Dr. Gary Hedrick
Gary Hedrick has been president of CJF Ministries (CJFM) in San Antonio since August 1988. Prior to that time, he held a seat on the ministry’s board and frequently traveled to raise financial support for CJFM’s evangelistic efforts around the world. In the early to mid-1970s, Gary was a minister of youth and music in two Atlanta-area Baptist churches. He later moved to Illinois, where he became associate pastor of Bayview Baptist Church in Washington, Illinois (1976-1978) and met his bride-to-be, Marcia Lee Goldsmith (they were married in 1977). After a brief stint with the home missions board of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference (1979-1980), Gary became the founding pastor of Liberty Bible Church in Eureka, Illinois (1980-1988).
Gary is a graduate of Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina (BA in Bible; minor concentrations in Greek and speech) and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree (DD) in May of 2003 from Antioch Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Marietta, Georgia—the same school that bestowed this degree on Charles Halff, founder of our ministry, 34 years earlier (almost to the day).
CJF Ministries was incorporated by Charles Halff in the early 1950s, but its true beginnings date back to the late 1940s, when this young Jewish believer began broadcasting “The Christian Jew Hour” on a small AM radio station in Alabama.
Today, the ministry continues to take the Good News of Yeshua (Jesus) “to the Jew first and also to the [non-Jew]” through its network of field representatives stationed in major Jewish population centers in North America, South America, Europe, the former Soviet Union, and of course, Israel. The radio program, known today as “Messianic Perspectives,” is heard coast-to-coast on AM and FM radio stations, and also via Internet webcast, podcast, and vodcast.
Gary and Marcia make their home in San Antonio. Their two older children, Elizabeth and Michael, are both graduates of the University of Texas—and are married and active in the ministry. Their younger daughter, Sarah, a graduate of Baylor University, works part-time for the ministry, sings on a worship team at Oak Hills Church, and raises Great Dane pups as a hobby. The Hedricks have three grandchildren—Emily (9), Owen (7), and Samuel (6 months).
In addition to his responsibilities with CJF Ministries, Gary also serves as North American Coordinator for the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (www.lcje-na.org). For more information about Gary Hedrick and CJF Ministries, visit us online anytime at www.cjfm.org.