, and The Master’s Seminary, Sun Valley, CA., where he received his Masters of Divinity. He is currently pursuing his Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has been serving at Calvary Baptist since 1985. He and his wife, Jayne, have four children: Rebekah, Naomi, Joshua, and Elizabeth. When he’s not studying God’s Word, he enjoys weightlifting and astronomy.

Dwayne Muller

Elder

Having thought he was Christian most of his younger life, Dwayne Muller began reading the Bible shortly after graduating from college, only to realize that his religion was void of a relationship with the Lord and Savior. Within that year, the Lord graciously saved him. Shortly after coming to Christ, the Lord blessed Dwayne with his wife Judy, and together they have been serving at Calvary since 1995. Currently he oversees the church finances, much of the administration, and teaches the Fundamentals of the Faith Sunday School. He has Computer Science degrees from Rutgers University and University of Michigan and has been working for over 20 years at Telcordia Technologies in Piscataway, NJ as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer. Dwayne and Judy have three children: Joshua, Melinda, and Christa Rose, and live in Somerset, NJ.

2. Deacons

Troy Gillette

Deacon

Troy Gillette came to know the Lord while attending First Baptist Church of Linesville, PA where he grew up in a Christian home along with nine other siblings.

Troy is a graduate of Edinboro University of PA where he majored in Biomedical Engineering. He was married in 1986 to his wife Pamela and together they have three children; Matthew, Zachary, and Lauren. He has faithfully served in the AWANA program and the deaconate for many years and enjoys outdoor activities, assisting others in need, and fellowshipping with fellow believers in Christ.

Dan DeFalco

Deacon

At one time, Dan DeFalco was a sinner who lived his life only for himself, at the expense of his family. In 1997, the Lord brought Dan to a point where he saw his sin, and became broken over it. Through the witness of his wife Denise, he came to Christ, and his life immediately changed. Suddenly, he desired to know the Lord, study the Bible, and learn truth, and he grew quickly as a Christian. Since 2002, Dan has been serving as a deacon at Calvary, heavily involved in the mercy ministries. He also plays the bass on the worship band and serves in teen ministries.

Dan is a former small business owner, now employed as a toolmaker. He and Denise live in Manville, NJ, and are the proud parents of three children: Nicole, Ashley, and, Ian. In his spare time, he likes to ride his motorcycle, play his bass, listen to music, go to the beach, and spend time with his family.

Eric Frueh

Deacon

Although raised in a church-going family throughout his childhood, Eric Frueh did not know Jesus Christ as his savior. When Eric was in his first year of college his mother died suddenly and it was this tragedy that God used to bring Eric to Himself. Eric says, "I started to consider what really happens after life. Upon searching the Scriptures, I realized that I was a sinner and needed the Lord Jesus in order to have eternal life."

Eric received his degree in Chemistry from Muhlenberg College and did graduate studies in Metallurgy at Columbia University. Eric and his wife, Cheryl, have been married for more than 30 years and have three sons and a lovely daughter-in-law; Dan and Christina, Christopher, and Steven. Eric serves at Calvary as a deacon and in the mission and nursing home ministries. In his spare time Eric enjoys playing and viewing sports. He plays a mean table tennis game and loves watching college basketball.

3. Staff

Gabe Zepeda

Director of Worship and Youth Ministries

Gabe Zepeda deems himself a ‘forgiven Pharisee’. At a young age, Gabe came to profess Christ, but had not yet come to possess Christ by faith. Although he was born and raised in a Christian home in Los Angeles, CA, he had not known Christ savingly until his mid-teens. Living a lifestyle of depression, hatred, anger, rebellion, hypocrisy, pride, trouble, and self-righteousness, Gabe’s efforts of ritualistic performance and self-merit led him nowhere. However, the bright sunrays of the gospel shown brightly than ever before when Gabe heard the gospel preached for the ten thousanth time, as if he had heard it for the first time, and he went from merely professing Christ to possessing Christ by faith.

Gabe is a graduate of Baptist Bible College, Clarks Summit, PA, through which he earned his B.S. in Bible. He yearns to study further at Seminary in the near future. He was married in 2005 to his lovely wife Rebekah, and they have two children: Gabriella and Micah. He currently serves as lead worshiper, teacher, youth leader, college group leader, and minister-in-training. He enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, gazing at sunsets, going to the beach, songwriting, fellowshipping, eating lots of food, reading, rejoicing in the gospel, studying Jonathan Edwards, and contemplating metaphysics.