Family Information
Gregory Lance Bryson, born August 9, 1972. Married to the former Deirdre McCullough Leigh Shuping, born April 12, 1974, on December 18, 1999. Dede is a full-time mom, homemaker, and part-time church accompanist.

Children
Cooper Gregory Bryson, born August 28, 2001

Extended Family
Joseph Lance Bryson, father, resides near Gettysburg, PA with his wife Suzanne and three daughters, Mary (17), Caitlin (15) and Rachael (14).
Cynthia Louise Truelove, mother, resides outside of Denver, CO with her husband Ed.
Bridget Lynne Bryson (28), sister, resides in Denver, CO
Jimmie and Dianne Shuping, father- and mother-in-law, reside in Sumter, SC
Ryan (23) and Caroline Shuping, Dede’s brother and sister-in-law, reside in Myrtle Beach, SC
Reid Shuping (23), Dede’s brother, resides outside of Atlanta, GA

Conversion Experience
God reached me when I was twenty, just returning for my third year as a student at Penn State University. After being raised as a Catholic, but never having a real faith, I was invited to an outreach of a Christian student fellowship. The outreach was a hike up Mt. Nittany with many other Christians from Penn State’s Christian Student Fellowship (CSF). What began as an uncomfortable mistake became an awesome experience. I felt something at the top of that mountain that I knew had been missing in my life – true acceptance, not based on what I did – and an overwhelming feeling of love and joy. I soon understood that there was a reason why these Christians could get together in love and joy – it was because they had a freedom. A freedom that Christ had paid the penalty for their sins and that they didn’t have to try to please men and somehow earn heaven. They had a relationship with a Living Savior who carried the burdens of our existence with Him and left us peace. I wanted all of it and received Jesus as my Lord and Savior while meeting with the leader of the fellowship. I was baptized on November 18th, 1992 and I see that as the end of the beginning and a new beginning for me. That was the day I went public in my faith in Christ and demonstrated I was determined to follow Christ and made Him both my Lord and Savior.

Spiritual Development & Maturity/Call to Ministry
Since becoming a born-again believer, there have been many more milestones of maturity. My faith was strengthened at first with a fervor for God’s Word. I read incessantly and sought mentors to help me develop into God’s potential. Soon I was being discipled by leaders of the fellowship, and discipling others. I became a leader in the group, but upon graduation I faced a crisis. My faith had been developing through strong fellowship and relationships with others, but graduating meant I had to become more reliant on my personal devotions and study, and involvement in the body of Christ. After a period of adjustment, through much prayer, God moved me to South Carolina to become a math teacher. There, I obeyed the call into youth ministry and became a part-time youth pastor while teaching full time. After three years of bi-vocational ministry, I sought the Lord for future steps, asking Him whether I should pursue youth ministry full time or attend seminary. God led me to become a youth pastor at a church plant in Florida, to marry my wife (!) and enter into full time ministry. Since then God has blessed us with a son, and relocated us to New York, where we serve as the pastor of students at Faith Baptist Church.

Personal Growth
I pattern my life to develop Godly habits of prayer and time with our Lord, reading the Bible daily, memorizing Scripture, maintaining accountability with another believer and a living a lifestyle of personal evangelism. I am also pursuing a Master of Divinity from Columbia Biblical Seminary, located in Columbia, SC.

Spiritual Gifts/Talents
Pastoring (1 Peter 5:1-11), Teaching (Hebrews 5:12-14), Leading (Hebrews 13:7), Serving (Galatians 6:1-2), Faith (Hebrews 11), Wisdom (James 3:13-17), Music (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Hobbies/Interests
Besides hanging out with my wife and son, I enjoy playing sports – hockey, soccer, football, etc., collecting baseball cards and being in crowds.