mike cauthorne
lead pastor
Pastor Mike is passionate about preaching God's Word and making disciples for Christ. He is married to Ingrid and they have four children: Eric (in Heaven), Hanna, Jasmine and Caleb. Mike and Ingrid have been married for almost 30 years. Mike has a Bachelor of Science in Religion, Master of Divinity, Master of Sacred Theology, and Doctor of Ministry. Ingrid is an elementary school counselor. Mike started ministry in 1999 as a youth pastor and served for ten and a half years at the same church. Mike and his family felt a calling from God to plant a church after faithfully serving. After planting two churches, Mike has had the privilege to return to his home church and be the lead pastor of Gwathmey.
troy puryear
youth pastor
Troy was born and raised right here in Hanover, Virginia. Troy graduated from Atlee High School then attended WyoTech in Pennsylvania where he learned Autobody and Painting. He has been working as an Automotive Body Technician and Painter for about 20 years now. Troy was raised in Gwathmey Baptist Church since he was an infant and dedicated his life to the Lord when he was 7 years old. Troy has always had a heart to serve others and help people find Christ, especially the youth (Maybe because he is a big kid at heart). After Troy had children he really started feeling called to teach the Gospel to youth. In 2021 Troy became Gwathmey Baptist Church's Youth Pastor. His passion is for this generation to hear the Word of God and to disciple this generation so these young men and women continue to lead a Godly life well after High School. Troy is married to his best friend Jamie and the love of his life. They have three beautiful, loving, and full of energy children (TJ, Avery, and Joel). In Troy's free time he enjoys coaching his children's sports, working on his T-Bird and Jeep, and going on new adventures.
jamie puryear
children's director
Jamie was born in Little Rock Arkansas and lived there until 8th grade when she moved to Virginia, where she later graduated from Patrick Henry High School. She is a loving wife to Troy Puryear, and an amazing mother to 3 awesome kids Tj, Avery, and Joel. She has 4 siblings, 22 nieces and nephews, and 10 great nieces and nephews so naturally she has huge passion for teaching children and making sure they hear about the name of Jesus. Jamie also has A BSN in nursing from The University of Arkansas and has been a nurse for over 10 years now
Mitch bradley
church administrator
Mitchell has called Gwathmey home since he was a child, raised in the church where his parents were members when he was born. Later baptized, and now a deacon, he became church’s first non-pastoral full-time employee in its 130-year history in 2022. He works closely with Pastor Mike Cauthorne to oversee and manage the administrative and systemic needs, including coordination, communications and relationship building. Before coming to Gwathmey, Bradley left a radio broadcast career that spanned over 24 years. Mitchell and his wife Tracy met as youth at Gwathmey. High school sweethearts, the two began dating before eventually getting were married in 2007. Now calling Mechanicsville home, Mitchell and Tracy are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, Rachel and Alayna.
paige demarzo
connections director
Paige has been attending Gwathmey – along with her parents and grandparents – since birth and was later baptized here. She has served as an adult Sunday School teacher, VBS leader, nursery worker, production team member, and many other roles throughout the years. In 2022, Paige became Connections Director at Gwathmey, in which she uses her passion for discipleship and connecting new partners into the community at Gwathmey. Paige has been married to her husband John since 2020 and the two welcomed their first child, Sarah, in 2023. Paige was a teacher in Hanover County for eight years before transitioning to a school librarian role. She has been working at Henry Clay Elementary since the 22-23 school year.