Staff Biographies
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Pastor Mike L. McKinney
Dr. Mike L. McKinney came to LBC on October 1, 1988, from a 12-year pastorate in Des Moines, Iowa. He entered vocational ministry in November of 1970 and was ordained on March 26, 1972. He served three churches prior to LBC. Before entering vocational ministry, Mike worked as an Industrial Engineer. His BA is from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Mike was born in Charleston, South Carolina, but spent his childhood in Tulsa and Wichita. Pastor Mike completed his doctorate in 1980 and is an adjunct professor at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas.

Pastor Mike is married to Brenda, who works outside the home in a dermatology clinic as a Registered Nurse. They have identical twin daughters, Marla and Marcie. Marla teaches English at Shawnee Mission East High School in the Kansas City area and coaches girls' soccer. Marla and her husband, Nathan Lindsay, are active members of LBC. Marcie is a Registered Nurse and married to Dr. Randolf James. They currently live in Woodland Park, Colorado, with their young son, Ryder, and newborn boy Tevin.

Pastor Mike enjoys music and occasionally plays percussion in LBC's music ministry. His hobbies include anything that involves construction and creativity, and he especially likes handyman projects.

 

Rev. Larry J. Winter
Rev. Winter has performed a variety of services for LBC in his many years of ministry with the church, but music is his passion. He began his career at LBC in 1965 as the Director of Music Ministries, a position he held until 1971. In that time, he also assisted in Youth Ministry. He was recalled to head the Music Ministry in 2003 prior to the hiring of current Music Director Michelle Patton. Rev. Winter maintains his involvement in the Music Ministry of LBC by leading the Bell Choir, as well as directing the Chancel Choir when Michelle is away.

In 2004, Rev. Winter was asked to take on another responsibility at LBC - that of Associate Pastor to Senior Adults. He has reveled in this capacity, organizing group tours and founding the Friendship Club, an organization that meets bi-monthly (usually for lunch) to learn more about the people and places around us.

Rev. Winter and his wife, Helen, make their home in Liberty, Missouri. They recently celebrated the birth of their first grandchild, William Stephen, in March 2008 in Dallas, Texas.

 
Michelle Patton
Michelle is a graduate of Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelors of Music degree in Music and Religion in May of 2004. Michelle grew up in a Christian home in Topeka and attended North Topeka Baptist Church as a child. She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior at a young age and was baptized at the age of 13. Her elementary and high school years were spent at Cair Paravel-Latin School, a Christian high school in Topeka. She is currently serving as Leawood Baptist's Director of Worship, Music, and Young Adult Ministries.

Michelle is a member of the William Baker Festival Singers of Kansas City and the American Field Crumpets League.

If you were a fly on the wall, you might catch her reading with a cup of hazelnut coffee, teaching herself how to play the guitar, or making jewelry. Her personal goal is to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (II Corinthians 10:5).

 

Lesa Young
Lesa Young is the part-time Director of Children's Ministries at LBC. She loves working with children, having flexibility in her work schedule, and using her creativity, so she considers this position a perfect fit. She works with Co-Director Brenda Engel to staff Sunday School, Wednesday evening classes, Vacation Bible School, and much more. She is constantly looking for safe, positive, and creative ways to introduce the children to God.

Lesa grew up in Carrollton, Missouri, and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior when approximately nine years old. She attended an Assembly of God Church with her grandmother each Sunday, and Vacation Bible School each summer at First Baptist Church. Although quite different in their spiritual approach, she learned a great deal of God's love at both churches.

Lesa graduated from Carrollton High School, then attended Central Missouri State University and married Mark Young. She found her way to Leawood Baptist alongside her husband. From the first day they visited LBC, they knew this would be their church home. God spoke to Lesa's heart right away and she recommitted her life to Christ in the summer of 1999. Lesa says in her testimony, "I am thankful for God's love and grace as he continues to help me grow and mature in my walk with Him."

Lesa and Mark have two children. Isaac is in the 5th grade and Alexa in the 3rd grade. Lesa's hobbies include a number of crafts--decorating, scrapbooking, singing, reading, and painting.

 

Brenda Engel
Brenda Engel is the Assistant Director of Children's Ministries and the Child Care Coordinator at LBC. Growing up, she regularly attended the First Church of God in St. James, Missouri, with her parents and sister. She attended several different denominations during College. She graduated from College in 1991 and attended two Baptist Churches in St. Louis. Brenda moved to Kansas City in 1996 and attended Blue Springs Baptist Church. LBC was the first church in the area that she and her husband Dennis attended after marrying in May of 1998; they became members in June of 2000. She and Dennis have a son, Brandon, born in 2000, and a daughter, Ashlynn, born in 2005.

Brenda attended Central Missouri State University where she received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. She worked as a Bank Examiner for over three years in St. Louis and an Insurance Examiner for approximately six years in Kansas City.

Brenda enjoys scrap booking, cross-stitching, the outdoors, travel, and fellowship with family and friends. She also enjoys seeing life through the eyes of a child again as she watches her children experience things for the first time in their own lives.

 

Jane Bartholomew
Jane became the Administrative Assistant/Office Manager for LBC in May 2007 and has enjoyed every day. Working under the watchful, helpful, guiding eyes of Pastor Mike has given her a new recognition of God's presence in her life and those around her.

After graduating from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Studies, Jane focused her attention on promoting filmmaking and film history in Kansas City. She continues her involvement in the Film Society of Greater Kansas City (www.filmkc.org), the Kansas Silent Film Festival (www.kssilentfilmfest.org), and the Buster Keaton Celebration in Iola (www.busterkeatoncelebration.org).

Married since 1987 to architect Richard Bartholomew (a K-State grad), Jane makes her home in Overland Park. She enjoys driving to work every day because the route takes her past her childhood homes, her childhood schools, and her mother's grave in Corinth Cemetery.

Richard and Jane celebrate God's love at Village Presbyterian Church, where they were married and where Jane has attended since childhood.
 

 

Mary Cook
Mary is the Organist/Instrumentalist at LBC. She was born on a farm in Iowa and grew up doing all the chores and duties associated with living in a rural atmosphere. She attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where she majored in Vocal Music with a minor in Piano/Organ.

She started piano lessons when she was seven years old, becoming the organist at Orient Methodist Church when she was 12. Someone in the church had donated a new Baldwin organ, but nobody knew how to play. So Mary said, "I'll learn" - and she did! She was the accompanist for the vocal music department at Orient High School, as well as for a large county women's chorus, in addition to being organist at Orient Methodist until graduating from high school. During her college years, Mary was an organist for the Indianola Presbyterian Church.

In August of 1959, she married Larry Cook, and they began married life in Creston, Iowa, where Mary was organist for the First Methodist Church. During that time, two sons were born: Tony and Jeff. Due to Larry's employment with United Parcel Service, they moved many times, finally arriving in Kansas City in June 1972.

Mary was hired as accompanist for Shawnee Mission Northwest High School choirs in December 1975 under the direction of Jack Ballard - a position she held until 2001. Mr. Ballard was also the Minister of Music at LBC, so he hired Mary in November 1978 to come with him to LBC, and she remains here to this day. In November 2008, Mary will celebrate 30 years as LBC's organist/ instrumentalist.

Her hobbies include reading, doing crosswords, movies, anything that involves music, season tickets at the American Heartland Theater, Music Hall, and Starlight Theater - and spending time in warm Southern California where Larry and she built their second home in Palm Springs.

 

Roxanne Adrian
Roxanne began her position of Pianist/Instrumentalist at LBC in October 2007. She was born and raised in a Baptist preacher's home in Great Bend, Kansas. She attended Baptist Bible College and Southwestern Missouri State University in Springfield, where she received her Master's Degree in Music Education with Honor Diploma in Piano. For 10 years she taught in the music department at Baptist Bible College. Following that, she was on the staff of Liberty Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kansas, for the next 15 years.

She first became a church musician at the early age of 11. In 2005, she began recording her piano hymn arrangements, produced three CDs, and has also played numerous concerts in churches.

Roxanne teaches piano and music classes both in and outside of her home in the Kansas City area.


Marvelene Beatty
Marvelene has held the position of LBC's Financial Secretary since May 2006. She is responsible for the church's bookkeeping, payroll, and any other financial matters. Prior to working at LBC, Marvelene was the Church Business Administrator for 10 years at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Overland Park, and worked 17 years in the Shawnee Mission School District at SM East and SM North High Schools in their Accounting Departments. Marvelene matriculated at St. Paul's School of Theology and Johnson County Community College.

She and her husband, Max, have been members of LBC since March 1974 and make their home in Overland Park. They have four sons and three grandchildren. They lost their only daughter in 1989.

Marvelene's hobbies include quilting and enjoying her rambunctious cats.