Born in Tifton, GA where he currently lives, Rev. Ethridge was raised in the
Church of God. His grandparents were founding member of Tift Avenue Church of
God and made sure that he was in church every Sunday. His spirituality has
always been very important to him as he grew up the son of a farmer and learning
the value of hard work. Rev. Ethridge lost his father to emphysema in 1989 at
the tender age of 19 and found himself questioning his faith for the first time
in his life and battling with many issues in his personal life that seemed to
pull him further and further away from the church.
After graduating from Thomas Technical School in Thomasville, GA with a degree
in Respiratory Science, Rev. Ethridge buried himself in his work and with
worrying about his younger brother and sister, and his mother.
Finding a calling in the medical field seemed to renew purpose in his life. Then
in 1993, Rev. Ethridge met his soul mate and moved to Carrollton, GA where he
and his partner lived for six months. This time gave him a chance to accept many
things that were playing out in his life. Upon moving back to Tifton, Rev.
Ethridge realized that being home with his family did not completely fill a void
that he felt so strongly in his heart. Then in 1997, a good friend (Pastor Randy
Morgan) called Rev. Ethridge to tell him about a church he was starting in
Valdosta, GA. Reluctantly, Rev. Ethridge made arrangements to attend the first
service of St. Francis, MCC. It was during this service that he realized that
the emptiness he had been feeling in his life was the absence of our precious
Lord! Rev. Ethridge became very involved with St. Francis and reluctantly agreed
to (temporarily) serve as worship coordinator until the church could find a
pastor to replace Pastor Randy after his move to Atlanta in 1998.
It was not until attending a church conference in 2000, that Rev. Ethridge
realized that God actually did have a calling on his life that was more than
just temporary.
In 2002, Rev. Ethridge realized that the principles of
MCC had followed a
different path from the path that he and the Valdosta congregation could follow.
The church left MCC and became an independent church. It was during this time
that Rev. Ethridge was ordained by Rev. Jay Neely. Rev, Neely (Presiding
Minister, International Christian Community Churches), along with Rev. Greg
Bullard (Covenant of the Cross, Nashville, TN), and Pastor Randy Morgan (New
Covenant Church of Atlanta) played a very instrumental part in the spiritual
growth that Rev. Ethridge experienced over the past few years. As much as these
friends and mentors contributed, none have contributed as much as his
grandmother. At 87, she continues to play an undeniable role in the deep rooted
faith in God that Rev. Ethridge has developed.
On February 2, 2002, New Hope Christian Fellowship unanimously voted to become
New Hope Christian Community Church by joining with the
International Christian
Community Churches.
Rev. Ethridge has been very active in the South Georgia community for both New
Hope ICCC and Tift Regional Medical Center where he serves as the Director of
Respiratory Services. Rev. Ethridge served for 8 years on the
Ryan White
Consortium for Health District 8-1, serving as chair four of those years. He
continues to serve as chair of the Respiratory Therapy advisory committee for
Southwest Georgia Technical College (formerly Thomas Technical School) and
serves on the Respiratory Therapy Advisory committees for
Okefenokee Technical
College and Darton College. He is also currently enrolled in the one-day
transition Associate Degree Nursing Program at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural
College in Tifton and is slated to graduate in May, 2006.
A strong love of God, a resolve to do the work that God has called him to do,
and a wonderfully dedicated group of servants in Christ keep Rev. Ethridge
energized and surrounded by love.
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