Leadership

Joshua Purvis is the senior pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church. He has been married to his wife, Ambraly, since 2008 and has two beautiful daughters; Brookelyn and Hannah. He has a Bachelor's degree in Music from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Pastoral Ministry from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

I am Kory Knight. I am 22 years old. I was born August 21, 2000. I live with my mother who is a 5th grade teacher, my father who is one of Dothan Fire Department’s Battalion Chiefs, and my sister who is a freshman at Wallace. We attended New Hinson Baptist Church in Slocomb, Alabama. I was very involved with the children’s programs and youth programs. I attended Providence Christian School in Dothan. I am currently a Ministry Studies student at The Baptist College of Florida. New Hinson was the church I grew up in. The people there really encouraged me in my walk with the Lord and they really helped me in my ministries. They were the ones that gave my first opportunity as a fill in music minister. I would not be who I am without these people. They really helped me build up my confidence. It was at a D-NOW camp when I accepted Christ. The song “Death Was Arrested” was played and that is when I decided to accept Christ. It was a moment that I will never forget. Bro. Joey Tucker preached a message on the assurance of salvation. I came to terms with a lot of things and decided to accept the Lord as my Savior. It was the most wonderful moment of my life! I was 14 years old. I am a student at The Baptist College of Florida. I absolutely love ministry and strive to grow the Kingdom of God! I really want to help young people grow in their Faith and educate them about the Bible and how the Church operates. I want to teach young people about the importance of the Truth and that there is only one way to Heaven. I have learned to be obedient to what God calls me to do and wish to teach that to everyone around me.

Grady Gomillion is from DeFuniak Springs FL and was raised in a Christian home. However, it wasn’t until the age of 15 that he realized his need to truly accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. Now Grady is happily married to his wife Naomi Gomillion where they both attend and serve at The Ridge. Grady also attended the Baptist College of Florida for his undergraduate degree in music education and now teaches elementary music and high school band in Walton County. Grady also serves the church by creating service videos on Facebook, YouTube, and our website.

Lori Spinks has been the Ministry Assistant at Pleasant Ridge Baptist since November 2021, bringing with her 18 years of experience as a church secretary. She and her husband, Steve, moved to the DeFuniak Springs area in January 2021 from a small Central Florida town named Bowling Green, where they were both very active in their church. Lori was raised in a Christian home and attended the same church her entire life until the Lord called them to move. She made a profession of faith as a child but came to realize in 2005 that what she actually had was "head" knowledge and not "heart" knowledge. She turned her life over to Christ completely and was baptized in October 2005.

Lori and Steve have three adult children, 2 children-in-love, and one granddaughter and a grandson. They feel so blessed that God led them to PRBC and are looking forward to serving God alongside their awesome church family for many years to come.

Teresa Rutherford moved to DeFuniak Springs in March of 1988 with her husband Dale Rutherford. An Air Force and Civil Service retiree, she has a wonderful family, with 2 children and 3 wonderful grandchildren. She professed her faith at the age of 36 years old and joined Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in 1999. She has officially served as a Sunday school teacher and office assistant but can be found as an extra set of hands whenever help is needed. Teresa now serves the church as the office assistant with Mrs. Lori.