Orchard Staff

"Leading the Orchard to Grow New and Stronger Followers of Jesus"

Among other duties, each staff person at The Orchard has two main jobs:

1. Every staff person, in every role, has the primary objective of "growing new and stronger followers of Jesus" through specific tasks and ministry areas.
2. Every staff person, in every role, works to empower the non-staff people at The Orchard to be ministers themselves. It is not the job of staff people to do ministry, but to organize and support the ministry efforts of others.

Read on, and meet these dynamic people who support, empower, and challenge the people of The Orchard to be all that God intends them to be.

Ben Cathey - Lead Pastor and Ministry Coach  email
Ben has a big passion for growing an amazing church.  He believes that if followers of Jesus will gather together and align their talents and resources with God's plans and purposes they will literally change the world.  Ben oversees all aspects of ministry and church life at The Orchard by approaching his position through a unique perspective.  Called by God to plant The Orchard in 2000, Ben realized that the church could not be all that God intended if he did all the ministry himself.  Ben's desire is to grow new followers of Jesus, then see as many believers as possible strengthened in the faith because they are using their gifts and talents in ways that honor and glorify God.  He loves to see lives changed as ministry happens. 

Ben has been married to his high school sweetheart, June, for 16 years.  They have three children: Bentley ('93), Ashlyn ('94), and Amber ('96).

Ben has been in full-time ministry since 1993.  He was ordained as an Elder in the United Methodist Church (UMC) in 1999 and previously led ministry at Temple UMC and Mountain Park UMC before coming to Loganville to plant The Orchard in 2001.

Ben attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA, before obtaining a B.S. degree in Construction Science from Auburn University.  Called to ministry while at Auburn, Ben obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1997.  In 2006, Dr. Cathey completed a Doctor of Ministry degree in Preaching and Leadership.

Ben's Personal Stuff:
On my ipod: Coldplay, U2, The O Band, JOhn Mayer 
     P.O.D., LifeChurch.tv Podcasts, Pillar, Boston, 
     Caedman's Call, Chris Daughtry, and Waylon Jennings.
On my Bookshelf: Simple Church  by Thom Rainer, 
    The Bible by God's People, A Walk In The Woods
     by Bill Bryson, Sudoku, Crosswords.
Last Summer:  We moved.  Yikes, that was a big process.
     One house to another in the Loganville area, but
     we were homeless for a month during the transition.
     I stayed Loganville while June and the kids stayed in
     Marietta with my in-laws.  Still had fun though.  A
     family trip to Surfside Beach, SC. and a Ben and June
     trip to Vogel State Park where we camped, kayaked
     the Chatahoochee, and hiked to the summit of
     Blood Mountain - the second highest in Georgia.
My Pets: A chocolate lab named Reese; white, mostly
     German Shepherd, named ButterCup; a cat 
     named Mittens. We don't name the fish or frogs!
When I'm Not Working At The O: I hang out with June 
     and the kids, work in the yard, read, workout, and jog. 
     I enjoy golf, watching football, movies,
     and adult league soccer.  War Eagle!!!
You Might be Surprised if You Knew: I'm pretty good at
     EA Sports Madden Football.  I failed 1st grade. 
     I have a BS degree in Construction Science
     from Auburn University.  I've been on Reality TV.

Dianne Hall - Children's Pastor  email
Dianne's passion for children's ministry began as a simple love for all children.  Dianne says, "If you want to get a fresh look at the world, just spend some time with a child."  She loves children because of their energy, enthusiasm for life, and the open spirit with which they approach learning.  Dianne believes that there is no better time to plant the seeds for learning about God and His word than in childhood.  Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."  Dianne is honored to be able to partner with parents in the great adventure of training a child in the way they should go.

Dianne has been married to Terry for 26 years.  They have two children, Lauren (90') and Brian (85').

Dianne has worked with elementary aged children for 24 years as a teacher at Mount Carmel Christian School.  Her ministry experience also includes work with children at Tucker Christian Church, Northview Christian Church, and prior to coming on staff, with the various children's ministries at the Orchard.

Dianne received a BS in Education from West Georgia College and an Associate of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Dekalb College.

          Dianne's Personal Stuff:
          In My CD Player: Nicole Nordeman, Starfield, Josh Groban,
               Chris Tomlin, Charlotte Church.
          On My Bookshelf: Books by Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury,
               Lori Wick, Janette Oke, Charles Swindoll, and lots of
               teacher/ministry resource books.
          Last Summer: Vacation Bible Camp, yard work, books, movies,
               time with Lauren, celebrated my 27th wedding
               anniversary. A family trip to the beach.
          My Pets: A huge, black Doberman named Apollo who is a
               sweetheart and an orange tabby cat named Sammy.
          When I'm Not Working At The O: I'm teaching fourth grade at
               Mount Carmel Christian School, putting together the
               school's yearbook, grading papers, reading, scrap
               booking, spending time with my husband and two
               children, and swimming.
          You Might Be Surprised If You Knew: I studied voice and
               opera in college, and I play the flute.  I love action
               movies.  I was crowned the Corn Queen once.

Heather Hopkins - Student Pastor email

Heather came on board with The Orchard in September of 2007. Heather comes with a passion for seeing youth come to know Jesus and what it means to live a life that is constantly reflecting His “awesomeness”. She wants youth to know that following Jesus is not all about living right, it is about living fully with enthusiasm and anticipation. She wants to help youth cultivate a faith that will follow Jesus recklessly wherever He may lead! Basically, she wants to invite youth to join in on this rollercoaster ride that we call the Christian life! 

Heather has experience with youth from Porterfield Memorial United Methodist Church, Saint Simons United Methodist Church and through Crossed-Up Ministries. She currently still helps to lead Crossed-Up Ministries that puts on passionate worship-driven events in Georgia, Florida and North Carolina. She recently graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Science in Sociology and is pursuing a Masters of Education in Christian Counseling from Liberty University. 

Heather’s Personal Stuff:

On My ipod:  The Fray, Rascal Flatts, Hillsong United,
      David Crowder Band, Watermark, Steve Fee, 
      Kristian Stanfill, John Mayer, Dave Barnes, 
      Matt Wertz and the list goes on and on and on….

On My Bookshelf:  Dangerous Wonder, Captivating, 
      Authentic Beauty, Don’t Waste Your Life, Releasing 
      the Rivers Within…yet another really long list

Last Summer:  I traveled all summer leading Worship 
      for a whole lot of youth…INCREDIBLE!

When I’m Not Working At The O:  School (yuck), 
      playing with my dog Khaki (yes, I named him the color that he is), 
      playing keyboard/guitar, singing, anything active, 
      traveling, if I am really lucky I am at the beach!   
You Might Be Surprised If You Knew:  hmm . . . this one 
      makes me feel boring! I can’t stand feet but I prefer 
      flip flops or being barefoot…does that count?

Eric Rubio, Lead Worshipper  email
Eric became The Orchard Lead Worshipper in April of 2005.  He brings a fresh approach to leading worship, starting with his title.  "The Worshipping is done by the Congregation . . . the Praise Team and I just lead them."  Eric believes that the church needs to be a place where people can come and experience worship that is exciting, authentic, moving, and relevant, and where denominational backgrounds or previous church experience (or lack thereof) do not hinder people from experiencing true worship.  "We use various musical styles, including rock, country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, etc.  We also use hymns, choruses, modern worship songs, and I especially like to take a secular song and give it new meaning."  Above style and genre, Eric believes very strongly that the praise band should strive to play skillfully and to continue to lead people to respond to God in authentic worship.   

Eric has been married to Jennifer, his college sweetheart, for 10 years.  They have four sons: Hudson ('00), Cooper ('02), Maddox ('05), and Miller ('06).  

Eric has experience leading contemporary worship and youth worship at Corinth Christian Church in Loganville as well as worship concerts around Atlanta.  Eric is Student Services Coordinator with Walton County Schools and holds a BA in Psychology and Religion and a MSW degree, both from UGA.    

Eric's personal stuff:  
In My CD Player: Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, 
     Todd Fields, Circleslide, Watermark, 722,
     Follow For Now, U2, DJ Andy Hunter,
     Aaron Shust, Passion, Rob Bell, Louie
     Giglio, Donald Miller, Andy Stanley    
On My Bookshelf: Jewish New Testament
     Commentary, Understanding the Difficult
     Words of Jesus, Velvet Elvis, Revolution    
Last Summer: My wife had our fourth son,
     Miller (yes, 4th). I was able to stay home
     for four weeks to help out.  I took my oldest
     two sons to Stone Mtn Park, visited my mom, 
     swimming, bowling . . . it was a lot of fun!    
My Pets: Did I mention I have four sons?  Who
     has time for pets?  Besides, I'm allergic
     to cats . . . real manly, huh?    
When I'm not working at The O: I'm answering
     questions about what I do in my spare time . . . also,
     I'm raising boys to be men (did I mention four of 'em),
     working in the yard, playing guitar, spending time
     with my wife.  I used to really love basketball,
     football, soccer, tennis . . . most any active sport. 
     Golf bored me . . . too much standing around.  I would
     love to be able to find time to do those things again
     soon.  I love to watch college football, 
     especially SEC . . . GO DAWGS!!!    
You Might Be Suprised If You Knew: I'm very left-handed,
     although I play guitar right-handed.  I grew up in Texas.  
     I'm a good dancer—just ask Jennifer.  
     I'm not the best cook, unless grilling counts.

Lisa Smyrl - Communications Assistant  email
Lisa began working part time at The Orchard as our Communications Assistant in July of 2006.  Wanting to spend more time with her son, she left her fulltime position after 7 years at the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation working as their Programs Director. She loves working with all the wonderful Orchard people and the NEVER BORING staff team.  Lisa oversees the Orchard office, bulletin production, web updates, Orchard data systems, and various other mailing projects, publication projects, and software systems.  Lisa attends St. Oliver Catholic Church.  

Lisa received a BS degree in Recreation (with emphasis in Theraputic Recreation) from the University of South Alabama in Mobile.  She minored in Business Administration.

Lisa has been married to Kevin for six years, and is the proud new mother of Philip who was born in Feb. 2005.  

Lisa's personal stuff:
In My CD Player: Michael Buble', Rod Stewart,
     Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.   
On My Bookshelf: Books by James Patterson and
     Stewart Woods, Suduko. 
Last Summer: My husband, son and I went to
     my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to watch
     my younger brother get married. Visited Cleveland,
     Ohio, for my younger sister's wedding shower
     and bachlorette party. I got to ride the world's
     largest roller coaster that has a height of over
     400 feet high and a start speed of over
     120 mph. in 4 seconds. Whew!  
My Pets: I have a Golden Lab mutt named Vinny.
     He keeps us very busy.  
When I'm Not Working at The O: Spending time with
     my family, helping the Empty Stocking Fund during
     the Christmas season, reading, sewing and building
     our side company, Beautiful Blinds and More.  
You Might Be Suprised If You Knew: I love to sew and
     ride motorcycles. Since the birth of our son,
     the motorcycle riding has been put on hold.
     I also enjoy working in the yard and building
     things for the home.

Jennifer Wadsworth - Nursery Coordinator  email
Jennifer just started working at the Orchard in October of 2007.  In her role as Nursery Coordinator, she wants to not only provide a safe, loving environment for the infants and toddlers, but also to hopefully enhance the worship experience for their parents by making them feel comfortable leaving their young ones in the nursery and not having to be concerned about their welfare during worship.  Jennifer is responsible for staffing and scheduling of the nursery volunteers and ensuring that the necessary materials and supplies are on hand and generally that things go smoothly on Sunday mornings.

Jennifer has been married to her husband Jason for 12 years.  They have 2 wonderful boys, Jackson (99) and Cooper (03)  They have resided in Loganville for 11 years.

Jennifer taught elementary aged children for 10 years in DeKalb and Walton counties.  After being home with her children for several years, she has returned to teaching Pre-K in Gwinnett County.  Jennifer has been involved with various children's ministries at The Orchard.  Jennifer holds a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University.  (War Eagle)

            Jennifer's personal stuff: 
            My XM Radio:  70's, 80's, Classic Rock, 90's 
                  Alternative and Christian
            On My Bookshelf: Have not unpacked the books 
                  yet.  You'll see why next.
            Last Summer:  An offer was made on our 
                  house after being on the market for 
                  approximately 10 days.  Great, however
                  the bad news was that the buyers wanted 
                  us out within 3 weeks.  We had to find 
                  a house in 3 days and moved in 3 weeks 
                  later.  Crazy!!
            My Pets:  We have an old mutt named Bailey 
                  and the world's longest living beta 
                  fish, Peyton Manning Wadsworth.
            When I'm Not Working at the Orchard:  Teaching 
                  twenty 4 year olds,  spending time with my 
                  family, and scrap booking when time allows.
            You Might Be Surprised If You Knew:  I attended 
                  and worked at the Tennesse Camp for Diabetic 
                  Children for 11 years.  I was 21 and still going 
                  to summer camp.

Angela Shelton - Operations Manager e-mail
Angela became the Operations Manager at The Orchard in June of 2008. Her involvement with The Orchard, however, began in 2001, about six months before The Orchard officially launched! Prior to accepting her staff position as Operations Manager, Angela had applied her organizational gifts and her passion for excellence as The Orchard's volunteer treasurer since 2003.

Angela brings over 25 years of operations and management experience to The Orchard. "Now that I work for The Orchard, I no longer have to deal with the competition between my paying job and my passion for The Orchard's ministries."  "Even so", Angela says, "I am very aware that most of the people who "get it done" at The Orchard are volunteers who  have to juggle the competing priorities of time at work, time with family and volunteer commitments at The Orchard. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is being in a position to make it easier for our volunteers to support their ministry areas".

Angela and her husband Mike have been married for 8 years. They have a son, Jonathan Shelton ('82) and a daughter, Amanda Harris ('88). Jonathan is a pilot for ASA and Amanda is a full-time student at Georgia Perimeter College.

Angela's personal stuff:  
On my iPod: David Crowder, Hillsong United,
    Jeremy Camp, Circleslide, Leeland, Steve Fee, 
    Chris Tomlin, Amanda Harris..

On My Bookshelf: Looking for God  by Nancy Ortberg, 
    unchristian by David Kinnaman & Gabe Lyons, 
    books by: Andy Stanley, Bill Hybels, Vince Flynn
    and Jodi Picoult.

Last Summer: Last summer I went to Pennsylvania 
    with my family to celebrate my grandmother's 
    90^th birthday. Although it was a very short visit, 
    it was one of my best vacations ever! We were 
    there with Mike's parents, aunt, uncle, cousins, 
    our kids and Jonathan's girlfriend (now wife!).  
    We spent time together eating wonderful food, 
    talking and enjoying each other's company.  
    It was wonderful!

My Pets: We have a cat named Madison who spends
    most of his life upside down and is very much a 
    "people-person". He helps me get ready in the 
    morning, he helps me do laundry, he sits in his 
    office chair when I sit in my office chair. If I move, 
    he follows me. One of his favorite nights of the 
    week is Wednesday when he gets to visit with 
    our Small Group before being banished to the 
    basement.

When I'm not working at The O: I'm reading, 
    bird watching, spending time with Mike, 
    visiting family.     

You Might Be Surprised If You Knew: I grew up in the 
    Loganville area, graduating from Loganville High 
    School in 1982 after skipping my Junior year so 
    I could graduate early. Yes, I'm a Red Devil!