Our Pastor

Terry Medlin

I was born in Paducah, KY. and grew up in Jackson, TN. which is the town I consider my home. I accepted Christ as a junior in high school during a revival at the First Methodist church in Jackson. Jackson was a great town for my youthful adventures with tons of good friends and memories. I attended Vanderbilt University where I met my wife Carol. We married shortly after I graduated in 1969 and settled in College Park, MD. I completed a master’s degree in computer science at the Univ. of Maryland while we lived there and eventually accepted a job at the National Institutes of Health. During this era, we were advisors for an Explorer Post and served in the church in various ways: youth work, men’s ministry, teaching, and committees. We also were blessed with two daughters: Julie and Kathy.

Around 1980, I accepted a position in a company in Connecticut, so we moved to Fairfield, CT. I served as Vice-President for Technology at that company. We again served in the church in many, many positions and I became certified to do pulpit supply service in the area. I returned to school to get an MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU during this time.

I left the company to start my own company in the early 2000s. God connected me with a good friend with whom I started an education and training ministry for people coming out of prison. This was a ministry coordinated through the local council of churches. Carol and I were also involved in the local homeless shelter and food programs run there.

As I aged, I began to cultivate an intense dislike for cold weather, so we decided to move to Florida in 2012, settling in Deland, FL. where we joined the First United Methodist Church. I coordinated the men’s ministry for five years and began to serve as a missionary for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I retired from being the FCA area director for West Volusia in the fall of 2019.

My ministry focus is now teaching, preaching, and visitation through the church. I will finish a Master of Theological Studies degree from Liberty University and will continue working on an Mdiv ast Asbury Theological Seminary. I am eager to serve the Lord while sharing the good news of the Bible which I believe to be God’s holy and inspired word.