What we believe

Southport Presbyterian Church is a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  We were founded in 1833 and have sought to be a light for Jesus Christ on the South side of Indianapolis ever since.  We believe the Bible is true and that Jesus is exactly who he says he is—the Son of God, forgiver of sins and friend of sinners.  Our desire is to help you to love God, love each other, and serve the world.

Our primary beliefs are summarized in the Essentials of Faith and further explained in the Westminster Confession of Faith  and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.  We think doctrine is important, but we also value people exploring the claims of Jesus at their own pace and we absolutely love it when you ask honest, heartfelt questions.

Meet our Staff

Rob Hock

Senior Pastor
Rob has served in ministry since coming to Christ in the early 90's and has been at Southport Pres since 2012. He has an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is married with four kids and a dog. rhock@southportpres.org

Glen Massey

Associate Pastor
Glen joined the team in January 2017.  He is married with three kids and enjoys cycling, reading and exploring unique restaurants.    He has an MDiv and DMin from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. gmassey@southportpres.org

Tracy Goodson

Director of Contemporary Worship
Tracy has always been involved in music and leading worship while at Southport Pres. She has a heart for the Lord and a spirit that loves to worship. tgoodson@southportpres.org

Laura Krell

Director of Traditional Worship
Laura Krell loves being involved in church and music. She has two adopted kids  who keep her hopping along, and also two dogs and pet turtles. lkrell@southportpres.org

Paul Gearhart

Sr. High Ministry Director
Graduating from Taylor University in 1981, Paul began working with Youth For Christ on the Southside of Indianapolis. Leading Senior High for Southport Pres has become Paul and Becky’s (his wife) life work. They have three married children. pgearhart@southportpres.org

Melissa Davis

Children's Ministry Director
Melissa Davis is a long time member of Southport Pres and joined the staff in 2016.  She serves as the Children’s Ministry Director overseeing children and family programming and discipleship.
mdavis@southportpres.org

August McCleery

Jr. High Ministry Director
August worked as an electrician for six years before joining the Southport Pres staff. During that time, he volunteered in the Jr. High ministry and is excited to now serve in the youth group he attended growing up. amccleery@southportpres.org

Holly Richards

Assistant Children's Ministry Director
Holly is a member of Southport Pres. She is married to her husband, Tony, and is the mom to three beautiful girls. Holly enjoys working with children and helping them to learn and grow in their relationship with Jesus. hrichards@southportpres.org

Dave Heasley

Director of Business Operations
Dave has been a member at SPC for over 40 years. In October of 2020 he accepted the position of Director of Business Operations. He retired from Anthem in 2015, but found a passion to get back to work. He has no doubt the position at SPC was a "God thing". dheasley@southportpres.org

Matt evans

Communications Director
Matt has worked in graphic design, web design, and marketing for nine years. He was formally trained in Multimedia design at Ivy Tech & Indiana Wesleyan University. He is very thankful for his position as our Communication Director.
mevans@southportpres.org

Shelley Campbell

Human Resource & Finance Assistant
Shelley serves SPC as an accountant and payroll coordinator and assists Dave Heasley with HR. She lives in urban Indianapolis with her teen daughter and three rowdy rescue pups. scampbell@southportpres.org

Kathy Smith

Administrative Assistant to the Pastors
Kathy counts it a true blessing to work behind the scenes at Southport Pres, helping to schedule and organize. She has three daughters and seven grandchildren. ksmith@southportpres.org

Darcy Burton

Administrative Assistant, Youth Ministry
Darcy has been a long time member of SPC.  She is married to Fred and together they have 2 beautiful girls.  Darcy joined the staff in 2018 and serves as the admin to the youth directors.
dburton@southportpres.org

Marilyn Bean

Administrative Assistant, Finance
Marilyn has served Southport Pres in a variety of capacities over the past 15+ years, currently providing support in the business office. She and her husband Sam live in Greenwood near their two married children and five grandchildren. mbean@southportpres.org

Shana Hoffman

Principal of SPCS
Shana was a language arts teacher for 20 years and then, decided to pursue a Building Level Administrator’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and became the Principal at Southport Presbyterian Christian School. shoffman@southportpres.org

Sarah Rondot

Director of Welcome Place Child Care
Sarah started working at Welcome Place when she was 18 years old. Welcome Place has become her home away from home. She has an associate degree in Early Childhood Education. Sarah became the Director of Welcome Place in September of 2019.  srondot@southportpres.org

Becky Thein

Preschool Director of SPCS
Becky has 6 years of experience working with children and teens with special needs in a variety of settings. She has a BA in Art and Theater Design from the U. Indy and is working towards her Master's in Childhood Development at Ball State. She enjoys getting to work with children in a Christian atmosphere. bthein@southportpres.org

Laura Wagner

Assistant Director of Welcome Place
Laura has worked in the field of Early Childhood for over 20 years. She received her BS in Child Development from Purdue University. Laura has a heart for children and fostering their development. lwagner@southportpres.org

Aleen Philhower

Congregation Care Coordinator
Aleen Philhower has been a member of Southport Pres since the 1980s. She supports our shut-ins, those who are hospitalized, and those facing death, whether their own or of a loved one. aphilhower@southportpres.org

Chris Rothrock

Director of Facilities
Chris can fix almost anything that’s broken and takes pride in keeping the church running smoothly and efficiently.  He's been part of the team since 2008. crothrock@southportpres.org

Karen Skora

Director of Food Service Ministry
Karen joined SPC in 1998 in the Parent's Day Out Program. She is now the Director or Food Ministry and enjoys using her gift of service and cooking to feed others.  kskora@southportpres.org

Southport Pres

The Essentials of our Faith

All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation we affirm these Essentials:

1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!

2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.

6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth—personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).