Eric is a native of Midlothian, VA, on the south side of Richmond. He was raised in the church and baptized as a high school senior. Shortly thereafter, as a young believer, he left home to attend the University of Virginia, where the Lord immediately and providentially guided him to Cru (then called Campus Crusade for Christ). Through Cru’s leadership development, Eric was trained as a small group leader, went on his first overseas mission trip (Shanghai, China), and raised financial support to serve as a part-time Cru staff member during his fourth year of college. It was during his time with Cru that Eric first experienced the joy of heralding the gospel to the lost.

Importantly, it was also in Cru at UVA that Eric met his wife, Carmen, to whom he has been married since 2011. Together, they have four children - Eric III, Rudy, Elaine, and Millie. After a short stint in Northern Virginia, Eric and Carmen returned to Carmen’s childhood home, Hanover County, in 2017 and have called Ashland home ever since.

After a twelve-year career in marketing, Eric was ordained as a pastor at Vertical Church, our sending church, in 2023. During that ordination process, Eric discerned the Lord’s call to plant a church in Ashland, and with the support of the elders and congregation of Vertical Church, he led the planting of Cornerstone in the fall of 2024.