Clayton Hays
Executive Director
The founder and president of Connections is Clayton Hays. He started Connections in May 2006 because of his deep desire to see the body of Christ work together in ministry in Baton Rouge. After ten years of connecting believers so they could serve in a variety of ministries in Baton Rouge, Clayton came to the conclusion that we must reach men for Christ in order to best reach women and children and to see families and our community changed. In 2017 reaching men for Christ became the focus of this ministry.
His educational and ministry background is as follows:
Education:
B.S. in Business Administration, Louisiana State University, 1976
Th.M. , Dallas Theological Seminary, 1989
Experience:
- 8 years on the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ on university campuses
- 3 years as the pastor of Christ Community Church in Atlanta, GA
- 4 years on the staff of Young Life serving as a fund raiser and starting new ministries
- Founder and President of Connections since 2006.
Lindsey Spiller
Board of Directors
Lindsey is involved in several ministries in Baton Rouge. For years he has served in leadership at First Presbyterian Church and currently serves on the worship team. He makes a thoughtful and prayerful contribution in discussions of issues that face a ministry like Connections.
His educational and ministry background is as follows:
Education:
B.S. in General Studies, Louisiana State University, 1975
Experience:
- 40 years experience in retail and wholesale automobile sales
- 20 years experience volunteering in ministry roles
- Has served on the Board of Directors of two other nonprofit organizations
Kevin Kearney
Board of Directors
Kevin has owned and managed electrical product sales companies in Baton Rouge for many years. He has also served in ministry in churches. His focus for some years has been leading small groups and mentoring young men in the college ministry of The Chapel on the Campus, known as The Refuge.
His educational and ministry background is as follows:
Education:
Studied Political Science and Business Management at LSU from 1980-1984
Experience:
- 30 years experience in electrical products sales, sales management, and business management.
- 28 years experience volunteering in ministry roles.
Bart Riggins
Board Of Directors
B.S. in Business Admin/Management Information Systems, Louisiana Tech University
Masters of Divinity, Anderson University School of Theology, Anderson, IN
Doctorate of Ministry, Anderson University School of Theology, Anderson, IN.
Experience:
- Senior Pastor for over 20 years in Shreveport, LA and Baton Rouge, LA
- Has served as the Senior Pastor of Faith Chapel in Baton Rouge since July 1, 2011.
- Coach for pastoral wellness groups
- 21 years of experience serving on various ministerial task forces, and ministerial and non-profit boards.
ML Woodruff
Board of Directors
ML spent 30 years of life pursuing success as a local high school baseball coach. He changed direction 8 years ago in moving towards a life of significance. He currently serves as Minister of Sports Outreach at Istrouma Baptist Church with the purpose of using sports as a bridge to reach the lost.
Education:
B.S. in Physical Education, Louisiana State University, 1980
Experience:
- 30 years teaching and coaching
- 8 years Minister of Sports Outreach, Istrouma Baptist Church
Our Beliefs
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God and inerrant; that this divine inspiration and inerrancy extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture, and the teachings of the Bible are to be trusted and relied upon as being true and of supreme and final authority.
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one, co-equal – the Trinity
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary.
We believe in the Holy Spirit. He is one of the three persons of the Trinity and He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He gives spiritual life to every believer, and He empowers the communication of the Gospel.
We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and those who reach moral responsibility become sinners in thought, word, and deed.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of this sacrifice.
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, His ascension into heaven, and His present role there as High Priest and Advocate for all believers.
We believe in the personal, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby, they become children of God, and heirs of eternal life. This is a relationship in which they are eternally secure.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost in hell, and the everlasting blessedness of the saved in heaven.
We believe in the existence of a personal devil, who is still working in the world to destroy the souls of men and that he and all his angels and all who do not receive Christ as their Savior will eternally perish in the lake of fire.
We believe in the Church, the Body of Christ, whose mission it is to communicate the Gospel to the entire world and to make disciples. This mission is supported by the giving of God’s People.
Our Mission
The mission of Connections is to foster strategic interactions among men for their growth. We believe the issue of how to begin and how to develop a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ is the most important issue about which men can interact.
Connections creates opportunities for men to interact about a relationship with the Lord by organizing breakfast events with great speakers men want to hear. The speakers present the Gospel. Men who know the Lord can serve as Table Hosts and invite men who may not know the Lord or who need encouragement to grow in their relationship with the Lord. Then following the breakfast a Table Host can easily ask questions to find out if his friends would like to talk further about knowing the Lord.