Our Stories

Greg & Marsha Newton

Marsha and I grew up very differently. I was born in New Jersey and moved every few years because my father preached for churches (Australia, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma). Marsha was born and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, raised by her mother and grandmother.

We met at a Christian college through a shared interest in foreign missions, in serving those on the margins, and by working together in inner-city St. Louis, Missouri. Our first date was on April Fool’s Day, but we’ve managed to live that down.

After finishing undergraduate degrees, we moved to Abilene, Texas for graduate studies. Though our early plans were to go to Goiania, Brazil, we eventually formed a  mission team with another family to work among the Sukuma people of Tanzania, East Africa. We were blessed to adopt our son, Aaron, just before leaving Texas.

To get to know the congregation that was sending us, we moved to Birmingham, Alabama with plans to leave for Africa in six months. However, two months later Marsha was diagnosed with cancer and our plans  were put on hold. After six months of chemotherapy and radiation, and another six months of recovery, we moved to Mwanza, Tanzania in 1991. The next year we were blessed to have a daughter, Adrienne, born in Africa.

We were involved in church planting among the Sukuma tribe from 1991-1999.  The whole time we watched God work among poor and illiterate people who met as churches under mango trees. We became convinced about the power of simple, relational ways of being church. How these Tanzanians heard the gospel helped us hear it in new ways too!

We returned to Birmingham in 1999 and ministered for four years with a local congregation. In 2003, together with others, we set out to form a less institutionally-driven and more relationally-based community of faith that would welcome especially those who find themselves on the margins of society.

Our children are grown. We live in Pelham. Marsha works as a social worker serving oncology patients at a hospital cancer center, and I teach and serve at a mission church.

Wesley & Alexis Hargon

While Alexis was born and raised in Memphis, TN, I was a military brat born in Jackson, MS.  My dad’s service in the Army brought my family to Washington, D.C., Virginia, Texas, Hawaii, and Louisiana. I have a Bible & Ministry degree and am working towards a Master’s in Christian Ministry. Alexis has a degree in human resources and is certified in holistic nutrition coaching. 

Alexis and I met while I served as a youth minister in Memphis. We were married eight months later and moved to Houston later that year. I served as a youth minister in Houston for two and a half years. 

We’re big foodies and enjoy reading and walking around Sprouts & Whole Foods. Although I love tea throughout the week, Alexis and I enjoy spending time at coffee shops. I also enjoy creating videos for YouTube and other social media platforms. Most of my content revolves around spiritual formation and self-development. 

Alexis and I both come from large families and understand the value of relationships. We both came to faith through the relationships in our lives; through these means, our faith has grown. Therefore, it is through relationships that we look to serve the church. As a couple passionate about holistic living, we are driven by a holistic faith that affects every aspect of our lives.

Here’s how we think about faith development for youth.