Cathy and I were both born and raised right here in Odessa and graduated from Odessa High School.
We have three children: Melissa, Jeff, and Scott who were also raised here.
After serving in the military, we returned to Odessa and began attending Temple Baptist Church. Temple was very special to our hearts because our entire family accepted CHRIST there and it was where I really felt GOD preparing me for full-time service.
After 10 years of attending Temple and being involved in lay ministry, my job took us to McCamey, Texas, where GOD touched our hearts to start a brand new church, Bethel Baptist, that grew and saw many saved.
Then we were asked to return home to Odessa and join the staff of Temple Baptist under the leadership of Curtis and Jerry Thorpe, where we served as Bus Director, Children's Pastor, and Senior Adult Pastor for 24 years.
Again GOD touched our hearts to start a new work and here we are at Life Change Baptist Church. GOD has blessed our church so much and continues to do so each day.
Our mission statement is "Experiencing life change through JESUS CHRIST" and we see GOD doing just that. People are accepting CHRIST, being baptized and growing in the LORD.
We thank GOD for allowing us to serve HIM here with our great people and we're so excited to see what HE has for us in the future..

Tyler Press is a native son of Odessa. He holds a Bacholer's from Dallas Baptist University, and a Master's from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Tyler is currently working on his Doctorate in Christian Counseling from Louisiana Baptist University.

Tyler is married to his wife, Alicia, and together they have four children: Crystal 16, Emily 6, Jaden 4, and Pierceton 2. Tyler joined the Life Change staff in 2007, after holding ministry positions in Colorado and Ohio. Tyler is currently serving as the Career Adult and Young Couples Pastor. Join him for Sunday School in door J of the East Campus at 10:15 am.

I was born as a Missionary Kid in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but was mostly raised in Ohio. My parents separated and divorced when I was in the fourth grade which ended their position as Missionaries for ABWE in Hong Kong, China. My mother, Ruth Ann, raised me as a single parent and constantly prayed that I would not allow our broken home to ruin my relationship with the Lord. When I graduated from Medina High School in Ohio the Lord led me to study at Moody Bible Institute to earn a bachelors degree in Pastoral Ministry. During my time in Chicago, God gripped my heart with the younger generation's need for the Lord Jesus Christ. He privileged me with an opportunity to serve as a Bible study leader at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, where I witnessed God's power in bringing students into a transformational relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. I was also privileged with the opportunity to serve as a volunteer for Pastor Phil Jackson of Lawndale Community Church, a youth pastor of twenty plus years in an urban context. Both those experiences have vastly shaped the way that I view ministry and the way that I view God and I know without doubt that Jesus Christ and His Word transforms people's lives because I have experienced it. These experiences coupled with my privilege to serve as a youth intern at this incredible church for the past two summers has solidified my passion to see teenagers experience life change through Jesus Christ. I am incredibly privileged to serve here at a church that values a commitment to reach out to those who do not know Christ and to further guide and direct those who already do. My hope is that God would continue to use me to point people to Him so that they might know and understand the glorious treasure who is Jesus Christ. 

My prayer:

"I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises among the nations. For your loving kindness is great to the heavens and your truth to the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let your glory be above all the earth." Psalm 57:9-11