Our Pastor, Tim Crater, was born in Pasadena CA (1945) and grew up a little farther east in Ontario. He became a Christian at age 10 in an American Baptist Church through the influence of his parents and the ministry of his Pastor. He graduated from UCLA (International Relations) where he also played baseball and became involved in the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, then headed by Hal Lindsey ("The Late great Planet Earth"). Under Hal's influence and that of other Dallas Seminary graduates, Tim went on to Dallas after college and received his Th.M. from Dallas in 1971. Tim and Sherry then planted/pastored several churches in the Atlanta suburban area.

In 1987, Tim became the Chief of Staff for a member of Congress and in 1989 moved to the Office for Governmental Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals here in DC. During that time, he also maintained an active pastoral ministry, Additionally, he has filled pulpits and been the interim Pastor for several local congregations before becoming the Pastor here at WBC.

Sherry was born in Santa Monica, CA, and also grew up a little farther east in San Gabriel. In her early life, her family attended a Presbyterian church, but she became a Christian through the witness of Hal Lindsey. Like Tim, she grew in her faith under the influence of UCLA's Campus Crusade ministry. She was in the Delta Delta Delta sorority and was President of the Bruin Belles, the university's Official Hostess Organization. They were married (by Hal) in 1968 after Tim's first year in Seminary, and she taught in the Dallas public schools during his last three years. She also worked closely with Child Evangelism Fellowship. In Atlanta, Sherry was key in founding the Sunday School Programs of the Atlanta churches. It was there that she became the mother of four boys: David, Jon, Andy, and Matt.

The Craters now have four adult sons and two granddaughters.

Bob grew up in Michigan in the small community of Center Line. He attended a main line denomination on a regular basis for all of his childhood and was even baptized. However, Bob's faith was not very deep. After High School, Bob joined the Marines and served in Vietnam. The experience of war caused him to lose all belief in the Christian faith. But the Lord was good to Bob as He led him to Edna who had grown up in a Christian home and accepted Jesus as her Lord at an early age. They were married in 1971 and have three children.

As the children grew and he lived the life of the "if it feels good-do it" generation, Bob grew increasingly frustrated with the constant changes in right and wrong. Things that were wrong just a few years ago were now considered acceptable and even expected. The idea that everything is relative was not acceptable to Bob and he searched for some type of greater meaning and an absolute truth.

Meanwhile, Edna had the children in church every week and as they learned about God, the oldest two reached the point of a decision and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Bob attended their baptism and became friends with the pastor. They had several discussions, but the pastor soon moved on to another church and Bob was left even more hungry for some answers. The new pastor was more experienced and when Bob visited for a children's show, he asked the probing question "If you were to die today, do you know if you would go to heaven?" Bob could not answer this one and asked to talk to the pastor. They met later in the week and soon Bob accepted Jesus as his savior. From that time onward, Bob has been reading the Bible, serving the church and growing in his faith. His greatest joy comes from serving the Lord through involvement in many church activities.

In 1996, Bob's job moved the family to Woodbridge and they joined Woodbridge Bible Church after a long search of area churches. He is involved in many church activities including this web site. Bob is a cancer survivor. In 2002 he underwent surgery and six months of chemo. The cancer remains in remission.

Edna was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. After surgery, two years of chemo and radiation; she went home to be with the Lord.

Dave Swavely was born and raised just east of Reading, PA and joined Schwarzwald Evangelical and Reformed Church in his youth. His primary interest was in sports. After high school, he attended and graduated from Penn State. He then entered the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer and spent a career of almost 22 years in service. Upon retirement from active duty he gained employment with different corporations and retired from Lockheed-Martin in 2001.

He and his wife, Dianne, married in July 1967 and have raised two daughters, Danielle Frank and Deirdre Long. They have three grandsons and one granddaughter and have lived at their current address since 1980. The Swavelys started attending Woodbridge Bible Church in 1986 when it met in the homes of members.