Who We Are
Joey Edwards – Lead Pastor
The RIDGE Church is led by Pastor Joey Edwards. Pastor Edwards was called to ministry in November 1995. He along with a group of approximately 40 individuals opened The RIDGE for its first service on September 9, 2007.
Before opening the RIDGE Church, Pastor Edwards held various other ministry positions, from Sunday School Director to both Associate Pastor and Youth Pastor. He has also been instrumental in planting a Church.
In addition to his ministry experience, he also is working towards his Masters of Divinity degree. He currently holds a Bachelors of Business degree (Class of 1991) from the University of Georgia; majoring in marketing. While Pastor Edwards believes education to be important, he believes that life application ministry “Making it Real for Everyone” is far more useful to the average person. He is intentional in delivering a life impacting message each week. Pastor Edwards’ ministry philosophy is “Real Life Change is where it’s at!”
God has blessed Pastor Edwards with a wonderful helpmate in ministry. In November 1996 he was wed to his wife Robin; a graduate of Toccoa Falls College with a degree in Missiology: Church Planting. Together they make up a young dynamic ministry team.
Pastor Edwards is quick to say that a pastor, in addition to preaching, should focus on developing others in the congregation to do the work of the ministry. When Ministry becomes personal you know you’re doing what God created you to do. You’re making a difference in someone’s life and your own faith grows. This is why at The RIDGE we Climb … Grow … Live! We climb reaching, seeking after Christ through these experiences we grow more with Christ and each other, and then we truly know what it is to LIVE as a fully devoted follower of Christ.
God has given Pastor Edwards the ability to lead and communicate well with others, and it is his desire to use his gifts to help others grow in their own personal relationship with Christ which in turn delivers REAL LIFE CHANGE.
Billy Palmer – Lead Worshiper
Worship at The RIDGE Church is led by Billy Palmer. Billy & his wife Lori came to The RIDGE in August of 2007 with a call to minister to the young people of this community. That call has now transformed to worship. They were both born and raised in Georgia, Lori in Norcross and Billy right here in Buford. Before coming to The RIDGE, Billy served as a worship leader & a youth leader for 9 years. Lori currently teaches at Flowery Branch High School. Billy & Lori have been married since July of 2002 and were blessed with a daughter in October of 2005.
Lorette – Lead Pastor’s Assistant
Kelly Atkinson – Elevation Youth Leader
Elevation Youth at The Ridge Church is a fun-filled, Christ centered group. We create an environment that encourages learning about God and His word, growing in the faith in which we place our trust, and loving one another the way that Christ loved us. We do all of this and have a great time just being together. This great group of young people is led by Kelly Atkinson. Kelly was led by God to The Ridge Church for this purpose in 2008. She has a passion for this age group, a passion to teach them about the word of God, to help them learn how to grow in their faith, and to know the importance of a relationship with God. Kelly has been happily married to her husband Scott since August of 2001, and have been blessed with two sons. Both Scott and Kelly were raised in Georgia. Kelly is a graduate of North Hall High School and received an Associate’s degree in business administration from Gainesville College in 2000. God gave her a passion for this age group many years ago. Before coming to The Ridge she started her journey as a Sunday School teacher in 1995, and she has been active in teaching different age groups with different levels of knowledge since that time. Hanging out with each other, playing pool or air hockey, and even playing pin ball are a part of the fun of Elevation Youth, but we understand that it’s just a bonus. The main reason for this group is to share the importance of a relationship with God and to fulfill the need to connect with other believers.
