Read About our hosts:

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Ray Bachman is the husband of Vicki (43 years), father to three married children and grandfather to 12 amazing grandchildren! Ray and Vicki’s three grown children are in full-time vocational ministry(InterVarsity Fellowship, The Navigators, Army Chaplaincy) leading men and women to Christ and raising up disciples who disciple others. Ray came to Christ his Junior year at Georgia Tech in 1977, which was life changing. He was discipled early in his Christian walk by his Youth Pastor, a recent graduate at that time of Dallas Theological Seminary.  Later, Ray was discipled by an older man, a former missionary to Africa and Sweden, who was employed with The Navigators for over 50 years, a worldwide discipleship ministry. Noel trained Ray along with other young businessmen in the Atlanta Area with the basics of knowing Christ, making Him known and training others to do the same. That training was transformational in Ray’s Christian walk. Ray entered the insurance industry in 1978 after graduating from Georgia Tech and in 1997, he started his own insurance agency. Recently, his firm launched a Property & Casualty insurance agency with their same company motto of “Best in Serving.”  Ray strongly believes there are ministry opportunities in the marketplace and has been involved with a group of Christian CEO’s for over 20 years, sharing Christ in the 9-5 (workday) window. Ray spends his weeks mentoring the Leadership Team at his company, spending time with clients and meeting one-on-one with several men he disciples. Ray has been a member of Mount Pisgah since 1988 and has been a part of the Friendship Sunday School Class for many of those years. Ray thoroughly enjoys the game of golf and goes on fishing trips with his older brothers in places like Florida and Alaska, but mostly enjoys “Fishing for Men.”  

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Duane Wood, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, a husband to Joyce (41 years), a father to four married children (John, Jenna, Karen, Ross), a grandfather, a son, a brother, and friend to many.  Duane became a disciple of Jesus Christ in 1978 as his high school football coach shared Jesus with him.  Duane went on to play college football at Georgia Tech while obtaining a degree in industrial management.  In 1987, Duane left corporate finance and became involved in commercial real estate in industrial and office properties.  Through three seven-year employment terms with three nationally-known family firms, he became an expert in the leasing and development of commercial properties.  During the commercial real estate depression of 2009, Duane founded RDW Companies, Inc., serving clients and employees through tumultuous market conditions completing many successful projects in the Southeast.  Today, Duane continues to serve clients in development, leasing, and construction management projects through RDW Companies, Inc.  He has been a member of Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church for 28 years and enjoys reading, studying, and teaching the bible to men while making disciples that make disciples.  He volunteers to teach budgeting and personal financial management learned over 41 years of personal experience to those in his local community.

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Steve Wood has served in ministry in the UMC North Georgia Conference for 37 years. He is currently the Lead Pastor of Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church (MPUMC) where he has served in this capacity for the past 15 years. He grew up in Sandy Springs and received a BBA in Finance from the University of Georgia in 1980. Steve attended Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, where he received a Master of Divinity degree. Upon graduation, he was appointed Pastor of Red Oak UMC in College Park and planted the New Covenant UMC in Douglasville. Prior to his appointment at MPUMC in 2007, he was appointed Senior Pastor of Sugar Hill UMC in Gwinnett County where he served for ten years. Steve currently serves on the boards of the General Council on Finance and Administration for the UMC, The Confessing Movement, and is past Chair of the Asbury Seminary Advisory Council. Steve was elected three times as a clergy delegate to the world gathering of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church representing the North Georgia Conference in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2019. Steve and his wife of thirty-five years, LeAnne, have four children: Lauren, Lacey, Layne, and Steven, Jr. They also have two grandchildren.