Bishop Rick D. Brackett was born May 20, 1954 in Mooresville, NC. He has a love for preaching but more importantly a love for the people to whom he preaches. His messages are anointed and are relevant for these times. 

He and his wife Gayle lead the staff and congregation of the Matthews Church of God in reflecting an attitude of love, acceptance and forgiveness. Those who attend church services go away with the feeling that they have been in a church filled with a love for God and for one another. The church has made tremendous strides under his leadership in attendance, membership and finances and has exceeded all previous records in every category. The church is now poised to build for its ever expanding ministries.

Bishop Brackett felt the call to ministry at the young age of 17 and served as a state evangelist for six years and pastor for thirty years. He became an Ordained Bishop in 1980 at the very young age of 26, which is exceptional. He attended: North Carolina State Bible & Music Institute, East Coast Bible College, Lee University and he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Christian Bible College & Seminary, Independence Missouri. He was awarded, "Outstanding Young Men of America" in 1979 and was recently named to "Strathmore's Who's Who". He served as a committee member for the Ministerial Affirmation Program (MAP) from 1999-2005 and currently serves as a committee member for the Ministerial Internship Program (MIP) for the Churches of God in Western North Carolina. He serves not only as our Senior Pastor but as the District Overseer of the Matthews District with a total of 8 churches in Mecklenburg and Union Counties. 

Bishop Brackett is married to Gayle Jacobs formerly of Lumberton, NC who is just as committed to the ministry serving as the "Women's Ministries President" and Church Secretary. He has two daughters, Abigail and Beth; Abby serves as "Children's Pastor" and Beth serves as "Praise & Worship Leader" and also works alongside of her husband, Ed as Youth Pastors.

Gayle Jacobs Brackett was born in Lumberton, N.C. and is the daughter of the late Johnson and Gaynell Jacobs. Gayle is one of twelve children and was actively involved in a singing ministry, the "Jacobs Sisters", that included five of her sisters. She was always a dedicated member of the Saddletree Church of God and actively involved in local ministries.

Gayle is known throughout the state as a dedicated wife and mother and is loved by all those that know her. She is a prayer warrior and has exceptional faith and loves to give God praise for the things He has done in her life. She was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 but believed God for and received her healing. 

Gayle is gifted as an encourager and as someone that works constantly behind the scenes to help the church operate effectively. She has served faithfully alongside her husband in ministry for thirty three years.   

From left to right front: John Rollins III, Steve Smith, Ron Locklear - Back Row: Dale Pate, Daniel Jenkins, Doug Brown

Elders of the church provide care for the people and serve as shepherds to the flock of God.

 1 Peter 5:1-10  As shepherds working under the supervision and authority of the Pastor, each Elder must first be a care giver to the people of God's Church.

John Rollins III Email

Steve Smith Email

Ron Locklear Email

Dale Pate Email

Daniel Jenkins Email

Doug Brown Email

Kidz Church is headed up by Abigail B. Salsedo, the pastor's daughter. Abigail has had several years of experience in working with children, as she is an elementary school teacher and teaches at the Reedy Creek Elementary School in Charlotte, N.C. Abigail attended Appalachian State University where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. She also has a background in music and is able to play both the clarinet and piano. She enjoys reading, sports, and listening to music as her hobbies.  

Abigail is excited about what God is doing in the church and she is especially thrilled to see the children's department growing. It is her desire to see more and more children get involved in the exciting programs of the church. She is convinced that all children will be benefited by attending "Kidz Church" each Sunday morning. The music, puppets, bible stories and games are a wonderful way to help build a stable foundation for our youth of tomorrow.              

Melisa is a graduate of Independence High School in Mint Hill, NC. She has worked in the dental field for 20 years and currently works as a Dental Assistant in Monroe, NC.

Melisa has been married for 16 years to her husband Dale and they have one child, Jarrett, who is her pride and joy. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies and photography.

Melisa serves as the church Sunday School Secretary and is an Elder's wife. She loves working alongside of Abby in the children's ministry and is excited about what God is doing in the children's department.

Ed was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana and spent thirty years of his life there. His religious and educational background centered around a Catholic upbringing. Ed received his bachelor's degree in accounting and moved to Charlotte, N.C. looking for a change of scenery and a new outlook on life. Ed said, "At this point, one might think that I would go to work for a bank or an accounting firm, however, God led me to do something else; He led me to work with children as a teacher." Ed thoroughly enjoys working with "special needs kids" and has been doing so now for four years.

Ed says, "Just over a year ago, as God continued to bless me, I was introduced to the love of my life, Beth Brackett. Beth and I are now married and live in Charlotte, N.C."

Ed & Beth have been given several opportunities to use their talents to spread the Word of God. It is their prayer that God will always give them the strength and boldness to do the will of God.

They both look forward to working with the youth of the Matthews Church of God.

 

Mary Locklear is the Minister of Music at the Matthews Church of God. Mary comes from a background of musical ability and talent. She graduated Cum Laude from Pembroke State University, NC in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

She has been a Minister of Music since 1980 working at various churches and helping people worship God through music. She is gifted at composing music and has also given private voice and piano lessons.

Mary comes from a large family of 12 and toured with her sisters in a singing group: “The Jacobs Sisters”, a Lumbee Indian Family from Lumberton, NC. Mary played the piano and sang with her sisters as they traveled throughout North Carolina and various other states. The Jacobs Sisters went on to record several albums and became known by their singing style and by the way they worshipped God.

Not only is Mary the Minister of Music at Matthews, she is also the music teacher for Union County Schools. She teaches K-5 students on a weekly basis.

Mary is married to Ron Locklear who is also musically inclined; he sings, and plays the saxophone. Ron is also a successful insurance broker, (InsureYou4Good@aol.com) and serves as a church elder . Mary and Ron have one daughter, Anna-Maria Locklear who attends East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. The family resides in Weddington, NC.

Beth Baker is the Pastor's daughter and the younger of 2.  Beth has always had a passion to minister to hurting people and has felt a call to minister through music at a very early age.  In 1997 Beth graduated with honors from South Caldwell High School as the Editor in Chief of the school newspaper entitled "The Spartan Muse".   She then attended East Coast Bible College where she studied Music and Journalism. 

 Currently she is the praise and worship leader for the Matthews Church of God as well as the Choir Director.

Beth has had extensive training in Church music.  She has attended Choral Festivals with over 2,000 worship leaders, music workshops, and has also had voice lessons.  While attending East Coast Bible College, she was blessed to minister through song at several churches throughout North and South Carolina.  From 2000 to 2001, she and a friend had their own Radio AM program where she taught the Word of God and sang.

 Recently the Lord has blessed her to lead worship at various places and various dominations, i.e., Ladies conferences, homecomings, and recently had the opportunity to sing and minister to a public high school in North Carolina. 

Beth also works with the outreach ministries program at Matthews.  Currently she mentors a 12 year old girl who comes from a broken home.  She enjoys leading praise and worship and directing the Matthews sanctuary choir.  Her hobbies include traveling, going to the gym, spending time with family and friends.  She is married to the love of her life, Ed Baker, they reside in Charlotte, NC. 

John Rollins III was invited to the Matthews Church of God over twenty years ago; he knew absolutely nothing about the Church of God, being raised Catholic and even attended a Catholic school.
He still remembers vividly the Sunday that the Spirit of the Lord drew him to an altar of repentance; he says it was the best day of his life.

John graduated from Sun Valley High School and Guilford College. He served in law enforcement for ten years with five of those years as a detective. He is a successful entrepreneur; starting his own business, H&R Custom Injection Molding, Inc., eighteen years ago.

He loves the Matthews Church of God and can't say enough good things or express his feelings to do it justice. He has served as the Church Treasurer for more than ten years and has been an Elder for more than six years.

John says, "I thank God that I am a part of the mission of the Matthews Church of God. It is my desire that others will experience God's love through salvation. I am honored to be an Elder and I look forward to laboring with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that I may be an Aaron, supporting my pastor to the best of my ability and being a helper and an encourager."

Vivian graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from UNC-Pembroke in 1985 in Public Administration & a concentration in Business. 

She has worked in the accounting and administration field for over 20 years.  She currently works as an Assistant Controller with an Architect firm. 

 

She has taught Sunday school for the preschool class, before moving to teach the elementary class, and currently assists with the Junior Sunday school class.  She has worked as a teacher in our Kid’s church and assisted with the Children’s programs and events.  She serves on the Christian education board and enjoys being involved with the church in any way she can uplift the kingdom of God’s work.    

 

She and her husband James have two sons, Jordan & Jacob.  Aside from church activities, she enjoys watching her boys on the school track and soccer fields.