Staff, Elders & Deacons
Meet the team dedicated to serving our church family and equipping the saints for the work of ministry.
Mike DeGuzman
Teaching Pastor | Elder
Mike was raised in Clearwater, FL and graduated from Clearwater High School. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Navy where he met his lovely wife, Sherry. After nearly...
Justin Park
Pastor of Soul Care and Discipleship | Elder
Justin was raised in Ocala, FL, graduated from Vanguard High School, and enlisted in the Marine Corps. After 2 years on active duty, he met and married his wife Laura....
Josh Head
Pastor of Worship & Outreach | Staff
I’ve been a pastor at CBC since 2019 and it has been my deep joy to proclaim the gospel story – God’s reconciliation of all things in Jesus – day...
Mark Norman
Elder
When I heard the gospel for the first time, I was 36 years old, married to Pam with three daughters, Morgan, Kelsey and Sydney. Morgan had invited me to church...
Lee Simpson
Elder
Lee was born in St. Petersburg, FL and moved to Oxford, FL in middle school. He graduated from Wildwood High School in 1995 then attended the University of Florida and...
Christina Smith
Administrative assistant | Staff
Christina grew up alongside seven siblings in a beautiful Christian home with parents who shared the gospel and modeled Godly living. Getting saved at a young age, and having parents...
Nick Thelen
Deacon
Nick grew up in Ocala and has called Central Florida home most of his life. He and his wife, Wendy, have been married since 2002 and have four children: Claire,...
Caleb Smith
Deacon
Caleb Smith serves as a deacon at CBC and is grateful for the opportunity to serve the church and its families. He is married to his wife, Christina, and they...
Alan Dhanpat
Deacon
Alan Dhanpat was born in Guyana, South America, but has lived in the U.S. for the last 40yrs and is married to Jankie for 40yrs. He has attended CBC for...
EJ Martinez
Deacon
I was raised in Hollywood, FL and graduated from McArthur High School. I worked in my father’s restaurant for several years during my high school years and while attending Sheridan...
Micah Gilliam
Deacon
Micah grew up across several states in the Southeast in a Christian family which finally landed in Ocala in 2012. Micah’s “boring testimony” of knowing Christ and the church from...
Shafik Gomez
Deacon
Shafik’s life was transformed when he first heard and believed the gospel in his late twenties. He is married to his wife, Daniela, and they have two beautiful daughters. Driven...
John Mark Todd
I was born and raised in a Christian home in Miami, FL. My father was a deacon and my mother was the church organist. We attended church twice on Sunday as well as every Wednesday. I grew up with a very good understanding of who God was and what Jesus had done for me. My faith felt strong all through my early years and high school. However, once I hit college away from home, I drifted away from church and toward a more earthly lifestyle. My wife Amber and I married when I was 25. I continued to ignore God’s call to a relationship with Him and His church. When Amber was pregnant with our first child, McKenzie, we were invited to First Baptist Ocala by one of her coworkers. At this point we talked about wanting to raise a family in the church so we committed to becoming members. Amber was raised Catholic so she made a public confession of faith and was baptized in 2003.
All was not well though as I had one foot in church and one foot in the world and it reflected in my marriage and my relationship with Jesus. In...