Current Writers
Editor: Stan Cox
Stan Cox (b. 1962) is the preacher for the West Side church of Christ in Fort Worth, TX. He has been working with that congregation since August of 1989. He has a wonderful wife, Debbie; and four great children, Joshua, Kendra, Kaleigh and Jeremiah. His kids are about all grown, with only Jeremiah remaining in high school.
In addition to his responsibilities preaching, and editing Watchman, Stan has an interest in sports and photography. He has spent the past 9 years covering Castleberry High School varsity sports as a reporter and photographer for the River Oaks News.
Watchman Magazine, for better or worse, is Stan’s creation. The magazine began in January 1998 after a Prospectus issue was posted in November of 1997. The magazine maintained a relatively regular publication schedule for over 7 years. After a 5 year hiatus, Watchman resumed publication in January 2010 in a slightly altered format, with a new group of writers.
Following are the names of the men (in alphabetical order) who have been invited and have agreed to regularly publish material to Watchman Magazine.
Kyle Campbell:
Kyle was born in Woodbury, TN in October, 1968. He began preaching the gospel at age 23 at the Cyclone Church of Christ in Cyclone, Kentucky where he remained for three years. He next moved to Murfreesboro, TN and worked with the brethren at the Northfield Boulevard Church of Christ for nine years. In 2004 he moved to Lufkin, TX to work with the brethren at the Loop 287 Church of Christ where he continues to preach. He is married to the former Jennifer Kay and they have two children, Ramsay and Grayson.
Tommy Davis:
Tommy is a member of the West Side congregation in Fort Worth, TX, and a good Bible student. I am looking forward to his efforts in teaching through this medium.
Lewis Deen:
A member of the Woodland Heights congregation in Brownwood, TX. Lewis is an intelligent and studious man, and I am confident will do a fine job of writing.
Jerry Fite:
Jerry Fite (b.1950) grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and graduated from Castleberry High School in 1968. He married Kathy Kahre of Fort Worth in 1970. God has blessed the marriage with two children (Alicia and Blake) and four grandchildren. Jerry worked with the West End church of Christ in Lubbock Texas (now known as Milwaukie Avenue) as their local preacher from 1975-1978. Since February 1, 1978, Jerry has worked with the Parkview church of Christ in Pasadena, Texas as an evangelist.
Jerry has been engaged in the last few years in helping young men develop as evangelists in a preacher training program. In addition to the local work, He has written articles for various religious journals, holds Gospel Meetings and has been engaged in evangelistic work in Eastern Europe (Lithuania). Jerry has recently completed the recording of the Bible (KJV) which is available in a MP3 format.
Chip Foster:
Chip Foster is the preacher for the Old Granbury Road congregation in Granbury, TX.
Bryan W. Gary:
Bryan Gary was born in Ft. Worth, TX in August of 1975. He grew up in the city of Forest Hill, TX, and attended the Everman schools. In 2002 he met the love of his life, Emily Ann Best who is from Pryor, OK, but was working and living in Houston, TX. In 2003 Bryan and Emily were married and now make their home in Baytown, TX where they are faithful members of the Pruett and Lobit church of Christ. They are expecting their first child in June of 2010.
Bryan is a mobile electronics professional, specializing in automotive audio, video, navigation, and security systems. This experience has taken him all over the U.S. and to Japan. In addition to that he has done fill-in gospel preaching for churches in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, which has lead him to desire to do the work of an evangelist full time. He is currently seeking a congregation for he and his family to work with.
Scott Gilmore:
Scott started preaching full-time in 2000. He now helps with the preaching duties at the Cash Church of Christ in Cash, Texas outside of his hometown in Greenville, Texas. He has preached in Rogers, Arkansas and Beeville, Texas. Having moved back home to Greenville, he works for a metal company during the day and owns a fitness center as well as a real estate investment company with his faithful parents Stephen and Sharon Gilmore. He has a wonderful wife Mechelle Gilmore of 14 years and three wonderful children Allison (9), Stephen (7) and Alan (6). He loves fishing, karate and reading.
Steve Locklair:
Steve Locklair (b. 1961) is the current preacher at Hwy. 290 church of Christ in Brenham, Texas, where he has labored since September 2003. He and his wife, Bettye (Whitton), married in 1990 and have been blessed with two children, Andrew (16) and Faith (7).
Steve was born in Oxnard, CA near the end of his father’s service in the Navy, but moved to Merritt Island, FL when he was 7. He graduated from Merritt Island High School in 1979. After a few years working and attending Brevard Community College, he joined the US Navy, where he served as a Missile Technician on a submarine until 1990. While serving, he also obtained a bachelor’s degree from Nova University.
Although he was raised in the church and was baptized as a teen, he was truly converted in November 1989. While studying the Bible at Florida College from 1990-1993, he had many opportunities to work with nearby congregations (St. Cloud, Brandon, Lake Wales, and Drew Park). He began preaching full-time in July 1993 with the Caddo St. church of Christ in Cleburne, Texas and labored there until 1996, when an opportunity arose to preach in Leesville, LA with the White Park church of Christ. During that time, he had the experience of preaching overseas when he went with Jim McDonald to preach in the Philippines and Taiwan for 30 days. In 1999, the family moved to Lake Charles, where Steve worked with the Southside church of Christ until 2003, when he moved to Brenham (home of Blue Bell ice cream and beautiful bluebonnets).
John Robertson:
John Robertson (b. 1964) in Houston Texas: John is married to Kasey Robertson and together they have five children (Blake, Benjamin, Aryelle, Shane, and Renya). John is currently preaching at the Floral Heights church of Christ where he has been for the last nine years. The website of the Floral Heights congregation is: (www.floralheightschurchofchrist.org). Please visit it, and visit the congregation if you are in the North Texas area.
Heath Rogers:
Heath Rogers was born in Pawhuska, OK, on July 15, 1971. He was raised in NW Arkansas. Heath graduated from Rogers High School in 1989, then attended two years at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Heath began his first full-time work in 1993 with the church of Christ in Macon, MO. He has since preached for the Sterling Avenue church of Christ in Raytown, MO (1995-96), the Shepherdsville church of Christ in Shepherdsville, KY (1996-2000), the Margaret Street church of Christ in Joliet, IL (2000-2003) and the Robison Street church of Christ in Edna, TX (2003 – present).
Heath and his wife Christy were married on August 20, 1994. They have been blessed with two children, Paige and Isaac.
Dennis Scroggins:
Dennis L. Scroggins (b. 1951), he began preaching the gospel of Christ in 1976. He first began preaching at the church in Spring Town, Texas, and then in Decatur, Texas although he and Glenda still attended services at the West Side church in Fort Worth. Dennis and his family then moved to Austin, Texas where he began to preach on a full time basis with the South Fifth and Brodie Street Church of Christ. The South Fifth and Brodie Street church outgrew their building and a new building was constructed further south of Austin. The church then was known as the South Austin Church of Christ. Dennis worked with the South Austin church for almost twenty years. He moved to Bend, Texas in order to take care of his mother-in-law and father-in-law. He began working with the Southside church in Lometa, Texas. Dennis presently preaches for a new work in Lampasas, Texas at the Key Avenue church.
Dennis married Glenda Marley in 1975. In their years together the Lord blessed them with six children, sadly one of their sons named Matthew was lost in 1984. Dennis and Glenda presently have been blessed with eight grandchildren.
Dennis graduated from the University of North Texas in 1976, with a B.S. in Education. He taught in the public school system in Azle, Texas as a certified teacher for three years. He had worked before this time as a teacher’s aid in Special Education programs in the Fort Worth Independent School District. On two separate occasions, Dennis was blessed with the opportunity to preach the gospel in Kaunas, Lithuania. He continues to hold gospel meetings throughout the United States and Canada and to do the work of an evangelist in a local congregation.
Jeff Smith:
Jeff S. Smith is an evangelist with the Woodmont church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas. Jeff has been preaching the gospel since 1991 and has a Master of Arts Degree in counseling. In addition to his stateside ministry, Jeff has labored in Canada, Eastern Europe and India. He operates the ElectronicGospel.com website.
Jeff was born in 1969 and raised in Paden City, West Virginia, where he graduated from PCHS in 1987. He was baptized into Christ on January 14, 1988 by Harry Rice and began preaching later that year in the hills and hollows of the Ohio Valley.
Following his freshman year at Marshall University, Jeff moved to Florence, Alabama in 1989 to attend the University of North Alabama, where he majored in Public Relations and Radio-Television-Film. Jeff graduated magna cum laude in 1992 and worked as a reporter with WOWL-TV in Florence that year. He gained invaluable experience by preaching for the Ligon Springs church of Christ near Russellville in 1991-1992.
On December 19, 1992, Jeff married the former Michele Walker of Green Hill, Ala. and the couple moved to Austin, Texas, where Jeff began working with the Wonsley Drive church of Christ in July 1993. He left Austin for Fort Worth in November 2000.
Jeff is also the program director and coach of a special needs softball/baseball team in Burleson, Texas, where he resides with his wife, Michele, and children, Reagan and Walker.
Marc Smith:
Marc Smith was born in Texas & grew up there and in Ohio as a teen. He met his wife Melodie Slater in Odessa, Texas & they were married in 1972. He served in the U.S.A.F. as a mil-intel analyst and then later in peace time as a journalist writing for two Air Force newspapers. He attended college mostly in Houston on the G.I. Bill studying science and history and worked in various industrial jobs for several years. Benefitting from several mentors, Marc began preaching the gospel in 1982. Through the years he has had experience preaching in local work, gospel meetings, various writing and some TV & radio work. He has been located in the Waco, Texas area since 1991 preaching for the Sun Valley Blvd. church of Christ in Hewitt, a suburb of Waco.
Recently following a long time interest of his, Marc did research in England on the history of the church of Christ there before the English Civil War and preached at Cambridge. In January of 2010 he also took part in an ongoing teaching effort with Joe Price and Dan Torres in Bangalore, India teaching preachers coming out of institutionalism for the better part of a month.
Having many varied interests Marc studied art at the College of the Mainland at Texas City, University of Houston at Clear Lake and McLennan College in Waco, is a long time potter and sculptor, and along with his wife, maintains a pottery studio in their home. A gardener and hobby farmer he also likes to fish and bird hunt; enjoys target/skeet shooting as well as avidly collecting fossils and books. He enjoys music including Classical & Texas fiddle, but most of all he loves to sing bass in harmony with brethren praising God.
Scott Vanderwood:
Scott Vanderwood was born and raised in Middleville, MI. At 19 he moved to Montana and met his wife Stefanie on a ranch. They were married the following February in 2006. It was also during this time that he obeyed the gospel.
Scott and Stefanie then moved to Lampasas, TX and began working with Dennis Scroggins for about 1 year, after which Scott started his first preaching stint for a small group in Hamilton, TX. Scott and Stefanie moved to Hamilton in January of 2008. During this time he was approached by Jim McDonald and asked to be a part of the Loop 287 Church of Christ’s 2 year preacher training program in Lufkin TX. Scott began this work in August 2009. He is currently in this program as well as preaching full time for the Corrigan Church of Christ in Corrigan TX.
Luis Zamora:
Luis Zamora has been the evangelist at the South Austin church of Christ (Austin, TX) since 1999.
He grew up in Fort Worth, TX the son of a former nun and himself a devout Catholic. His uncle obeyed the gospel and encouraged him to do the same. After his own Bible study, Luis obeyed the gospel at Woodmont church of Christ in late December 1990 the first time he had ever set foot in an assembly of God’s people. It was against his parents’ wishes that he obeyed the gospel, but he knew he had to obey God rather than men.
He started to worship with the South Austin church of Christ when he went to college at UT in 1992. Dennis Scroggins agreed to teach him to preach the gospel. He also majored in Greek with the intent of helping his brethren.
He tricked Emily Callahan into marrying him in 1997. He could be nothing without her today.
When he started preaching in 1999, the church showed great patience as he learned and grew and made many youthful mistakes, and they are a great encouragement and strength to him today.
Luis lives in Kyle, TX with Emily, their son Samuel, and a number of quadrupeds. He makes tents at UT Austin as a mainframe computer programmer. He enjoys coffee, music, cooking, and coffee. Did we mention coffee?
If you wish to contact any of the authors, please do so through the editor, Stan Cox. One of the unfortunate byproducts of the internet is SPAM. To post the email addresses of our writers would, unfortunately, expose them to a large amount of SPAM. Your posts or requests for correspondence will be forwarded by Stan to whomever you wish to contact.
Here is the contact information: