Leadership

Legacy Christian Church's Lead Pastor is Mark Garrett. Mark is a native of Hamilton, Ohio, and is married to Judith. They have two beautiful daughters, Rebecca and Tori and are proud grandparents of Ashton and Micah. Mark began full-time ministry in 1987. He is a graduate of Christ for the Nations Institute. He has a bachelor's degree from Christian Life School of Theology. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Lexington Theological Seminary. Along with his pastoral duties at the church, Mark works part time at the Crosby Township Fire Department as a firefighter/EMT and chaplain. He also serves as the city of Harrison's fire department chaplain. Mark is known for his thought-provoking preaching, which is centered around practical application to everyday life. His humorous style is capable of breaking down barriers and opening the hearts of those listening. 

Tyler Johnson came from the small town of Mt. Gilead, OH. He finished his schooling at Cincinnati Christian University in May of 2016. He and his wife have enjoyed sharing 7 years of marriage together. 

Hello, my name is William Ryan and I have the privilege to serve at Legacy Christian Church as Worship Leader. I’ve worked in ministry in various roles since 2014 and got my start in worship leading when a youth leader put a guitar in my hands at 14 years old. I am married to my amazing wife Natalie, and we currently live in Liberty Township. I’ve lived in Ohio for almost my entire life, growing up in Liberty Township, going to school at Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati, and now working a day job in the City of Hamilton in the legal field. I encourage you to join me in spirit-filled, authentic worship each week at Legacy. I hope to hear your voices shake the rafters as together we praise the one who has overcome. See you soon! 

Carol Oetzel began her ministry at the Mt. Healthy Christian Church and retired from the Walnut Hills Christian Church. Before going to Walnut Hills she served at the First Christian Church in Middletown, Ohio for 13 years. She serves on the Commission of Ministry for our region. She has been married to Mike Oetzel for 55 years an they have three grown children and 8 grandchildren. 

Barton and his wife Pamela, have 8 children, 21 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. They own a small house and 5 acres near Oxford, Ohio. 

Greg Mathena is an elder and, in November of 2021, he also became a lay pastor. A lay pastor is a preacher or a religious proclaimer who is not a formally ordained cleric.  Greg Mathena has been a member of Legacy since October 1999.  He lives outside Bright Indiana with his wife Jawanda and 3 college kids, Valerie, Travis, and Brad. We also have a young granddaughter, Penny. Greg is employed as an airline pilot and regularly travels to China and South Korea. He also serves in the local volunteer fire department as an assistant chief. 

Diane is a Florida native who moved to Cincinnati 26 years ago (in 1996), when she married her husband Tom. They joined Legacy one year later and moved to Harrison in 2010. Diane and Tom have three children (Mark, Lindsey and Jen) and one grandson, Wesley. Diane leads a Women's Life Group and is involved with leadership development. Sometimes in families, there's division; Diane's family struggles is not immune. Diane roots for her alma mater University of Central Florida (UCF) while others in her family root for University of Cincinnati (UC) which is near and dear to other family members. The struggle is real. :-) 

Mike and his wife Jenny have been married 40 years and have two daughters. Mike has been the owner of a retail optical store for 31 years. He and Jenny have been members of Legacy for 24 years. They have served in various positions within the church and community. Mike is currently co-chair of the elders and was installed as an elder 6 years ago on 01-10-2016. 

Mike is retired from the Cincinnati Police Force after 28 years and Fifth Third Bank after 12 years. He has served in many capacities at Mt. Healthy Christian Church, First Christian Church (Middletown) and Walnut Hills Christian Church. He is a father of 3 and a grandfather to 8, both of which he enjoys very much. Mike was installed as an elder 7 years ago. 

Pam has lived in the Harrison area for most of her life. She and her husband, Kirk, have been married for 29 years and have been members of Legacy for about 21 years. They have 3 children, Rachel, Natalie, and Seth. Pam works in King library at Miami University. Pam and Kirk led worship for Legacy Kids for 16 years. She also serves as a women’s Life Group leader. Pam was installed as an elder on 1-11-2015 so she has been an elder for 7 years. 

Mary has been at Legacy for many years and was installed as an Elder in 2022.Contact us:

Tiffany serves as an elder in the church, leads worship with vocals, and is active in the South Eastern Indiana Emmaus Community.