Ministry Staff @ Southwest
Craig Thomure, Senior Ministerswcccraig@austin.rr.com
Craig graduated from St. Louis Christian College with a Bachelor of Arts in Preaching Ministry and has taken graduate level studies at Lincoln Christian Seminary. Craig has over 24 years experience as a Senior Minister, coming to SWCC in 2007 from Lakeview Christian Church in Garland, Texas. Previously he served as Senior Minister at Community Christian Church in Belleville, Illinois.
Craig has also served as Trustee and Chairman of the Board of Dallas Christian College for seven years. Craig and his wife Carla have been married over 25 years. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.
Paul Diaz Jr., Youth and Worship Ministerswccpaul@austin.rr.com
Paul Diaz Jr. joined the SWCC staff in January of 2008. After being gone for 12 years, he has returned to serve in his home congregation. He did his undergraduate studies at Dallas Christian College, earned a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies from Austin Graduate School of Theology, and is currently working towards a Master of Arts in Counseling at the Seminary of the Southwest.
Paul first began ministering as a Young Life leader in 1997, and has served the church in full time ministry since 2000 at congregations in Colorado and Texas. He is passionate about reaching out to those who have missed out on a relationship with God, helping them to see that God created them for a purpose and that joy is found when our lives begin to resemble what God had intended all along.
Paul and his wife Jill were married in June of 2001 and have two sons; Paul III and Aiden. Longhorn fanatics, coffee aficionados, and disc golf and guitar lovers (Paul…Jill has yet to come around), they are excited to have the opportunity to minister to the city that they love!
Summer Mercado, Children's Ministry Directorsummer.mercado@swccaustin.org
Summer is the most recent addition to the Southwest staff, joining us in the Spring of 2011. Summer is a former student of Lincoln Christian University. Her experience in ministry started at a very young age helping in the areas of worship and youth in her home church in Lincoln, IL. She originally came to Southwest to support Jorge, her husband, while he did an internship with the Hispanic Ministry. Little did she know that her passion and willingness to serve people would lead her to be the Children's Ministry Director of SWCC.
In her free time, Summer enjoys art, music, photography, and cooking