Our Staff | Bedford Bible Church

Pastor

In February 2019, Bedford Bible Church extended the call to Martin Wickens to serve as their pastor. Pastor Martin is originally from the United Kingdom and has worked in a variety of churches and ministries for the last 14 years in his home country.

An American missionary, Tom Dotson, led Martin to the Lord in 1994 and it was under his ministry that Martin was called to preach. He trained at Emmanuel Baptist Bible School in Northern Ireland and graduated in 2003. In 2004 he and his wife, Carrie, married and God has blessed them with 4 children. Carrie is originally from South Carolina.

Pastor Martin’s ministry in the United Kingdom focused on working with small churches with a desire to build up the local church, share the Gospel, and train men for ministry. He raised support from churches in the USA, Ireland, and the UK to enable him to work in churches that could not support their own pastor.

He served in his home church, Brimpton Baptist Church; served for 3 years as pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland; 2 years as Mission Leader with Bethesda Free Church in Sunderland, England; and then returned home and served for 7 years as pastor of Brimpton Baptist Church in Brimpton, England.

In 2018 Pastor and his family followed the Lord’s leading to move to the USA and after some time in South Carolina, they relocated and settled in PA.

He has a strong focus on expositional preaching, family, fellowship, and spreading the Gospel to the community and around the world.

Martin Wickens

Assistant Pastor

Charlie Cowart

Charlie Cowart trusted Christ as his Savior at a young age, being saved at around 5 or 6 years old on Easter Sunday. From that early point in his life, the Lord began shaping his heart toward service and faithfulness.

He began training for the ministry at Bill Rice Bible College, where he graduated with an Associate's degree in 2022.

In the summer of 2023, Charlie served as a summer intern at Puzzletown Road Bible Church, gaining valuable hands-on experience in local church ministry. The next summer, Charlie travelled with Neighborhood Bible Time, leading in teen rallies and outreach efforts across the country. It was through this ministry experience that God clearly called Charlie to focus his life and service to working with teens.

Following his internship at Puzzletown Bible Church, Charlie continued his studies at Ambassador Baptist College, where he completed his Bachelor's degree in 2025. During his time there, Charlie met Pastor Wickens, which led to an internship opportunity at Bedford Bible Church that summer.

After completing a summer internship at Bedford Bible Church, Charlie joined the church staff as Assistant Pastor in the fall of 2025. He has a heart for reaching and discipling young people with the truth of God’s Word.

Our Deacons

Brian Hoover

Brian has been a member of the Bedford Bible Church since 2001 and has been a deacon since 2003. Brian enjoys teaching the adult Sunday school class.

Brian married Amy Lynn Hoover in 1990. God has blessed them with two children (Luke and Tyler), and two grandchildren.

Jeff Blackburn

Tom Fisher

Ron Wilkins

Jeff and his wife, Jackie, have been members of BBC since it was formed. Both testify that “we have seen God bless this local church in so many different ways over the years”.

Jeff has been a deacon for many years and continues in that capacity. The Lord has blessed them with 2 children (Justin and Jenna), and 5 grandchildren.

Tom is a charter member of the Bedford Bible Church along with his wife, Virginia. Bedford Bible Church had its beginning in the fall of 1986. He is currently serving as Deacon and Adult Sunday School Teacher. Tom and Virginia are blessed with two children, nine grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

Ron and his wife, Hilda, have been members of BBC since 1998. They have 2 adult children (Daniel and Becky), and 5 grandchildren. He is currently serving as Deacon, Adult Sunday School Teacher, and Assistant Song Leader.

Our Volunteers

As part of our goal to provide a safe and edifying environment, we ensure our staff and volunteers are best suited to the areas in which they volunteer and they all go through rigorous background checks. If you have any questions about our staff or volunteer policies we would be happy to speak with you.

Nursery Workers – we have a great team of ladies who take special care of the little ones in our church family. We have volunteers in the nursery during every service. However, we do welcome whole families to our services if you’d prefer to keep your children with you.

Youth Workers – We’re excited to offer a variety of ministries for young people and have an outstanding team. On Sunday morning, we have Sunday School classes for all ages at 10am; Junior Church during our 10:45am morning service; and on Wednesday, we have youth meetings for all ages at 7pm. We want our children and teens to have fun, but we have a higher purpose, to teach God’s Word and help them grow in Christlikeness.