As a co-founding elder of AGF, Pastor Birch has been actively engaged in Christian service in the Cleveland, Ohio area for more than 40 years. Renowned for his authentic and transparent teaching, Pastor Birch endeavors to effectively communicate the Word of God and make it relevant for today’s audience.

Jerry frequently writes for Sports Spectrum Magazine and has recently contributed to The Heart of an Athlete, a publication by Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Additionally, Jerry has served as the NBA Player's Chaplain for the Cleveland Cavaliers for the past 25 seasons. His devotional book, "No Rings in Heaven Only Crowns!" is a compilation of his most well-received chapel messages.

Pastor Birch is a native Clevelander who graduated from East Tech. He holds an AB degree in psychology from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. Jerry has also completed graduate work at Ashland Theological Seminary.

Jerry and his wife Gail (B.A, University of Chicago) have been married for 50 years. They have four children and six grandchildren and live in Oakwood Village.

Jerry and Gail are the founders of Mastering The Ministry of Marriage, a parachurch ministry that has conducted high-impact marriage enrichment conferences and workshops all over the Midwest. They live in Oakwood Village and have four children and six grandchildren.

 A charter member of AGF, Darryl Collins is one of our original Elders appointed in 2007.  Elder Collins has served in  children’s ministry for over 25 years and has led our Children's Church since the inception of AGF in 2005.

Darryl has worked in the banking industry for 24 years and has a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Cleveland State University.

Elder Collins and his wife  Monica have been married for 27 years and have two sons, Jerel and Trevor.

Vernon Orr is also a charter member and one of AGF's original ruling elders.  Elder Vernon is an outstanding bible teacher and has been a student of God's word for over 30 years.

Vern has a great ability to breakdown complex theological concepts and convey them  in a manner  that not only enlightens, but inspires his students

He has worked as a customer service rep for over 35 years for Nestor sales, an automotive and industrial distributor.

Vern and his wife  wife Kim have been married 28 years. They have two adult children,  Brandon and  Autumn and a granddaughter, Summer.

In his spare time he enjoys football, basketball bike riding and tending to his landscaping. He and his wife reside in Bedford Hts.

Recently retired, Pastor Harris, a co-founding elder, now serves AGF as Pastor Emeritus. With over 20 years of service to the church, Pastor Harris has been highly valued as a gifted preacher and Bible teacher with a heart to reach all generations with the Word of God.

A former youth pastor, Darryl served in full-time ministry for 28 years and has over 37 years of ministry experience.

Born in East Orange, NJ, Pastor Harris has been inducted into the East Orange Hall of Fame, Class of 2025.

He and his wife, Tanya, have three adult children: Lauren (Bell), twins Jasmine and Jonathan, and Jonathan, an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic. They also have three grandchildren and currently reside in Twinsburg.

In his spare time, he enjoys all sports (he is a former college baseball player) and traveling to Orlando, where his family now resides. Pastor Harris’ book "When God Says Wait" is available on Amazon!