The church burst into applause as the announcement was made this past Sunday that Rich Bartoli will be appointed as an evangelist in God's kingdom on December  2nd. 

Rich and his wife Amanda serve as the Campus Ministers for the University of South Florida and Hillsborough Community College. 

An evangelist is one who preaches the good news of Jesus Christ.  Rich is mature in his preaching and is able to move the hearts of the disciples by communicating the good news of Jesus. Rich also meets the qualifications in 1 Tim 3 for being a "servant" (diakonos, deacon).  Like the apostles in Acts 6, Rich has dedicated himself to "prayer and the ministry of the word" and proven himself to be a "servant of the word".   Rich has shown himself to be humble.  He seeks advice in building his ministry, and he is a great disciple.  He is also a good husband and father. Rich and Amanda have a strong marriage and regularly get help to keep it thriving. 

His wife, Amanda, who was converted as a teenager in Orlando, has also shown herself to be a  wise woman of God.  She is mature, radiant and an incredible help to her husband and to the church. She is able to effectively use the Word to help other women come to faith in Jesus. 

In the past year and a half, the ministry at USF and HCC has grown from 6 students to 21 students.  This includes 7 people who were baptized,  all of them currently faithful and doing well. The others moved in from other congregations or local ministries.  It is encouraging to see the momentum of the campus ministry growing and the spirit of faith and enthusiasm within that ministry. 

Rich and Amanda's lives reflect Jesus in many ways.  They have been faithful servants of Jesus for many years.  They love His word and they love his church.

This marks a great victory for God and The Tampa Bay Church as we see yet another vision become a reality. 

Congratulations Rich and Amanda!