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Meet Our Staff
Senior Pastor
Ira Sutton accepted the Lord when he was eleven years old. He and his family were attending Warsaw Baptist Church in Warsaw, NC. Vacation Bible School was always a special time for this young man and the summer of 1958 would be extra special. The focus passage for the two week Vacation Bible School was John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. For the first time in this young man’s life he understood that he was a sinner in need of a loving and merciful Savior. An invitation was issued on Friday evening during the Commencement Worship Rally. Ira accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior. When he was seventeen God issued another invitation to Ira. This time it was to join God in full-time service as a pastor. Pastor Sutton served four years in the United States Air Force, which included a combat tour in the Republic of Vietnam as a member of the 822nd Combat Security Police Squadron. After graduating from undergraduate school, he taught math for several years in Cumberland County Schools. In 1984, Pastor Sutton graduated from Southeastern Seminary with a Masters of Divinity. He has been the under shepherd of three different churches spending the last 16 years at Cool Springs Baptist Church. He has a love of people, desiring they all be saved, discipled and on mission for Christ. Pastor Sutton and Mary Lynn, his wife, have been married 40 years and have 2 children and 1 grandchild.
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Matt Martin accepted Christ during a revival service at First Baptist Church in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, where he grew up. Matt was raised in a Christian home and also had a wonderful youth ministry at his church which helped him to grow in his faith. In 1998 he graduated from Carson Newman College in Tennesse. It was during these years that Matt committed to follow God's calling to full-time Christian ministry. God has given him the opportunity to work in various aspects of youth ministry, doing youth retreats, working with Mission-Fuge and Centrifuge youth camps, and serving as Youth and Children's Pastor in S.C. Matt finished a Masters of Divinity in 2003 and a Master of Arts in 2005 at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in NC. In 2003 Matt and his family followed God's calling to serve as missionaries with the International Mission Board of the SBC in Tanzania, East Africa as church planters. They returned from the field in 2005, and began serving as Interim Pastor of Coronaca Baptist in Greenwood, SC before following God's calling to serve here at Cool Springs. Matt has a passion to see people come to know Christ as thier Savior and to equip God's church to carry out the Great Commission. Matt has been married to his wonderful wife Marcy for 12 years and they have three children; Isaac, age 7,Jonas, age 4, and Silas, newborn.
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Director of Youth and Children-
Tim Burrisshas been serving Cool Springs as Minister of Children and Youth for over eleven years. Tim’s previous experience in ministry was with Oakley and Aaron Baptist as their Youth Director. Tim also served one summer as a summer migrant missionary for the Sandy Creek Baptist Association. Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Appalachian State and a Master of Education from UNC-Greensboro. Tim currently serves bi-vocationally; in addition to his ministry at Cool Springs, he also teaches English as a Second Language at B.T. Bullock
Elementary School . Tim and his wife Kay have been married 22 years and have two children, Lindsay and Joel. Tim has a desire to see young people led to Christ and then discipled that they might be servants for Christ. He believes that young people need Bible study, prayer, encouragement, and fellowship to grow in the Lord. He seeks to provide this atmosphere for his young people through mission trips, retreats, discipleship programs, and home bible studies. They have taken I Timothy 4:12 as their motto. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”
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Director of Music Sherry Pruette -
Sherry Pruette accepted the Lord when she was 8 years old during a Sunday night service at her home church in High Point, NC. She began helping with the Preschool Choir when she was only 11 years old and has since worked with children, youth and adult choirs, handbell choirs, instrumental ensembles, and puppet teams. Sherry has always had a love for music and using music to Praise the Lord and give Glory to God. Sherry worked for the Central Baptist Association in High Point during her first summer while in college and worked for Pilot View Baptist Church and Conrad Memorial Baptist Church in youth and music positions as a summer worker the following summers. Sherry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from UNC-G, and is also licensed to teach Business and Marketing Education from UNC-G. She studied music specializing in piano performance at UNC-CH and UNC-G. Sherry was a substitute accompanist throughout high school and college at her home church, Westchester Baptist Church in High Point, NC and later served on staff there as a full-time accompanist for 4 ½ years before moving to Sanford. She taught piano and voice lessons in her home for 8 years as well as teaching in the public school system in various counties for 6 years, and continuing education at Central Carolina Community College for 2 years. Before coming to Cool Springs Sherry was Music and Youth director at Hunt Springs Baptist Chruch in Sanford for 3 years, and then Music Director and Pianist at Hunt Springs for another 3 years. Her goal and desire is for music to enhance the worship services, to glorify God, and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sherry has been married to her husband Brian for 18 years and the Lord has blessed them with one son, Evan who is 5.
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Church Secretary
Dottie Liles has been serving Cool Springs Baptist for almost 26 years. Dottie was led to the Lord at Cool Springs Baptist church at the age of seventeen. While working for Provident as the Secretary to the Controller, Dottie volunteered her time as the Assistant Secretary here at Cool Springs. In the Fall of 81 Pastor Bridges asked her if she would be interested in replacing the current secretary who was retiring. Dottie seeks to serve the Lord by ministering to the body of Christ by helping Christ’s bride to operate as smoothly as possible. She is active in visitation with her husband, Joe. She is happily married to Joe Liles her husband of 41 years. Together they have 2 girls, Kristin and Heather. Dottie and Joe enjoy traveling to the beach and relaxing away from the hustle and bustle of life.
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Secretary- Janice Dyson
Janice accepted the Lord at the age of 12 at her home church in Burgaw, NC.and God has blessed her in numerous ways throughout the years. She and her family relocated to Sanford in 2000 and are proud to call Sanford their home. Janice and her husband Anthony attend the Sanford Church of God where they are very active members. Their desire is to see souls won into the Kingdom of God. Janice has been married to her wonderful husband Anthony for 28 years and together they have two boys, David and Derek who are their pride and joy. In her spare time, Janice enjoys working out at the gym, gardening, golfing and going to the beach.
Contact@ coolspringsbaptist@windsteam.net 
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