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Dr. Samuel Huddleston was elected as Assistant District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Northern California and Nevada District at their annual District Council on April 21, 2004. His responsibilities include oversight of our district’s Churches, District Men’s Ministries and our NCN US Missionaries.
Assistant Superintendent of the Northern California and Nevada District Assemblies of God was elected to office in 2004. He also served as the former founding pastor of Lighthouse Covenant Fellowship in Benicia, California, 1993-2004. The church began in the Huddlestons’ home with six families.
Graduating in 1980 from Bethany College in Santa Cruz, CA, Samuel and his wife Linda moved to San Rafael, California, where he attended Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Sensing a call to youth ministry, Samuel accepted a position at Church on the Hill in Vallejo, California, where he served from 1981 to 1988 under Pastor Terry Inman. While there, Pastor Inman encouraged Samuel to further his education, and he subsequently enrolled at Azusa Pacific University, eventually earning his Masters Degree in Marriage Family and Child Counseling.
That educational experience also helped Samuel to finally understand his troubled childhood and what had driven him, years earlier as a reckless teenager, to be involved in a crime that had cost him five years of his life in prison. While incarcerated, Samuel surrendered his life to Christ and learned about God’s unconditional love.
His autobiography, Five Years to Life (Perkins Publishing, 2013), has inspired people across America and throughout the world, giving them hope for a new beginning. Samuel has shared his testimony with thousands — including prison inmates — reminding them not only with words but also with his very presence, that God has the power to put broken lives and broken relationships back together again.
Before entering the pastorate in Benicia, Samuel was appointed as the Executive Director of a state wide non-profit organization under the auspices of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which matched adult inmates and wards (youth) with outside volunteer visitors. Serving from 1989 to 1991, Samuel Huddleston remains the only former prisoner to ever lead a California Department of Corrections program. Later, Samuel returned to his Alma mater to serve as Dean of Students at Bethany College under Dr. Everett Wilson. In May 2006 Samuel received his Doctorate of Ministry degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA in leadership. Samuel and Linda reside in Rancho Cordova, CA near their three married children: Royce, Andre, and Ericka. They have thirteen grandchildren.
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Debbie Heden was appointed as Women’s Ministries Director in October of 2009 for the Northern California and Nevada District Assemblies of God. She is also a pastor’s wife and mother of two grown sons. Debbie and her husband Jim have pastored the Hilltop Community Church in Richmond, CA for the past twenty-eight years. Before becoming the Director of Women’s Ministries, she has served two of the past Women’s Directors of this great District. She is passionate about helping women become the people God created them to be.
Debbie’s call to ministry came at an early age. She’s always had a desire to honor the Lord and serve Him in any area that the Lord directed. In 1995 she was asked to serve as the Women’s Director in her local church as well as be an Area Leader for the District. This began a training ground for what the Lord had in store for her life in the days to come.
This is an exciting day as we see the multi-generational vision unfold. Women of all ages and ethnic backgrounds come together for a common purpose. I know the Lord has great plans that He’s been storing up for just this hour. It is our prayer that everything we do for Him comes from a heart of knowing Him, loving Him and then serving Him. We have a rich history of women who have put their hands to the plow to bless, educate, rescue, feed and resource others around the world. How amazing it is when we join forces and do together what we could not accomplish on our own.
Char Blair
Church Ministries Director
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Rev. Char Blair is a gifted communicator. Her witty sense of humor and willingness to speak truth from God’s Word in to real life situations are just the beginning of her many God-given talents and abilities. She is an ordained minister with the Northern California & Nevada Assemblies of God District Council where she has served for the past twenty years. She has recently accepted a new position within the District as Director of Church Ministries. This new position allows Char to fulfill her desire of helping people find their niche within the Kingdom according to their gifts. Char is a graduate of William Jessup University receiving her degree in Psych/Counseling and Biblical Theology. Her favorite pass time is spoiling her two nephews, niece and new grandniece.
Cal Swenson
Leadership Development, Pastoral Care &
Church Planting Director
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Cal Swenson was appointed Leadership Development, Pastoral Care & Church Planting Director of the Northern California and Nevada District of the Assemblies of God in 2015.
Cal grew up as an Assemblies of God “Pastor’s Kid” and has served in ministry since 1977 in Arizona, Minnesota, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, and California. His excitement and passion for supporting ministers of all styles and stages of ministry is evident to those around him. His past experiences as a Lead Pastor, Associate Pastor, Youth Pastor, Church Planter, Sectional Presbyter, Certified Coach, Church Planting Director for the Illinois District, and Healthy Church Network Director for the Arizona District give him a depth of insight and the ability to provide varied and relevant support and feedback to those he serves.
Cal studied Pastoral Studies at North Central University and earned a Master of Arts in Christian Leadership from SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary. His master’s thesis centered around strategies to help churches rediscover their vision and excitement. He enjoys researching ways to cultivate the development of men and women leaders in ministry to help them maximize their potential.
Cal and his wife Cindi have been married for over 40 years. Cindi has served alongside Cal for much of their marriage, works as a school administrator, and has a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership. They enjoy spending time with their three adult children and granddaughter. They also enjoy camping, hiking, paddle boarding, and reading.
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Dennis & Lynda (Elrod) Conrad were appointed to serve in July, 2009 as Director of Intercultural Ministries for the Northern-California-Nevada District of the Assemblies of God.
They very much enjoy the beauty and diversity of the cross-cultural ministry that God has allowed them to be part of. Currently, there are close to 100 second-language churches in the NCN District from the Fijian, Filipino, Samoan, Slavic, and Tongan Fellowships, and individual churches that are Arabic, Chinese, Deaf, East Indian, Hispanic, Iranian, Japanese, Korean, Native American, Portuguese, Romanian, and Vietnamese.
Over the past 35 years, Lynda and Dennis have been associate pastors in several churches in Northern California, and currently serve as volunteer associates at Crosspointe Community Church in Rocklin, CA.
They have one daughter and one son, both married, and their families are part of the leadership team at Crosspointe, where their son (Stephen) planted the church and is the lead pastor. Each family has two daughters, so the Conrads have four beautiful grand-daughter “princesses.”
Dennis taught in CA public schools for 25 years (continuation high school, junior high, and upper elementary) and Lynda worked as a principal’s secretary for 20 years. She has taught children’s church most of her life and has served as children’s ministry co-ordinator. Dennis has a B.A. in English (CSU, Chico) and an M.A. in Education (CSU, Stanislaus), as well as a TESOL Certificate to Teach English as a Second Language.
This prepared them for their volunteer missionary assignment in Fiji where, for 5 yrs (2002-2007), they enjoyed teaching at the South Pacific Bible College, which is attended by students from 10-15 South Pacific island nations.
They were also privileged to twice teach English in Burma for the extensions program of the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary.
For representative photos of their current Intercultural Ministry, please go to the A/G NCN Intercultural Ministries Group page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/299744440102954/