HEAD PASTOR, DALE AND MARY YOUNGS

Dale and Mary Youngs have been at the church since 2007.  They met at the Presbyterian seminary where Dale was a student and Mary was on staff.  He is originally from Texas; she from Wisconsin (“Go, Pack!”).  After completing his Master of Divinity, they accepted a call to Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in Helotes, Texas, where they served in Missions and Youth Ministry.  Following that call, Dale took the call to be the pastor of First Presbyterian, Laredo, Texas, where they served for 12 years.  

With more than 30 years in the ministry, they have a heart not only for the local church, but also for missions. Between the two of them, they have been on short-term mission trips to Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Peru, Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Hungary, Moldova, Turkey, India, China, Mongolia, South Korea, and North Korea.

They have 4 grown children & 6 grandchildren.

Dennis and Peggy joined Russell as members in 2012 and have been an active part of our congregation ever since. They are both excellent Bible teachers. Dennis first came to Russell with a 501(c)(3) called “Neighborhood Focus”, an organization to reach at-risk children and youth with the Gospel, bringing over 100 young people to the Russell campus every summer, every day, from 9 til 4. Then, during the school year, some of those students would continue with us for after school tutoring and homework help.

Now in his second career, Dennis is a student of the Word. Affectionately called “The Rabbi” by our congregation, his specialty is the theology, teachings, and history of the Old Testament. He leads the Tuesday morning Bible study, co-teaches with Pastor Dale, and is involved in all the life of the church. Peggy has been leading the women’s Bible study for many years now, has served as an elder, and is also a vital part of the Russell congregation.

ASSISTANT MINISTER, KATHRYN MOORE, and husband, GATOR

After almost 3 years serving at an ECO church in Virginia as an assistant pastor, God called Gator and Kathryn to Greenville in November of 2023. As the Lord’s plans unfolded, Gator and Kathryn found ministry opportunities in their neighborhood, workplaces, and church. Kathryn started working as a part-time chaplain at Prisma Greenville Memorial Hospital while substitute teaching. Today, she is a 2nd-grade teacher at Mitchell Road Christian Academy and as of November 2025, an assistant pastor at Russell Community Church.

God called Kathryn to minister to both children and adults. Before going to seminary and during her 12 years as an elementary public-school teacher in Florida, Kathryn served children and adults by teaching Sunday School and leading small groups, volunteering with homeless ministries, ministering to at-risk youth, mentoring young women, and participating in local, national, and global mission trips.

In 2018, she graduated with honors from Denver Seminary with a Master of Divinity and chaplaincy concentration. She earned 4 units of clinical pastoral education as a chaplain resident at Baptist Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.  She was ordained in the ECO Presbyterian Church in 2020.  Gator and Kathryn are committed to following Jesus wherever He sends them. They believe life with Christ is the most thrilling, joyful, rewarding, and best-ever adventure one can take!