Meet the Pastor Rev. Chris Fuller & his wife Dianne
Rev. Chris Fuller was chosen as the pastor of Russellville Baptist Church on Sunday, June 30, 2019 and preached his first official sermon on Sunday, July 7, 2019. The congregation at Russellville is excited to welcome Pastor Chris and his wife Dianne to our church and look forward to our journey together as we go out into the Monroe County community visiting, praying, and discipling.
Rev. Chris Fuller is ordained and called by God to minister. Working as a Campus Minister, Director of Collegiate Ministries with Georgia Baptist Mission Board for the last 33 years, Chris loves to teach leadership skills, write about his experiences, and share God's word with people of all ages.
Chris has been married to Dianne Reel Fuller for over 30 years. She has been employed in numerous Christian ministries over the years, serving at a homeless shelter, an orphanage, and an adoption agency. She was a public school teacher for six years. Most recently, she founded a Christian housing ministry affiliate in Macon serving as its Executive Director for about nine years. Chris is the father of two sons: Ben, age 27, and Joshua, age 23. He is the son of Millard and Linda Fuller, founders of Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., and has three younger sisters.
Chris has been on the move since his birth in Lawton, Oklahoma when his father was stationed with the military. In between kindergarten and 12th grade, Chris attended 12 different educational school systems. He has been to 48 states and 30 different countries.
Chris graduated from Georgia Southwestern College in Americus, GA with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. He loves snakes and bugs! He received his Master of Divinity degree in 1985 from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary located in North Carolina. During his education years, he had several interesting summer jobs including serving as a camp counselor at two different Christian camps, working as a Children's Minister in Fort Valley, and serving as a Youth Minister at an underground church in Saudi Arabia. After working as a Campus Minister intern in 1985-1986, Chris began full-time employment on January 1, 1987 with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board (formerly the Georgia Baptist Convention) . He ministered in Savannah for 10-1/2 years and then in Macon for almost 23 years, interacting with students at Mercer and Wesleyan College. He has served as an interim pastor for several months in Savannah, and has supply preached in dozens of churches over the years.
Chris loves working with young adults, especially college students! He also enjoys leading mission trips, having led over 70 trips and participated in probably a dozen more over the years. He has been on mission trips to India, Haiti, France, Germany, Ecuador, Mexico, Japan, China, El Salvador, Australia, and lots of places all over the United States. He also loves serving in disaster relief ministry, earning a certificate in chainsaw operation. He has been a part of over 20 disaster relief or rebuilding mission trips.
Chris plays guitar and makes balloon animals for children at church festivals. He enjoys working in the yard and finds God's creation infinitely interesting. He has been trained as a scuba diver, paints miniature figures, collects comic books, and likes to read science fiction, history, and books that make him think. He has read the top 10 books of all time. He loves to play sports like basketball, flag football, and soccer, but loves volleyball the most.
It's easy to learn more about Chris by following him on Facebook. He regularly posts about his life and loves. Many of his mission trips are chronicled in his photo albums. Facebook has also been a way to connect with students and their lives over the years. You can read about his theology, philosophy, and reviews of books he has read on his blog: https://chrisdeanfuller.tumblr. com/
