We are happy to announce the hire of Ezekiel Payne as BridgePointe's first Director of Ministries. Working closely with Lead Pastor Jared Cowgur, Ezekiel will provide operational leadership and staff development to increase effectiveness of all ministries at BridgePointe.
This new position will prepare BridgePointe for future growth and multiplication and enable Jared to have more capacity to continue to set the vision of the church and focus on his pastoral and teaching responsibilities. We've asked Ezekiel a few questions to help you get to know him better. Join us in welcoming Ezekiel to the team.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
I am originally from Liberia in west Africa and now live in Warwick, RI. I met my wife Janina at the University of Rhode Island where we both studied pharmacy. We have a daughter Martha who is 19 months old. Our favorite family activity is taking a walk to the playground. We also enjoy cooking, baking and watching TV.
How long have you been a part of the BridgePointe family?
We heard about BridgePointe from my dad who thought the church would be a great fit for us. We first visited a little over six years ago and have been a part of BridgePointe since. We enjoyed being small group leaders for a couple of years and I joined the Administrative Leadership Team in 2019. Both Janina and I appreciate BP’s commitment to creating a welcoming environment for everyone and teaching that is grounded in biblical truth.
What has your career path looked like?
After graduating from URI, I became a licensed pharmacist and worked at a community pharmacy. A year later I took a position at a company that focused on medication therapy management. Our team would reach out to patients, healthcare providers and pharmacies to ensure that patients were getting the best care based on medical guidelines. As the company grew, I moved into a management role and more recently served as the Director of Clinical Program Operations.
What has God been doing in your life to prepare you for ministry?
Jared approached me near the end or March and shared with me that BridgePointe was considering creating a new position that would focus on operational leadership of the church. I told him that I would pray about it and follow up with him in a few weeks. About 2 weeks later, I found out that I was being laid off. I had been working with the same company for over 8 years and was very invested in our people and the success of our team. I believe that God closed this door because He wanted me to serve Him here at BridgePointe. God provided me with operational leadership experience so that I would be prepared to use that knowledge to help advance his kingdom.
What are you most excited for about your role here at BP ?
In my role here I will be developing and implementing systems to help promote effectiveness and consistency within the various ministries. I will be working with the staff to build systems that ensure the health and sustainability of our church. I am very excited to work with BP's wonderful staff that is committed to serving God and loving people. I look forward to seeing how God uses our collective talents, gifts and passion to build up God's people and share the good news of Jesus.
Tell us one thing people don't know about you.
I started gardening over the past year and really enjoy it. Peas are the only vegetables that my daughter will eat consistently and it was nice to be able to harvest some from the backyard with her and what her enjoy them.