Our Leadership
Charity, Pastor JD, Leah and Caleb Highfill
Pastor JD Highfill
Leah and I were married in 2005 and have two children - Caleb and Charity. We have been privileged to spend most of our married life in full-time Christian ministry and it is our joy to be used of the Lord in this way. Together we have served at Lakeside since 2019. Prior to this, I served as a senior pastor in Nova Scotia, Canada and as an assistant pastor in New Brunswick, Canada.
I hold both a Bachelors and Masters degree in biblical studies. I have a passion for the gospel, exegetical preaching, pastoral ministry and good coffee.
Since our arrival in the Garden Route, God has burdened our hearts for the needs of the abandoned children of South Africa. In addition to pastoral ministry we serve our community as safety/foster parents and have also established Mercy Haven Baby Saver as part of our volunteer work in cooperation with Knysna Hope.
Leah and I were married in 2005 and have two children - Caleb and Charity. We have been privileged to spend most of our married life in full-time Christian ministry and it is our joy to be used of the Lord in this way. Together we have served at Lakeside since 2019. Prior to this, I served as a senior pastor in Nova Scotia, Canada and as an assistant pastor in New Brunswick, Canada.
I hold both a Bachelors and Masters degree in biblical studies. I have a passion for the gospel, exegetical preaching, pastoral ministry and good coffee.
Since our arrival in the Garden Route, God has burdened our hearts for the needs of the abandoned children of South Africa. In addition to pastoral ministry we serve our community as safety/foster parents and have also established Mercy Haven Baby Saver as part of our volunteer work in cooperation with Knysna Hope.
Joy Steele and Pastor Neville Steele
Pastor Neville Steele
Joy and I were privileged to both grow up in Christian homes and we both accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour when we were young. In our later teen years and for a good 20 or so years we were involved in Sunday School teaching and children's ministry.
The Lord has blessed us with 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Our son is one of the pastors at a church in Port Elizabeth and our daughter is the children's/youth worker at a church in Waterfall, KZN.
Two years after having taken an early retirement after 37 years in Local Government in Cape Town I was approached in 2001 by the Bishop of the church my wife and I were attending as to whether I would prayerfully consider taking on the position of Minister-in-Charge of St Philip's Church (now Christ Church), George, which had been without a pastor for 5 years. At the time I was approached I was serving on the church council, was a licensed lay preacher and leading a Bible study. I had also completed, by correspondence, the Certificate in Theology through the Department of External Studies of the Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. We accepted the call, I was ordained, and we moved to George in September 2001. For 8 years we ministered to the folks at St Philip's, and then in accordance with the denomination's policy I had to retire from the ministry. However, in the Lord's work one never retires and preaching opportunities opened up for me at various churches. In addition to that I ran a weekly Bible study in the retirement village in which we stay, which I still continue to do.
In October 2016, I was asked to come and help at Lakeside Baptist Church. It was like the Macedonian call that the Apostle Paul received: “Come over to Macedonia (Sedgefield) and help us.” (Acts 16:9) Again we prayed about this and felt that the Lord was leading us in this direction. In all this there are two Scripture verses which have challenged us - “I looked for a man among them who would...stand before Me in the gap...” (Ezekiel 22:30) and “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58b).
We both enjoy hiking, which we still do on a weekly basis.
Joy and I were privileged to both grow up in Christian homes and we both accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour when we were young. In our later teen years and for a good 20 or so years we were involved in Sunday School teaching and children's ministry.
The Lord has blessed us with 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Our son is one of the pastors at a church in Port Elizabeth and our daughter is the children's/youth worker at a church in Waterfall, KZN.
Two years after having taken an early retirement after 37 years in Local Government in Cape Town I was approached in 2001 by the Bishop of the church my wife and I were attending as to whether I would prayerfully consider taking on the position of Minister-in-Charge of St Philip's Church (now Christ Church), George, which had been without a pastor for 5 years. At the time I was approached I was serving on the church council, was a licensed lay preacher and leading a Bible study. I had also completed, by correspondence, the Certificate in Theology through the Department of External Studies of the Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. We accepted the call, I was ordained, and we moved to George in September 2001. For 8 years we ministered to the folks at St Philip's, and then in accordance with the denomination's policy I had to retire from the ministry. However, in the Lord's work one never retires and preaching opportunities opened up for me at various churches. In addition to that I ran a weekly Bible study in the retirement village in which we stay, which I still continue to do.
In October 2016, I was asked to come and help at Lakeside Baptist Church. It was like the Macedonian call that the Apostle Paul received: “Come over to Macedonia (Sedgefield) and help us.” (Acts 16:9) Again we prayed about this and felt that the Lord was leading us in this direction. In all this there are two Scripture verses which have challenged us - “I looked for a man among them who would...stand before Me in the gap...” (Ezekiel 22:30) and “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58b).
We both enjoy hiking, which we still do on a weekly basis.
