Meet the Board

The directors and executive officers of the Fund are as follows:

Summaries of the experience of our directors and executive officers of the Fund are set forth below:

DAVID K. BERNARD has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors since inception and also serves as the General Superintendent of UPCI. Dr. Bernard also serves on our Executive Committee and Loan Committee. Prior to becoming UPCI’s General Superintendent, Dr. Bernard served as the Pastor of New Life United Pentecostal Church in Austin, Texas from 1992 until 2011. Dr. Bernard has also served as President of Urshan Graduate School of Theology, a UPCI affiliated divinity school, since 2000, as a founding District Superintendent of the South Texas district of UPCI and as Associate Editor for UPCI. Dr. Bernard holds a B. A. from Rice University, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas, a Doctorate in Theology from the University of South Africa.

ROGER D. LEWIS has served as the Vice Chairman of our board of Directors since inception and also serves on our Executive Committee and Loan Committee. Mr. Lewis also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and as a honorary member of the UPCI Executive Board. Mr. Lewis has also served in various leadership positions as District Superintendent, Home Missions Director, pastor and presbyter of the Alabama District for the United Pentecostal Church. Mr. Lewis has also founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Big Pine Petroleum, Inc. and LS Productions, Inc., each an oil and gas firm during the period 1987 – 2002. Mr. Lewis also served as founder and Chief Executive Officer of Investor Services, Inc., an investment company during the years 1987 – 2001. Mr. Lewis obtained a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Pentecostal Bible Institute.

RICK LOVALL became the Stewardship Director in 2023 after serving as the assistant director since 2019. He also serves as the President of the Church Loan Fund, the United Pentecostal Foundation, and United Insurance Solutions, Inc. He also serves on the board of United Pentecostal Properties, LLC. As an ordained minister, he previously pastored for nine years. He has a degree in Banking from the Barret School of Banking at Christian Brothers University, as well as over 15 years of experience in banking and commercial lending. He and his wife, Kelby, have two sons, Easton and Parker.

STEPHEN DRURY is the founding President of the Church Loan Fund, which he served as from 2011-2023. He is also the founding President of the United Pentecostal Foundation, United Insurance Solutions, Inc., and the founding Director of The Stewardship Group, where he served for twenty years. Before that, Mr. Drury served over twenty years at Tupelo Children's Mansion and founded New Beginnings Adoption Agency. 

THOMAS S. RUSSELL has served as a director and our Secretary since our inception. Mr. Russell serves on our Loan Committee and Loan Delinquency Committee. Effective as of May 31, 2012, Mr. Russell, pursuant to an Order Approving Limited Agent Registration, was approved by the State of Arkansas to act as the Fund’s sales agent for its Certificates in the State of Arkansas. Mr. Russell served as an attorney and marketing representative for CUSO Partners, LLC, a SEC registered broker dealer firm that serves credit unions and credit union trade associations. Mr. Russell has extensive experience in the securities business, having served as securities principal and founder of Solidarity Investments, Inc., a registered broker dealer. Beginning in 2006, Mr. Russell served eight years as a member of the supervisory committee of Arkansas Federal Credit Union in Jacksonville, Arkansas. Mr. Russell holds a B. S. degree from Arkansas State University, a MBA degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas. Mr. Russell is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Arkansas (#81139) and the State Bar of Texas (#24088975).

LINCOLN A. GRAHAM, JR. has served as a director and our Treasurer since inception and also serves on our Loan Committee and Loan Delinquency Committee. Mr. Graham served as Assistant Vice President in the Derivative M.A.B.S. Unit for State Street Bank & Trust Co., N.A. from 1998 – 2003, as Assistant Treasurer for The Bank of New York in the Corporate Derivatives Group and as Senior Corporate Trust Administrator from 1993 – 1998 for the Chase Manhattan Bank, Institutional Trust Group. Mr. Graham received his B.A. in English from Queens College and attended New York Law School.

DUANE F. GOBLE has served as the Fund’s Assistant Treasurer since inception. Mr. Goble currently serves as the Director of Finance for UPCI, a position he has held since 1996. Mr. Goble also serves as Audit Manager for UPCI and has held various finance, information technology and related positions with UPCI since 1974. Mr. Goble holds a B.S. degree from Indiana State University.

G. ALAN BROWNING has served on the Loan Fund Board of Directors since 2018. He attended Jefferson Community College, Jackson College of Ministries, and had received multiple professional certifications from the American Institute of Banking. He has over twenty years of financial banking experience. During this banking career in Louisville, Kentucky, he has held executive level positions such as Assistant Vice President, Vice President, Market Manager in Consumer Banking, and Regional Manager in Business Banking and Commercial Lending. He is the founding Pastor of Greater Life Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where he has served as Lead Pastor for 27 years. He is an ordained minister of the UPCI and has been an active member of the Kentucky District UPCI Board for 20 years. He has served as a Presbyter for four years, and District Secretary for 15 years.

RUSSELL CAMPBELL attended the University of Texas at Arlington for two years studying accounting and graduated from Texas Bible College in 1986 with a degree in Theology. He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association National Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma. He has over thirty years of banking experience. He is the founding Pastor of Christian Revival Center UPC in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is an ordained minister of the UPCI and has served as a Sectional Secretary for twenty-two years in both the Texas District and the South Texas UPCI. He has previously served on the Texas Bible College board of directors, is a past President of the Rotary Club of West Corpus Christi, a past President of the CC Northwest Business Association and has served on the UPC Foundation board of directors. He currently serves on the board of directors for Charter Bank. He also serves as the Chairman of the Budget Committee for the South Central Texas District. He is married to Teresa and they have two children, Courtney and Jared Campbell.

REBECCA RHOTEN-BATCHELOR has served as the Investment Portfolio Manager & Compliance Officer since November 2022. She joined the Board of Directors in 2023 as Assistant Secretary/Treasurer. She started at The Stewardship Group in January 2014 and has served in various roles as the Loan Fund has grown. Prior to 2014, Rebecca clerked at a license and title company, and also worked in the non-profit world at the Cahokia Public Library for seven years. Rebecca has a degree in Business Management and is native to St. Louis. She and her husband Andrew have one son, Adrian, and happily attend and serve at New Life St. Louis pastored by Aaron Batchelor.

MICHAEL SHELTON serves as the Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Church, as well as Market President of Generations Bank of Camden, Arkansas. He graduated from Henderson State University with a degree in Public Administration with a minor in Business Administration. Michael will also graduate in June 2022 from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He and his wife, Kiesha, are blessed with one daughter and three sons.