Eastwood Baptist Church Staff
Dr. Lynn Parks is the pastor at Eastwood Baptist Church. Lynn grew up attending First Baptist Church Midland, where he was baptized and licensed to preach. He studied English Literature at Texas Tech University and Baylor University, receiving B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. He later attended Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary, receiving a Master’s of Theological Studies.
Lynn has been a bi-vocational minister for much of his career, serving churches in Dallas, Peoria (Lake Whitney), and Valley Mills while teaching English, doing college administrative work, and writing and editing.
Lynn began serving as the pastor at Eastwood in 2019, but he served Eastwood before as interim pastor for several months in 2009-2010.
Lynn’s favorite scripture verse is Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Terry Hale has been the bi-vocational Music Director and Worship Leader at Eastwood since October of 1985 after having served two years as the church pianist for Eastwood. Terry, a native of Gatesville, grew up at First Baptist Church in Gatesville where he accepted Christ as Savior at the age of 12 and later served as church pianist during high school and college.
He graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas with a degree in math/computer science and did post-graduate work in accounting. Terry owned and operated his own computer business and taught computer design, programming and analysis at the college level before joining the staff at Gatesville High School in August of 1990.
In his “other life” Terry retired in May of 2023 after 6 years as a high school instructional coach following many years teaching Algebra and Pre-Calculus and serving as chairman of the high school math department at Gatesville High School. He also designs and codes web sites and runs a YouTube travel channel.
Terry enjoys creating videos and still photography, oil painting, playing piano and travel. His trips frequently take him to the mountains of the west or to his condo in Branson, Missouri where he enjoys live music.
EJ Davila joined Eastwood’s staff as Youth Minister in 2016 after he and his wife, Presley, moved to Waco so EJ could attend Truett Theological Seminary. EJ has since graduated with a Master of Divinity and works full time as a copy editor for Wipf and Stock Publishers. Previously, EJ had attended Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, his hometown, where he studied Psychology and worked in the mental health field. In Brownwood, EJ and Presley served for several years at First Baptist Church of Brownwood in the youth group.
Emily Weatherford is the bi-vocational Children’s Minister at Eastwood Baptist Church. Emily was born and raised in nearby Hamilton, Texas where she grew up in a little country church, Faith Baptist Church. Emily attended church there from the age of 2 until she graduated from high school.
Emily accepted Christ into her heart at the age of 7. She was involved in the church growing up, as well as volunteering to help with the children when she got into high school. After graduation she moved to Lubbock to attend Texas Tech University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences.
Emily is currently a Pre-K teacher for Gatesville ISD.
Kitty Hutto is the Church Secretary, born in Ft. Worth, Texas and raised in west Texas in the small town of Trent, population 333. After graduating from high school with honors, she moved to East Texas and had two sons. Life took a turn and she moved away and spent 20+ years living and working in Kentucky and was a single parent for many of those years. When her boys were nearly grown she met her husband, Luther, who was living in Kentucky and was actually from Florida. Nearly 20 years later he retired and they moved back to Kitty’s home state of Texas to be surrounded by family. Her boys are both grown, with the oldest living in Kentucky with her teenage grandson. Kitty’s youngest son is in Austin and has a fascinating career as a Commercial Real Estate Attorney.
During her time in Kentucky, Kitty was fortunate to be involved in and a member of the LaGrange Presbyterian Church. It was a small, but growing church. She was able to help out by working in the office, helping with Communions, and also had a spot in the choir feeling that music can heal a soul and definitely lead you to Christ. When she was 16 in that small town of Trent, she attended the Baptist church and gave her life to Christ, but when she joined the Presbyterian Church, she whole-heartedly reaffirmed her Faith and gave her life to Christ again. Currently Kitty and her husband attend the Levita Community Bible Fellowship Church. It’s a small group and they have many friends that they have gotten to know since moving to the community a few years back.
Lou McDonald is the pianist at Eastwood Baptist Church. Born in Los Angeles, California, Lou Wieting McDonald and her identical twin sister, Sue Wieting Richardson, moved to Waco, Texas before the age of one with their two older sisters and parents, Andrew and Eldred Wieting. Lou, her sisters and parents grew up in Waco where her dad was a long-time local band director and her mother was a music and English teacher. Both of her parents came from musical families and Lou and her twin joined the family orchestra at the age of four. They performed all over Waco and other Texas cities, playing their instruments including violin, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, bell lyre, piano and organ. As they began kindergarten the four girls sang in a quartet with their parents accompaniment and performed all over Texas and in Colorado during the summer time. They were called “Waco’s Lennon Sisters” because of the similar sound they produced in perfect harmony. Thus, Lou has continued to sing and play all of her life.
Marriage to Larry McDonald was a lifelong goal since they both “went steady” beginning in 3rd grade at North Waco Elementary and were the Waco High School sweethearts their senior year at Waco High School. The marriage occurred in January 1969. Larry graduated from East Texas State University and was drafted into the U.S. Army while teaching and coaching in Crandall, Texas. They had their daughter, Lisa, and Larry was gone in the Army so Lou and Lisa went back to Waco where Lou worked at Baylor University. After Larry was sent to San Antonio, Lou and Lisa moved there and Jason was born the next year. When Larry was discharged from the army, they moved back to Waco. Larry started coaching and teaching in Gatesville while Lou worked another year at Baylor. Then they all moved to Gatesville and have never left because of their love for this beautiful area of Texas.
After passing her civil service exams as a stenographer and typist, Lou worked at Fort Hood and at the Veterans Administration in Waco for eight years. After completing her Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, she worked 13 years for the Parole Board Members as Executive Assistant and 13 years in the Linda Woodman State Jail as the Warden’s Administrative Assistant Secretary, retiring from the State of Texas Criminal Justice System after 26 years in 2009. Larry retired from teaching in 2000 and from the Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 job after 24 years in 2010. Lou directed three children’s choirs at First United Methodist Church in Gatesville before becoming the pianist at Eastwood Baptist Church in December 1986. Lou has been playing and singing at Eastwood ever since! Lou joined Eastwood Baptist Church and was baptized several years ago in the beautiful new sanctuary. She has performed in Eastwood’s Christmas show, Christmas at Eastwood, for the last 10 Christmas seasons as soloist and ensemble member.
Lou enjoys her 8 grandchildren and follows them in all sports and academic endeavors. She still has 3 in Gatesville ISD, 4 in various colleges and 1 Texas A&M graduate married and working in Galveston, Texas. Lou and Larry volunteer for Meals on Wheels delivery ministry. Lou enjoys deer and bird hunting (she is the bird dog), fishing, making arts and crafts and working crossword puzzles. Until recently she and two of her sisters continued to sing in the Waco area for luncheons, churches and various civic clubs, so music is still very much a part of her everyday life and her church ministry.