Rev. Randy Greene, Senior Pastor
"Hi! Welcome to goodnewsumc.com! I am excited to be in South Walton County telling the Good News of the Gospel!
I live in nearby Freeport with my wife of 36 years, Lee. Lee works with the Cultural Arts Association of Walton County.
Lee and I have two children. Our daughter Stephanie, 31, lives in Montgomery, AL, and has two children: Benjamin, 6, and Phoenix, 4. Our son Christopher, 28, is an attorney admitted to the bar in Tennessee.
I was born in North Carolina and received my undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I worked for the city of Charlotte as a municipal planner and later as a transportation consultant. Our family has lived in Charlotte; Pineville, LA; Chattanooga, TN; and Durham, NC, all prior to my entry into the ministry.
I received my Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY. I've served as Senior Paster of First UMC (Mt. Olivet, KY); Associate Pastor at Prattville First UMC (Prattville, AL); Senior Pastor of Asbury UMC (Montgomery, AL); Senior Pastor of St. Luke UMC (Montgomery, AL); and Senior Pastor of Good News UMC."
Favorite scripture: "Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Joshua Manning, Youth Pastor
Josh was born in a naval hospital outside of Chicago, Illinois in 1976. He grew up in North Carolina and Indiana. Josh started his journey as a young atheist. When he was 20 years old, he experienced God through a youth group that his good friend was working with. His passion for working with youth groups began almost immediately, and as his heart for God grew, so did his passion for youth ministry. He began volunteering with an inner-city outreach ministry designed to reach out to the children of refugees from the Vietnam war. After that he worked as a court officer in juvenile detention, ran a home for at-risk, abused and chemically dependent youth, supervised at a 24-hour rescue shelter for youth and eventually became a full time youth minister. He has served in several churches of varying sizes, and denominations. His heart to introduce today's youth to God continues to grow every day.
"We live in a world and culture that seems to want to compartmentalize every day life and God, when in truth our lives should run through our relationship with God. My goal is to help youth experience God in a way that changes their lives and their priorities."
Favorite scripture: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:16
Favorite book of the Bible: Judges
Josh lives in Santa Rosa Beach with his wife, Leah, and his children, Paeton and Judah.
Dayna Iscano, Children's Pastor
Dayna Iscano was born in Michigan City, Indiana, but at the age of 13 she and her family, made Santa Rosa Beach, Florida their new home. Dayna graduated Freeport High School as valedictorian in 2000 and went on to attend OWC, now NWFSC, until transferring to the University of Mobile in Mobile Alabama. She graduated as a magna cum laude, with a double major: a B.S. in Christian Studies and a B.M. in Musical Theatre in May 2006. Then in that July, she became the children’s minister at Good News.
“I can still recall the first day I came to Good News at the age of 17. My parents and I were “church shopping” and Good News was the first church we looked at because of location and service time. I knew as soon as we walked into the narthex that we were not to look any farther; Good News was our new church home. When I think of that day and all of the things God has taught me it is amazing to know He brought me full circle to work at the church that helped prepare me for ministry.”
After working at Good News for almost a year, Dayna became very involved in international missions to Honduras. It was there, on her first mission trip, that God led her to meet her husband Fredy.
How I became a Children’s Minister:
“All of my life I have experienced an unexplainable connection to children, beginning at the early age of 6, when I assisted a preschool Sunday school teacher. At Good News, God continued to nurture that connection. I began volunteering for Sunday school and VBS which led to the mentoring I received from a former children’s minister. I became her ‘right-hand gal,’ especially when it came to the development of our kid’s after school program, Joy Club. It was a year after that program began that the Lord called me into the ministry.”
Favorite scripture: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18
Favorite book of the Bible: It’s a toss-up between Nehemiah & Daniel
Lisa Stanhope, Choir
Mike Kitchens, Praise Band
Audrey Neil, Accompanist
Don Sinclair, Finance
Tiffany Scheinkman, Little Tykes
Bill Platt, Building Services
Rev. Jerry King
Brenda Ousley, Beginnings Preschool