Meet The Staff

Dr. Bradley S. Belcher

Dr. Bradley S. Belcher

Senior Pastor

Pastor Brad grew up in central Illinois. After high school he attended Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, and graduated with a BS in Mathematics Secondary Education. That same year he married his college sweetheart and best friend Kathy.

Over the years God has blessed Brad and Kathy with many education, business and ministry related opportunities. Initially he taught high school Mathematics for two years before becoming a State Farm Agent in Jefferson, Wisconsin, where they served for 10 years.

The Belchers became very involved in their local church in Wisconsin and God began to call Brad into full time pastoral ministry. He started taking seminary classes through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in Deerfield, Illinois. In 1997 Brad accepted his first call to a small church in southern Michigan. For the past 25 years the Belchers have served in various churches in many places including Michigan; Indiana; Illinois; and Budapest, Hungary.

Pastor Brad holds an MA in Christian Thought/Philosophy of Religion from TEDS and a DMin in Intercultural Studies from Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Over the years Brad has taught Bible, Theology, Philosophy, World Religion, Business, and Mathematics courses for Cornerstone University, Trine University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kellogg Community College, Jackson Hole Bible College, and Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary.

“I love being anywhere with my wife Kathy and our kids: we have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. I am an incredibly blessed man, and I absolutely love what I do. My life verse is Ezra 7:10: ‘For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.’”

Office 269-349-2835 | Fax 269-349-9012

Email Pastor Brad Here | Click here to access sermons by Pastor Brad

Nick Eaton

Nick Eaton

Associate Pastor of Student and Family Ministries

I was born and raised here in the Kalamazoo area and graduated from Portage Central in 2010. I grew up at Oakwood Bible Church and feel so blessed to be able to serve at my home church. Throughout the past 10 years, I have served within the youth ministry here at OBC as a youth leader, and Interim Youth Director. After almost a decade in pest management, I could no longer ignore Gods calling on my life. I answered His call in 2021 and became the Associate Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries at Oakwood Bible Church.

I am currently pursuing a BA in Biblical Studies at Moody Bible Institute. I have enjoyed applying what I’ve learned at school to the youth ministry here at Oakwood.

I have always had a passion for both children’s ministry and youth ministry. I am married to his best friend Skye and together have two awesome kids Owen, and Samelia. God has blessed Skye and myself in such a huge way by allowing us to serve the church family.

Office (269) 349-2835 ext. 205 | Fax 269-349-9012

Email Pastor Nick Here | Click here to access sermons by Pastor Nick

Wendy Newhouse

Wendy Newhouse

Office Manager

Wendy has served as Office Manager at Oakwood Bible since May of 2009. Her primary role is to oversee the day-to-day functions of the church office. She and her husband, Greg have 2 adult children Meaghan and Hannah. Wendy enjoys playing the piano with the Worship team at Oakwood, spending time at Gun Lake, and sewing.

Jeff Wright

Jeff Wright

Worship Director

Jeff Wright started as the Worship Director at Oakwood Bible Church in February of 2021. He has a wife and two kids and graduated from Grace College and Theological Seminary in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. He’s been involved on worship teams for the last 20 years and has been serving in leadership positions in the church for the last 10 years.

Jeff favors a blended style of worship with traditional and modern hymns, contemporary worship songs, and a mixture of those styles. He also enjoys writing music, overseeing (and helping serve with) the Audio/Video team, and helping with audio/video production in the church.

Cheri Ruzza

Cheri Ruzza

Women's Ministry Director

Cheri Ruzza currently serves as the Women’s Ministry Director. She assists teams in organizing edifying events for the women of Oakwood Bible Church. Cheri encourages the bible study leaders and seeks to find meaningful studies to assist women in their spiritual growth. She is involved in many aspects of ministry at Oakwood and volunteers at other ministries in Kalamazoo.

Cheri is a lifelong Kalamazoo resident and with her husband, John, they have been active members of Oakwood for many years.