Doug & Debbie Carragher
PRESIDENT/FOUNDER
Doug and Debbie were married on October 8, 1983, in Baltic, Connecticut, and are the parents of two grown sons. When Doug was six years old, his parents divorced, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, along with his four siblings. During this time, he was brought up in a religious and ritualistic environment, trying to work his way to Heaven. At seventeen, Doug joined the Army and spent years searching for a genuine relationship with God. Debbie, on the other hand, was raised around the world as a military dependent and also grew up in a ritualistic religious setting. They met, fell in love, and were married.
After searching from church to church for answers about the Lord, Doug met a fellow soldier, First Sergeant Willie Watson. Willie was different and spoke boldly about his faith. On October 15, 1983, as a result of a strenuous physical training test and a congenital heart defect, Willie died in Doug’s arms. This tragic event, along with Willie’s testimony and a meeting with Chaplain (LTC) Kennedy, led Doug to accept the Lord.
Nine months later, after persistent prayers by Hillcrest Baptist Church and Pastor Bob Stewart in El Paso, TX, Debbie also came to faith. On the day of her father's death, Chaplain (Captain) Bob Wido led Debbie to the Lord.
Doug served twenty-six years in the Army and retired as a Sergeant Major, serving in twenty locations around the world. Debbie served for eight years in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard as a nurse. Doug has held various roles, including deacon, junior church pastor, associate pastor, bi-vocational church planter pastor (High Falls Baptist Church), Operations Director, General Director, and now as the President and Founder of Wounded Spirits Ministries.
Doug’s education includes an AA in American Literature (Northern Virginia Community College), a BA in History (State University of NY-SUNY-Albany Excelsior College), a BA in Pastoral Studies (Black River Bible Institute & Liberty Home College—Black River, NY), an MA in Religious Education and Biblical Counseling (Tabernacle Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary, Virginia Beach, VA), and a Th.D. in Theology (Victory Bible Baptist College & Theological Seminary).
Doug and Debbie are members of Morningside Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.
Kevin Raub
CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Kevin was raised in suburban Harrisburg, PA as a moral but unchurched boy. He began dating a girl at age 16 who was being witnessed to by a Christian sister and had been attending a loose-knit Bible-study group they had started in their home. She knew her boyfriend needed this though she didnt yet know Christ. She got Kevin to go, and the Word of God convicted him of sin; however, he was stubborn and proud about Christ’s claims on his life.
He says, “In August of 1979, I for the first time read the Bible as a seeker of truth. In short order I realized that the REAL problem in my life was with my sinful heart: I needed to accept Christ into my life as Savior & Lord. I knelt by my bedside that afternoon, and there received Christ into my life to save me. Even though I had no soul-winner to guide me, I got up off my knees KNOWING that the burden of sin had been lifted, and I was a child of God now! My life quickly changed and my girl was no longer my #1. In fact, I had the joy of leading her to the Lord! How I thank Him for shedding His precious Blood for selfish uninterested sinners like me.”
He then went off to college, where he found a good Bible-believing church and became active in campus groups. It was plain to others there that God had His hand on Kevin, and he was asked to run for president of the local Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. But instead he turned his attention to the primacy of the local church and soon surrendered to God’s call into the ministry. The Lord further focused the calling to missions, then Military Missions. He earned his ThM degree in 2014. Through the traumas and trials of life, He became better-acquainted with Doug Carragher, who eventually brought him on board with the wonderful ministry of Wounded Spirits.
Board members
Andy Sommers
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Andy grew up in northern Indiana. He attended Grace College and Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting. He also has earned a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Ministries. Andy has served on the board of Baptist Children’s Home, served as a youth pastor at two churches, as the business pastor at a church and school, planted a church in Indiana, and served as the CFO of a mission agency for 3 years. He currently works doing accounting and/or payroll for 5 churches and Wounded Spirits Ministries. He also works in IT and Data Analytics for a Corporate Wellness Company. His wife is a nurse also working in Corporate Wellness. They have two children, Nathan and Abigail.
Chuck Beickel
BOARD MEMBER
Pastor Beickel grew up in the Grande Rhonde Valley in North Eastern Oregon. He was saved at the young age of 5 and followed the Lord in Believers baptism at the age of 8. In the Spring of his 9th grade year Pastor Beickel committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ.
After Graduating Bible College, God led Pastor Beickel back to his home church, Summerville Baptsit Church, Summerville Oregon. In October of 1999, The Lord moved Pastor Beickel to Faith Baptist Church in Layton Utah. God has blessed the ministry with a tremendous unity and love for missions. To God be the Glory right at 50% of the congregation have been saved out of the LDS religion.
Pastor Beickel and his beautiful wife Tamme have six children and eight grandchildren. They are excited about the Wounded Spirits Ministry and look forward to seeing how the Lord will work through their lives to touch others through this crucial ministry.
Is. 1:18
Pastor Chuck Beickel
1 Cor. 15:57-58
Is. 1:18
James Peterson
BOARD MEMBER
Pastor James Peterson is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church since 2016.
He has served as Assistant Pastor from 1995-2000. Pastor Peterson has also been a missionary in Ghana, West Africa from 2000-2015. He has helped start numerous church in Ghana. Pastor Peterson has been on the board of directors of Wounded Spirits since 2018 and also as it Chaplain.
Before entering Bible School Pastor Peterson was Police Officer and EMT from 1977-1993. Dona, his wife, is a register nurse and school teacher.
Pastor Peterson holds Bachelor’s degree in Evangelism and Missions, as well as diploma in Bible & Theology. He is also working on second degree in Biblical Counseling.
Dona holds Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, and Christian Education. She also holds a Master’s degree in Christian Education. Diploma in Bible & English.
Pastor Peterson has been married to his wife Dona for 46 years. They have 5 children (Meridith, Rachel, Jonathan, Rebecca, and adopted daughter Julia from Ghana). They have 11 grandchildren.
PASTOR PHILLIP LUTHER
BOARD MEMBER
Pastor Phillip Luther was born in Boone, NC in 1984. After an invitation to join a youth rally in April of 2000, Pastor Luther heard the Gospel of the Lord Jesus and trusted Him as his Savior.
In June of 2004, Pastor Luther felt the call to surrender to preach the Bible and did so on June 14, 2004. He went to Bible College that fall and graduated in May 2010 from Ambassador Baptist College.
In January 2010, Pastor Luther came to Boiling Springs Baptist as the Youth Director and Assistant Pastor where he faithfully served in that role for 9 years. In April 2019, the church voted Pastor Luther to become the Pastor of Boiling Springs Baptist Church.
Pastor and his wife were married in June of 2009 and have two beautiful and energetic children.
Pastor Luther has a love for the Lord, his family and enjoys a good day on the lake bass fishing.
Pastor Con Howerton
BOARD MEMBER
Pastor Howerton and his family have been with us since July of 2001. Pastor Howerton's vitals:
Birthday: 11/27/1967. Married to Cyndi: 08/06/1994-Present
I was gloriously saved at the age of 19 after struggling through depression, drugs, alcohol and all the junk that goes with that. I knew that God loved everyone, but I could not believe that He loved me. One freezing night in the middle of winter I accepted the fact that God really did love me and immediately I was met with the understanding that I had offended a Holy and Righteous God whose love for me was so great that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus to shed His blood for me. The only thing I could do was seek forgiveness for my sin and call on Him to save me.
Pastor Brian Hedges
BOARD MEMBER
Brian Hedges is founding pastor of Heartland Baptist Fellowship in Harrisonville, Missouri. Brian and his wife Amy were saved in 1987 through the outreach ministry of Kansas City Baptist Temple (KCBT). It was at KCBT where they were baptized, discipled, married, equipped in ministry and sent in 2002 to plant Heartland Baptist Fellowship (HBF) in heart of Cass County Missouri. Brian and Amy are blessed with two children, Samuel and Elisabeth.
Brian and HBF have been involved in numerous discipleship and mission projects in several continents over the past 22 years as well as a variety of outreach ministries to the souls of Cass County, Missouri. In 2010 HBF planted their first local church among the refugee population in Kansas City, Kansas. In 2018, HBF planted New Life Baptist Church in Clinton, Missouri and are trusting the Lord to establish more local church plants in the future. Brian has served as an instructor and President of Heartland Bible Institutesince 2010. HBF began publishing and binding bibles in 2010 to help support scripture distribution in Cass County, Missouri. That ministry blossomed, by God’s grace, into Word First Bible Publishing in 2018. Brian serves as the President of Word First Bible Publishing.
In addition to ministry at Heartland Baptist Fellowship, Brian has served on the Board of Shiloh Center, a Christ centered clinic reaching women in crisis pregnancy with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in Cass County and surrounding areas. Brian has participated in the Living Faith Fellowship of churches since its inception contributing as a conference speaker, periodical contributor and guest on the Postscript podcast. Brian has served as a Board Member of Living Faith Fellowship since September 2024.
Brian was introduced to the ministry of Wounded Spirits ministry by Doug Carragher in 2017. Heartland Baptist Fellowship hosted training seminars for Wounded Spirits and became a Wounded Spirits Charter Church in August of 2018. In 2020 Brian began serving as a Board Member of Wounded Spirits to help advance the mission of and vision of helping those suffering from PTSD to find biblical help and healing through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Attorney Terry Hamilton
BOARD MEMBER
Terry Lee Hamilton is the founder and director of Lighthouse Legal Ministries, a legal ministry dedicated to representing Independent Baptist churches in cases involving separation of church and state.
Born in Guam in 1948 and born again in Washington, DC, in 1975, Attorney Hamilton has been a faithful family man and active in his local church since his salvation. He is a Sunday School teacher, Junior Church director, trustee, and soulwinner at Lighthouse Baptist Church.
From 1977 to 1984, Attorney Hamilton worked as a trial attorney with the U.S. Government in Washington, DC, specializing in civil rights cases. From 1984 to 1995, he worked with a law firm which specialized in cases involving separation of church and state.
When that law firm moved to Florida in 1995, Terry remained active in his local church, Lighthouse Baptist Church, Ashtabula, OH. When several pastors in Ohio needed legal help, Terry's pastor, Pastor John Jones, came up with the idea of starting a distinctively Independent Baptist legal ministry -- Lighthouse Legal Ministries (LLM).
missionaries
ZACH KNIGHT
Zach and Katie Knight know first-hand the trials and tribulations involved with dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Zach, an eight-year veteran of the Army, deployed three times to Afghanistan and returned changed after each deployment. The Lord allowed Zach to endure the trial of PTSD, leading to a new normal filled with nightmares, flashbacks, migraines, and memories that held a strong grip on him. In 2019, Zach surrendered to the Lord, offering his weaknesses for God’s strength. Their local church has supported Doug Carragher, the president of Wounded Spirits Ministries, for many years and recommended Zach reach out to Doug. This connection blossomed into a friendship, and after attending a Wounded Spirits camp, decided to answer God’s call and become a missionary with Wounded Spirits Ministries. His life was transformed once again, this time through his faith and commitment to helping others.
Along with his military training, Zach’s training includes digital communications/media studies, Bible studies, and Certified Level 2 PTSD Counselor through Wounded Spirits Ministries. He, along with his wife Katie and their three children, are currently on pre-field deputation to serve in retreat operations and camper liaison. Their mission is to use their experiences and skills to support and guide others, casting a vision of hope and healing for those affected by PTSD through the love and grace of Christ.
Zach and his cherished wife Katie dedicate themselves to the vital role of camp coordinators for Base Camp Hope with Wounded Spirits Ministries. In this capacity, they will facilitate the crucial connections between individuals and families grappling with PTSD and the appropriate support systems whether it be their local churches, the nearby free clinic, or the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital. Zach will orchestrate a transformative thirteen-week camp module, offering Biblical insights and solutions tailored to combat PTSD’s challenges.
Throughout the campers’ stay, Zach and Katie will serve as their steadfast liaisons, guiding them through their training and empowering them to reintegrate into their local communities as resilient and fruitful Christians. Their dedication extends beyond the camp, as they actively encourage and equip hurting people to participate in the camp’s transformative experiences.
Zach and Katie are blessed with the joy of raising three children while serving the Lord as a family.
JAKE ADKISON
Jake and Mallory are church planters and PTSD Biblical counselors to our nation’s military in Colorado Springs, CO. Colorado Springs is home of the third-largest military complex in the United States. This area consists of Schriever Space Force Base, Peterson Space Force Base, Fort Carson, US Air Force Academy, and NORAD Missile Command (North American Aerospace Defense Command). They are partnered with fellow church-planting missionaries in the area to help those who are hurting in the community.
Jake and Mallory graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 2021 and were married that fall. They immediately began serving on staff at Lakeside Baptist Church in Clearwater, SC. Here they ministered to the young adults and fulfilled maintenance duties on the church property. Jake has a BA in Pastor Ministries and a Master of Divinity Degree. Mallory has a BS in Biology and English Education.
Jake and Mallory joined Wounded Spirits in July of 2023, and began full-time deputation in January 2024. They have a burden for people. They have served in various ministries their entire lives including missions trips, bus ministry, children’s ministry, teen ministry, and on-campus college outreach. They were both saved as young children and surrendered as teenagers to serve God in any capacity. The Lord has given them a burden to reach our nation’s heroes. These heroes are willing to sacrifice so much on the field of battle, in the streets of our community as first responders, and in the halls of our hospitals as healthcare professionals. We want to share then the living hope we have in our Savior!
Jake and Mallory are members of Lakeside Baptist Church
Vince Waltz
Vince and Sarah Waltz understand the profound impact of living with PTSD.
Vince, a six-year veteran of the Marine Corps, was deployed to Afghanistan and returned afflicted by PTSD. The Lord allowed Vince to endure the trials associated with PTSD, leading to a challenging period marked by depression, low self-esteem, suicidal ideation, guilt, migraines, and persistent memories. Moving from Buffalo, New York to Greenville, South Carolina, Vince and his family experienced a significant change in their lives. This move led to a divine appointment with Dr. (Pastor) Tony Miller, who, after counseling Vince, recommended he contact Doug Carragher, the president of Wounded Spirits Ministry and a fellow church member. This connection blossomed into a mentorship, and after attending a Wounded Spirits camp, Vince surrendered to the Lord, offering his weaknesses for God’s strength. He then enrolled in Bible college with the goal of helping others who suffer as he did. The Lord transformed his life, instilling in him a deep faith and commitment to helping others.
Vince’s college training includes three years in a preaching program and a BA in Biblical Counseling. His wife, Sarah, holds a BA and an MA in education and serves as a public-school teacher, shining the light in a dark world. Together, Vince, Sarah, and their two children are currently on pre-field deputation to serve as the Wounded Spirits coordinators for the Upstate. Their mission is to use their experiences and skills to support and guide others, casting a vision of hope and healing for those affected by PTSD through the love and grace of Christ.
Contact
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574-400-5190
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info@woundedspirits.com