EXPERIENCING FAITH

Don and Melba Exley met in their freshman year at SAGU in 1967. In 1971 Don graduated as valedictorian from SAGU with a B.A. degree in Missions. Don also received a Master of Arts degree from AGTS in Cross cultural communications in 1986. They pastored Cameron A/G church in the North Texas District for two years and then applied and were approved to be missionaries with The Assemblies of God World Missions in 1974. After studying Spanish for nine months, they arrived in Argentina with their 3-year-old daughter Alicia, on June 10, 1976. The following year, their son Jason was born in Buenos Aires.

Don and Melba dedicated themselves to planting several churches in Córdoba, Argentina during their first two terms. And then they dedicated one year, 1985, to plant a church in Mexico City. Upon their return to Argentina they planted a church and school in Martinez, a suburb of Buenos Aires. Later a men’s drug rehab center was added as part of the church’s outreach. In Argentina, besides holding crusades to plant new churches, they also ministered in youth camps, pastor’s seminars, and Bible Schools.

Don was asked to be the Area Director of the Southern Cone of South America in 1989. They served in that capacity, overseeing missionaries in five countries, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina for 21 years. Part of that time they lived in Santiago, Chile. In 2001, they were asked by the Argentine national leadership to return to Argentina to pastor the last church they planted in Buenos Aires. After inaugurating the new 1,500 seat sanctuary and installing a national pastor, the Exley’s returned to the United States in 2015. Don now teaches in Latin American Advanced School of Theology for pastors and national leaders throughout Latin America. Along with that responsibility, Don also taught and mentored new missionaries on the urgency, the joy and the mandate to Plant Churches. The Exleys have served as foreign missionaries now for 42 years and continue teaching and mentoring but now as retired from full-time appointment.

Donna Barrett serves as the general secretary of the Assemblies of God. Prior to her present position, Barrett was a church planter, serving as founder and lead pastor of Rockside Church in Independence, Ohio. Following seven years as a paralegal, Barrett became a credentialed minister in 1986. She served ten years as youth pastor at Highway Tabernacle Assembly of God in Youngstown, Ohio, followed by seven years as associate pastor at Bethel Temple in Parma, Ohio. While pastoring, she served the Ohio Ministry Network as an elected general presbyter and an executive presbyter for four years each.

Barrett is a member of the Executive Leadership Team and the Executive Presbytery. As general secretary, she stewards the credentialing process of ministers, oversees the chartering of churches, the collection of official statistics, and the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

In 2014 God spoke to Pastor JJ and Liz to plant a church called Journey in the heart of Winter Park and to serve their community and the city of Orlando selflessly. Since the start they knew God was calling them to create a place where you could invite your friends & family to and they would feel welcomed. Pastor JJ holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southwestern Assemblies of God University. He is also the Best Selling author of Hello God. Pastor JJ and Liz live in the Orlando area with their two sons, Justice, Zane, and their dogs Blue & Honey. They love hanging out with people and are Orlando City soccer fans. If you see them, make sure you say hello!