A Quick Word About Us...
The Surge is the faith community in the Little City that invests in bringing God and people together; for individuals, emerging leaders, and other organizations who are looking for ways to connect people with grace and generosity in a world that is increasingly cynical, disconnected, and lost.
We strive to do that by being passionate about community: loving God and loving people in every way we can!
We strive to do that by being passionate about community: loving God and loving people in every way we can!
Statement of Belief
We believe that love is primary and that arguing is, all too often, sideways energy that does little good. That being said, belief is important... and our starting point of theology is this:
God has given us His word to help us frame important decisions and to give us a foundational worldview that is helpful, right and good. Click on the button below to see our basic statement of belief and please contact us with any questions!
God has given us His word to help us frame important decisions and to give us a foundational worldview that is helpful, right and good. Click on the button below to see our basic statement of belief and please contact us with any questions!
Surge Staff
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Dwaine Darrah, Our Lead Pastor
Dwaine answered a call from Jesus at age 12. Fifteen years later, Jesus warned Dwaine full-time ministry was in his future. Spooked into action, he sought guidance, and his pastor in Virginia agreed to serve as a mentor on things biblical and pastoral. Meanwhile, an MA in International Relations led to 3+ decades with the CIA (yes, that one), a career Dwaine cherished, and one that provided leadership and executive-level experience. When Dwaine had largely concluded it would never happen, God moved mysteriously in 2008, opening up a new career in ministry. Just to show He could, God surprised everyone by turning that job into a new church, where Dwaine serves today. As a pastor, Dwaine gets pumped when someone—who may or may not be a Christian--hears something God says, wonders whether it might be true, and gives it a whirl. Dwaine is an extrovert with a sense of humor, so be warned. His view of church? It is not a building--good thing, since we don’t have one. It should be a place that feels like family and friends, where joy and fun and learning and growing can blend together, where the imperfect people we all are can feel safe enough for authenticity. We want to be a place where encouragement and rallying around each other is just the norm, and where actions that show we care about those around us in our community and world who might not believe anything we do. Dwaine is still madly in love with Jackie, his high-school sweetheart and best friend, and he’s also pretty fond of his 3 children, their spouses, and those grandkids. Dwaine also loves small groups, cooking, the guitar, TV murder mysteries from all over the world, and the rare, “nothing at all to do” times. |
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E Reiss, Executive Pastor for The Surge
Eric, affectionately known as "E", grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, and watched in earnest as his dad expertly managed a significant farm of wheat and cattle... while his mom went from being a secretary, to a teacher, to a student of law at night (while working full time), eventually launching a successful law practice. His work experience spans from beekeeping, to writing, to taking tech support calls to managing internal communications on four continents for a Fortune 50 company. The best part of those experiences? The amazing lifelong friends gathered every step of the way. E is a Gallup coach, a published author, a recording artist, has an irrational love for theological philosophy and sees worship in the form of music as an open door to God. He believes that the heart of the gospel leads us to become fully who God made us to be. And when people, made full in God's love, start to bloom into that ecstatic state of glory, there is nothing that brings him more joy. He loves dogs, mexican food, movies, great writing, music, his lovely wife Karen and his precious and ironical daughter Evangeline, but probably not in that order. |
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