Calvary's Ministry Team / Our Staff

Emily Snider - Minister of Music (Interim) and Church Organist

C. Sam Smith — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:25:00 GMT

Emily Snider has served as the church organist since Fall of 2008 and Interim Minister of Music since March of 2009.

Emily is a graduate student at Baylor University where she is pursuing a Master's (M.M.) degree in Church Music, as well as the Master of Divinity at Truett Theological Seminary. An Alabama native, she is completing her second year of living in Waco, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Music in Church Music-Piano, graduating summa *** laude, at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. After completing her studies at Baylor, Emily hopes to further her education in the area of Christian worship and liturgical studies.

In her spare time, Emily enjoys being outdoors (especially at the beach), reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Mary Alice Birdwhistell - Minister to Children

C. Sam Smith — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:55:00 GMT

Mary Alice Birdwhistell

Mary Alice joined Calvary's staff as the Minister to Children in September of 2009. She grew up in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and graduated from Georgetown College summa *** laude with a BA in English. Mary Alice has a variety of ministry experience with children through church ministry, mission work, and camp ministry. She is passionate about sharing God's love with children at Calvary and in the surrounding neighborhood and teaching children what it means to be a follower of Christ. Mary Alice is currently a student at Truett Seminary studying for her Master of Divinity with a concentration in Christian Education.

James Holmes Coston, Pastor

C. Sam Smith — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:22:00 GMT

Meet Evelyn Hupp, Financial Administrator

C. Sam Smith — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Evelyn Hupp, CPA - Financial Administrator

Evelyn started her work as our Financial Administrator, in February, 2009, concurrent to her retirement from Baylor. She has been very busy learning our church’s Shelby Systems Church Accounting and membership system, and becoming familiar with the work involved in managing our church financial administration.

Evelyn has been married to Jim Hupp for 52 years, having met at James Connally AFB and married in February of 1957. She amd Jim have two children, Mark Hupp of Georgetown, TX and Pamela Leddy of Leander. They have three grandchildren, Mark Hupp, who is a freshman at Baylor, Miranda Leddy who is a sophomore at Baylor and her brother Kaleb Leddy.

Evelyn graduated from Baylor in 1985 with a BBA and earned the MBA in 1990. She was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in 1987. Evelyn retired from employment at Baylor in February of 2009 after 32 years of service. Most recently she served as the Budget Manager for the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor.

Evelyn’s civic service experience is extensive. She served several terms as Mayor of Golinda, TX. She remarked that “it was an interesting few years…I was the dog chaser, garbage collector and peacemaker…” She declined the opportunity to run again for that office in May 2009, after having served as Mayor for several terms. She is currently a member of the Altrusa Club on the Brazos, and for the past 5 years has served on the Board of Directors of Central Texas Senior Ministries(Meals on Wheels), as a member of the Executive Committee and the Finance Committee.

Evelyn is a longtime member of Cottonwood Baptist Church, where she is active in choir, and is currently serving as the Church Treasurer. She has several years experience in that role. Evelyn brings excellent qualifications, proven financial acumen, experience in church financial administration, and a heart for the Gospel to her position. She is a gift to our congregation!

Meet Jim Coston-Calvary's Senior Pastor

C. Sam Smith — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:34:00 GMT

About Jim Coston

James (Jim) Holmes Coston was born in Atlanta, GA, on Aug 30, 1970, to James Robert and Carol Holmes Coston. He lived most of his life in Columbia, TN, with parents and a younger sister, Kathy Coston. Jim graduated from Columbia Central High School in 1988 and enrolled in Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, that Fall.

In 1992, he graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy and Greek. He graduated with a Masters of Arts from Wake Forest University in 1995 having written a thesis on the hermeneutics of Rudolf Bultmann and Paul Ricoeur (which is collecting dust on a shelf somewhere in his house at this moment).

On May 27, 1995, he married Julie Diane Davis in Wilmington, NC. A summer later they both enrolled in Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ.

During the 1996-1998 academic years, both served as interns at the First Baptist Church of the City of Trenton. They both graduated with Masters of Divinity from PTS in May of 1998 and became Co-Pastors of the First Baptist Church of the City of Trenton in June of 1998. Jim was ordained by the West End Baptist Church, Columbia, TN, in May of 1998.

In December of 2002, an infant, Justin Wells, was placed with Jim and Julie. He was formally adopted in November of 2003. Julie resigned from First Baptist effective January 1, 2003. Jim assumed the full-time, solo pastor position.

Reverend Coston founded the South Trenton Habitat Project in 1999, a satellite of Habitat for Humanity˜Trenton Area. During the next three years, STHP built two Habitat houses in the Goat Hill section of South Trenton, raising $120,000.00 in capital. In 2001, the Jersey Street Community Association honored the Reverends Coston with its community award.

Reverend James Coston founded the Lamberton Historic District Committee [LHDC], a civic association covering the riverside of the South Ward of Trenton, in December of 2003. LHDC formed to lobby against the Trenton Housing Authority's application for a Hope VI grant in 2004 and 2005. Both applications were rejected by the Housing and Urban Development Department. LHDC also spearheaded the community fight against the Leewood Village Centre project which would have demolished six blocks of housing in the Lamberton neighborhood and displaced upwards of 500 families. After intense pressure, the City of Trenton administration scrapped the LVC plan.

In November of 2005, Reverend Coston was honored by the Trentonian as one of the top 20 community leaders under 40 years of age. In January of 2006, Reverend Coston announced his candidacy for the South Ward Council seat to be decided in May of that year. In the May 2006 municipal election, Jim was the top vote getter though did not reach the 50% plus 1 threshold to avoid a runoff. However, in June 2006, Jim Coston defeated the 3-term incumbent by better than a 2-1 margin to win election to the South Ward City Council seat. He was sworn into office on July 1, 2006.

On March 21, Chloe Sonia & Samantha Oksana, fraternal twins, were born and subsequently placed with Jim, Julie & Justin. The family happily expanded to five!

There is much to come!

Read this blog post about Coston, posted by a Trenton resident in 2007. We have found such a jewel.

Thanks be to God.

Jennifer Whitlark - Preschool Coordinator

Jennifer Whitlark — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:57:00 GMT

Jennifer began as the preschool coordinator on Jan. 1, 2009. She grew up in San Diego, CA before moving to Waco to begin her education at Baylor. She graduated with a BA in Psychology in 2003 and a MS in Education in 2004. She taught 4th grade in Waco for 4 years at Rapoport Academy. She now stays home full time with her daughter Hannah who was born in May, 2007. She is married to Jason who teaches Religion/New Testament courses at Baylor in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. In addition to serving the youngest Calvary members, she currently serves as the chair of adult education on the Coordinating Council and attends a lifegroup on Wed. nights.

She loves children and has a passion to see them grow and learn in their knowledge of God.

Adam Visconti-Church Music Assistant

C. Sam Smith — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:22:00 GMT

Adam is serving as our Music Assistant, working directly with Emily and the Music Team in worship and music preparations.

As a sophomore Church Music major, Adam is very active in the music school at Baylor. He serves as the Clarinet Section Leader in the Golden Wave Marching Band and also performs as a member of the Baylor Symphonic Band and Concert Choir.

From Coppell, Texas, Adam sang in the Coppell High School Madrigal Choir, A Cappella Choir, Men's Choir, and Vivacé! Show Choir, and was also an active member in the Honor Band and Marching Band. In Coppell's Theatre Program, Adam was the secretary for three years.

Adam’s strengths are listed as being "Relater, Developer, Responsibility, Adaptability, and Strategic." He loves "LOST," movies, musicals, meeting people, and doing sic 'ems. Adam spent his summer at Baylor serving as a BaylorBound Leader, Orientation Leader, and Line Camp Leader. Adam is currently the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society Activity Chair, a member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honors Society, and the Baylor Crew team. He plays clarinet in the Courtside Players, is a student worker in the Center for Christian Music Studies, and is the Music Ministry Administrative Assistant at Calvary Baptist Church, Waco.

This is Adam's fifth semester in the Baylor University Men's Choir.

Chris Pillsbury-Pianist

C. Sam Smith — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:19:00 GMT

Chris Pillsbury grew up in Amarillo, Texas. He graduated from Abilene Christian University in 2007 with a Bachelor's in Piano Performance. He is currently in his third year of graduate school pursuing a Master's Degree in Church Music and a Master's of Divinity Degree from Truett Seminary. At age four Chris discovered the piano by running his toy cars up and down the piano keys. He hasn't stopped playing since. Chris currently serves as the Pianist at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco.

Danny Steis-Minister to Youth

C. Sam Smith — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:05:00 GMT

Calvary's youth and youth workers first got to know Danny in Wingate, North Carolina, where he served as a camp counselor for PASSPORT: Youth Camping with a Mission.

It was love at first sight!

Danny and his wife, Johanna, moved to Waco at the end of that summer so he could continue his schooling at Truett Seminary.

Danny, a modern day renaissance man, enjoys cooking exotic foods and frying anything, playing the bass, tinkering with tools, and walking the real road of discipleship with students and friends.