Leadership
MLTCC is led by our minister, Pastor Ron Guzman, along with the church elders, our church Board of Directors, and meet every week for prayer, singing, and teaching on Sunday mornings at 10:45 a.m.
Pastor Ron Guzman
Pastor Ron Guzmán and wife Carol moved up to Washington from West Texas right before COVID hit in 2020. Actually, he contemplated moving up to be close to his children and grandchildren, thinking he might pursue more chaplaincy work. But he was blessed by the Lord to meet this wonderful group of Christians here at the Mountlake Terrace Christian Church and was offered the position of pastor to lead these very dedicated, serious, and loving disciples of Christ.
Ron served in three ministries simultaneously in San Angelo, Texas, where they moved from. He was the preaching minister for the West Angelo Church of Christ, the president of SBI (Southwe t Bible Institute), and a chaplain officer for the Texas State Guard (all in San Angelo—although the Guard relocated to Abilene a few months before he left).
Carol was serving as a teacher at the San Angelo Christian Academy, with many years of experience in hospital work as well.
As you might expect, doing three jobs at the same time can be a real challenge. The challenge became noticeable for Ron one Saturday when he was engaged in a field exercise with the Guard. It was discovered that he had an irregular heartbeat (later determined to be A-Fib) and he was taken to a military hospital to recover. After that happened, they prayed about the situation and decided to make some changes, hoping the Lord would bless them with their desire to be closer to their children in Washington.
“Our decision to move closer to our kids was made easier when we met the brothers and sisters at MLTCC, and were pleasantly surprised when God worked it out that both their needs and ours could be met if we agreed to work together for the Lord’s cause,” Ron says. Carol initially accepted a position as a substitute teacher but decided that she might be more useful if she used her extensive medical experience in that environment. She now works with the Providence Medical Group.
“Even with the COVID challenges we have all been facing, we feel blessed to be here and we know the Lord will work with us all as we seek to advance His cause,” Ron says. “We know the Lord has us here for a reason.”
Dr. Barney Wimer
Born and raised in Roseburg, Oregon, Barney Wimer attended First Christian Church with his parents and grandparents. After high school, he attended Northwest Christian College in Eugene, Oregon receiving a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in ministry. He was ordained to the ministry at his home church and then served First Christian Church in Pasco, Washington as the associate minister and as the interim minister.
While in Pasco, Barney married his wife, Mary. Barney and Mary moved to east Tennessee to attend Emmanuel Christian Seminary, receiving a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) in New Testament in 1969. Puget Sound Christian College in Seattle invited Barney to teach New Testament and Greek language. He taught at the school for 17 years. During that time he received a Master of Librarianship (M.Libr.) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Higher Education Administration from the University of Washington. Barney also has served as the Director of the Christian Evangelistic Association – a church-planting organization.
Barney has served churches in Lewiston, Idaho, North Plains, Oregon, and Edmonds, Washington as their interim minister. He is now retired and serves as an elder at Mountlake Terrace Christian Church in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.
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Elder Dan Burris
Dan Burris, our Elder Emeritus, always says, "My life has been a full adventure for the Lord and His Kingdom."
Dan is a Veteran:
- WWII – serving in an “Air Sea Rescue” squadron – looking for and rescuing downed pilots. He was decorated 2 times.
- MINISTER – Dan held ministries in four churches over 20 years before accepting a call to the Mission Field. His emphasis was on helping and teaching the local leadership how to serve more effectively.
- MISSIONARY – challenged to the mission field and served 8 ½ years in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) developing an isolated bush station. Again his emphasis was to teach a local leadership how to serve more effectively. The Burris family was forced to leave because of the civil war.
- COLLEGE PROFESSOR – Dan Burris accepted the position of Missions Professor at Puget Sound Christian College and taught for 15 years.
Dan and Esther Burris have served together as short term missionaries, ministers, in interim ministries, Dan as an elder, and as Bible teachers. At 95 years of age, Dan is a veteran of the Lord’s work, having served 70 years in ministry. We are so grateful for his and Esther's incredible life and witness.