Meet the Team
Dr. James Barber
Co-Founder & Scholar-in-Residence
Dr. James Barber holds a Ph.D. in Archaeology & Biblical History from Veritas International University where he serves as Assistant Professor of Archaeology & Biblical Studies. There, he teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible; Languages & Exegesis; and Archaeology. He is a field archaeologist, published author, and laboratory researcher.
For several years, he has been a member of the Tall el-Hammam Excavation Project in Jordan where he has worked as an excavation Square Supervisor and Staff Photographer. He is also active in archaeological research related to Indian and Paleo-Indian sites in Texas and New Mexico.
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Dr. Barber’s ongoing research interests focus on biblical and other Ancient Near Eastern languages; Second Temple Period literature; stone and metallic weapons & tools; and in the re-creation and testing of ancient technologies.
He and his wife live in Texas. They have four grown sons and six grandchildren. Together, they serve Jesus and God’s people through the local church, the South Texas Museum of Archaeology & Biblical History and through Illuminating the Bible.
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Mrs. Cyndi Barber
Co-Founder
Mrs. Cynthia Barber has been a part of Illuminating the Bible and the South Texas Museum of Archaeology & Biblical History since their inceptions in 2010.
With her husband, Dr. James Barber, Cyndi co-founded these ministries and is indispensable to their mission and impact.
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She serves God's people and the unevangelized through the work of their local church and through churches throughout South Texas.
Cyndi is driven to pray for others and to share the love of Jesus with those who need to know Him better.
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A Paralegal by profession, she has served her clientele for 37 years and offers this substantial expertise in support of the ministries of ITB and the Museum. Gifted with skills for organization and administration, she describes herself as "Chaos Coordinator to Dr. Barber"!
Cyndi and Dr. Barber have 4 grown sons and six grandchildren.
Kayla Zertuche
Museum Curation
Kayla Zertuche is a lover of God, of His Word, and of His people. She enjoys spending her free time studying theology, crafting, reading, and getting to know those around her. She hopes in the future to study the Word full-time and seeks to bring the truth of God's Word to all who will listen.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”
Psalm 150:6
Kayla serves to help curate the artifact collection and design new museum displays at the South Texas Museum of Archaeology & Biblical History and also serves Illuminating the Bible as our Digital Illustrator.
Connor Reed
Technology Chief
Connor Reed is Illuminating the Bible’s Technology Chief. He grew up in Midland, Texas where he attended church every Sunday with his parents. From a young age he fell in love with singing and leading worship, which continues to this day.
Fast forward to the age of twenty, as part of the Adventures In Missions (AIM) program, he became a missionary in Bolivia for 16 months.
There, he preached the gospel and continued in his love of leading worship in song.
After he completed his mission, he moved to Ingleside, TX and began attending the nearby North Bay Church of Christ. It is here that he began to serve in the Sound/Media and Worship Coordinator positions.
Connor advanced in his occupational career from working in Information Technology to becoming an Automation Engineer for Steel Dynamics. He has been able to apply the skills he has learned on the job in his service to the church and within parachurch ministries. He loves to serve, and after marrying his wife, Ashley in 2023, they now together find joy in serving the Body of Christ by providing IT support and by many other means.
Ashley Reed
Illustrator & I.T.
Ashley Reed grew up in Benavides, Texas where she fell in love with the outdoors from a young age. She occasionally attended church with her grandmother but was agnostic from the ages of fourteen to eighteen. It is at Texas A&M University-Kingsville where she began her walk with Christ when she was nineteen. Throughout her time at the university, she was a part of a ministry that spread the
Gospel to college age students and was fortunate enough to go on a summer mission trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico where they served the college ministry there.
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Ashley became captivated with God’s character through reading His Word and through seeking a close relationship with Him. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Range and Wildlife Management she moved to Rockport, Texas to pursue her career as a Wildlife Biologist. During this time, she began dating Connor Reed who is now her husband.
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She attends the North Bay Church of Christ, in Portland, Texas where she instantly fell in love with the hearts of the people. Out of a desire to serve the Lord more fully, she began helping Connor in the church’s sound booth each week and developed the technical skills so needed at our Illuminating the Bible Conferences.
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Ashley is a talented artist who works with the ITB Art Team on artifact recreation for museum displays. She and Dr. Barber are presently collaborating on a devotional book series for children, featuring her paintings and illustrations. She continues to find imaginative ways of serving God and is a valued member of the Illuminating the Bible team.
Kevin Barber
Worship Leader
Dr. Angela Everett
Angela Everett holds a PhD in Archaeology & Biblical History from Veritas International University.
She has excavated for years at a site in Jordan that she believes just might be Biblical Sodom! Angela loves taking what she learns from digging in the Holy Lands, and showing others that the Bible is a reliable, historical document.
She holds speaking engagements, writes children’s books on Biblical Archaeology, and conducts archaeology summer camps.
When not doing all that, she does professional acting, mission work, and travels as much as she can afford! Angela lives in a little cottage in Texas with her husband Zach, and together they have 6 children and 7 grands. You can follow her on Instagram at angela_the_archaeologist.
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Dr. Zach Everett
Event Coordinator
Dr. Zachary Everett serves as the Event Coordinator for Illuminating the Bible.
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With over three decades dedicated to Christian ministry as an evangelist and missionary,
he brings extensive expertise in Marriage and Family Ministry as an author and speaker.
In his personal life, he cherishes time with his six children, seven grandchildren, and his
beloved wife, Dr. Angela Everett, who is also part of the ITB team.
Suzanne Fisher
Administrative Assistant
Suzanne Fisher has served in ministry for 57 years. She was an American Sign Language interpreter for a majority of her life. By 18, she was interpreting professionally in the community and held both a Level III and Court Certifications.​
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Suzanne has majored in Practical Theology with a focus on deaf ministry around the world. She has written numerous easy-to-read biblical books for the deaf and has created many
videos in ASL focusing on biblical studies and interpreted worship music. The teaching materials and videos have spread throughout the U.S. and many other countries. Suzanne has been blessed to see many places in the world including the Holy Land, several countries on mission trips and touring the U.S. interpreting Gospel concerts for the deaf.
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She and her husband live in South Central Texas on a farm. They have two grown children and 4 grandchildren and look forward to the arrival of their 5th grandchild in the fall.
Suzanne constantly looks forward to and is receptive to whatever path Yahweh may lead her down.
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Gary Fisher
Support
Gary Fisher provides immense support to Illuminating the Bible ministry. He is there to help in whatever way needed.
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Gary is retired from a public water works district in South Texas. He spends his time helping to maintain their farm and spends quality time studying the Bible.
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Gary is currently serving as elder for their local church.
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Gary and Suzanne have been married for 45 years and have two grown children and 4 grandchildren.
Moriah Johnson
Illustrator
A native of Southern California, Moriah Johnson grew up in a family that always esteemed God’s Word as wholly true. This spiritual foundation brought her great personal conviction: “If God’s Word is true, then I am indebted to my Creator to do everything I can to share God’s Word!”
This certainty marked her path forward. She graduated from Liberty University in 2020 with a Batchelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Religion, Global Studies, and Crisis Counseling). After graduation, Moriah went to work at Bethel Colony of Mercy in North Carolina where she ministered to women coming out of addiction.
The Lord then led her to Texas to partner with Faithful Fishers, an international ministry focused on discipleship, missions, and leadership development. Through this work, she met her husband, Kyle and was officially commissioned as a missionary. Together, they helped plant a Bible School in Uganda and assisted in leading 2 house churches in Corpus Christi, Texas. Moriah and Kyle also worked together with an apartment outreach ministry known as WayForward and with Health Initiatives, and a crisis pregnancy resource center.
Moriah now lives in Kerrville, Texas where she is a stay-at-home mom. She and Kyle lead a Bible study for young families, and she leads a women’s Bible study geared towards young believers and mothers.
In her spare time, Moriah creates commissioned artwork and does face painting at events for the city of Kerrville. She loves collaborating with Dr. Barber and Kayla Zertuche to create special images and art for Illuminating the Bible.
David Burress
Artifact Reproduction Blacksmith & Book Illustrator
David Burress is a native of the North Carolina Mountains and a Master Blacksmith. As a 3rd generation metalsmith, with a lifelong love of history, he was drawn to the blacksmithing craft - and for 35 years he has sought to learn its secrets and reproduce historic artifacts with accuracy and authenticity.
He has taught classes introducing hundreds of people to blacksmithing and continues to do so. He and his
business partner Brock Martin strive to carry the knowledge of this ancient craft into the future, for the joy and learning of people everywhere. David's love for Christ and mastery of the forge are featured in the Newsboys' music video, "The Cross has the Final Word" - https://youtu.be/jI1E6s-5hVI?feature=shared.
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David and Dr. Barber became close friends through their mutual work as blacksmiths. Together, David and Brock forge reproduction artifacts for Illuminating the Bible and the South Texas Museum of Archaeology & Biblical History. David is also a gifted illustrator and is presently collaborating with Dr. Barber on a new series of children's books about the Bible.
Learn more about David's work at https://www.calerinforge.com/. Follow him on social media at https://www.youtube.com/@CalerinForgeBlacksmithing and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057334275065.
Ancient Truth for Our Time!
Our purpose at Illuminating the Bible is to make Jesus Christ known to the world by helping others to know the Bible more fully.
We do this by using history, archaeology, and the ancient languages as beacons to illuminate people's understanding of ancient biblical contexts.
When people better understand the Bible, they will naturally come to know Jesus more personally. This is why we Illuminate the Bible!