Staff Contacts

Dr. Joe Giaritelli, Senior Pastor

Joe is the Senior Pastor of Lawndale Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he has ministered since 1999.  He has served in a variety of vocational ministry positions ranging from Youth Pastor, Assistant Pastor and Associate Pastor of Single Adults/College Students, in Michigan, Texas and South Carolina.

Joe received degrees from Florida Bible College, B.A.; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, M. Div.; and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, D. Min.

Marion Boling, Assoc. Pastor of Senior Adults
Marion began his ministry while he was a student at Furman University in 1956, serving as a Minister of Music. He served at Lawndale Baptist from 1991 until 2002, when he retired from the Music Ministry. He was called back to Lawndale as a part-time Associate Pastor of Senior Adults, with the responsibility of directing the Voices of Experience Senior Adult Choir.

Marion and his wife Marty live in Jamestown. They have six children and nine grandchildren. He loves to collect antique toy cars, as well as full-size antique cars.

Rodney Navey, Assoc. Pastor of Married Adults
Rodney primarily grew up in the small town of Mt Pleasant, NC where he played football and wrestled for Mt Pleasant High School. In his senior year of high school (1983), he surrendered to God's call to vocational ministry. He then went on to graduate from Wingate College where he met his wife Donna Long. Together, they took off to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree in 1990.

Rodney and Donna have 4 children: Josh (1987), Mark (1989), Jacob (1992); Gloria (1996). His passion is equipping families for marriage and parenting. He also enjoys running and reading. Favorite authors: James Dobson, John McArthur, David Jeremiah, Dennis Rainey, Dallas Willard, Kevin Leman.

Curt Dean, Assoc. Pastor of Single Adults
Curt is originally from the Charlotte area and moved with his wife to Greensboro in 1996, after being offered a position as a computer instructor for a major insurance company. It was not long after their arriving in Greensboro that Curt joined Lawndale Baptist in January of 1997 and started working as Life Journey leaders in the Single Adult Ministry.

Soon thereafter, Curt felt led to seminary and graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1999. In the same year, Curt was called to serve as Associate Pastor to the Single Adults, and has enjoyed working in this ministry ever since. Curt and his wife have 3 children.

Jimmy Jackson, Assoc. Pastor of Activities
A native of North Carolina, Jimmy graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a degree in Parks and Recreation Management. Jimmy went on to graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Religious Education. He has served Lawndale since 2000.

Prior to Lawndale, Jimmy has served churches in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. Jimmy and his wife Angela were married in 1989. They have two children, Matthew and Katie.

Chris Swan, Assoc. Pastor of Student Ministries
Chris has served in ministry since 1992 and joined the team at Lawndale in March of 2005. He is currently pursuing his doctoral degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 1999. His Bachelors' Degree is in Business Management from North Georgia University in Dahlonega, GA.

Chris and his wife Trina were married in 1989 and have been blessed with five daughters - Lindsey, Callie, Alex, Elisa, and Madison.

Arvil Pennington, Assoc. Pastor of Preschool & Children
Our Associate pastor for Preschool and Children's Ministries has spent his entire adult career in church education ministries with emphasis in preschool and children's ministries. He graduated from Berea College (Kentucky) in his home town. A Masters Degree was earned from the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Twenty years of ministry was spent in Norfolk and Roanoke, VA churches. Arvil served as Minister to Children at First Baptist Church, Roanoke, VA for thirteen years. In both Virginia and North Carolina Arvil has served as a preschool specialist for the Baptist State Convention. In that capacity he leads state wide training workshops. Arvil says that children deserve the very best quality age appropriate Bible teaching in church programs. Churches should maintain high standards of teaching and not just "watching" or "keeping" children.

Arvil has a wide variety of interests and especially enjoys travel with extended family and friends. He has traveled to several countries. He may lead a church group on an interesting short trip to New York city or participate in an extended trip to Hawaii or London.

Arvil is proud of Lawndale's 275 volunteers who serve in some capacity of children's ministry. In his words "no person stands so tall as when they sit or stoop to a child's level to share the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ".

Mark Walker, Assoc. Pastor of Music & Worship
Mark was raised in a pastor's home in the panhandle of Florida where life was about two things; sports and church. Mark went to Trinity Baptist College where he lettered in Baseball, Basketball, and Soccer. At the time, Mark had no desire for vocational ministry and pursued studies in Business Administration. Mark met his wife, Kelly, upon moving to Winston-Salem in 1991. After five years working in Business Management, Mark began to sense that God was leading him into Christian service. In the summer of 1996, he surrendered his life to this call and enrolled full-time into Piedmont Baptist College where he obtained an B.A. in Biblical Studies with a minor in music and voice.

Mark and Kelly have three children: Ryan (1994), Rachel (1998), and Anna Claire (2006). Mark has an appreciation for a variety of music and worship styles. His desire is to lead our congregation in bringing an offering of praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He has a love for special productions in writing and directing these special events. Mark enjoys watching college sports and traveling with his family.