Pastor Donald E. Karnes
Pastor Karnes came to Grace Baptist Church at the age of 5 in October 1967, when his dad became pastor of the church. While his father served as the senior pastor, Pastor Karnes faithfully served in a number of different capacities that included youth director, school teacher, school principal, and assistant pastor. After his father retired, the church invited him to assume the role of senior pastor.
In 1980, Pastor Karnes graduated high school from Tabernacle Baptist School in Virginia Beach. Seeking to serve in the ministry, he attended Bob Jones University where he was awarded his Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry with a minor in Broadcasting in 1984. Desiring to further his education more, he remained at Bob Jones University and was later awarded a Master of Divinity in 1988. While working on the staff at Bob Jones University Press, he met his soon to be wife. Cameron Grubbs, now Cameron Karnes, was saved as a teenager under the ministry of Dr. Harold Sightler in Greenville, SC. Cameron attended Bob Jones University where, in 1987, she was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Following her graduation, Pastor Karnes and Cameron were married in 1990 and have been blessed to have three children: Caitlyn (1992); Christen (1994); and Paul (2000). In addition to Pastor Karnes’ pastoral work, he has ministered to the Chesapeake, VA Police Department as a chaplain since 1994, and an auxiliary officer since 2001. Pastor Karnes’ is endorsed in his chaplain work through the Foundations Baptist Fellowship, International. |