Our Pastors
Meet Our Pastors or Listen to One of Their Sermons
Pastor Andrew Cunningham
Senior Pastor
It was in August of 1983 while serving in the US Air Force, that Andrew Cunningham felt the call of God on his life. He knew at that point the only thing that would give him real joy and a sense of purpose was to help people meet Jesus and discover their God given purpose. His new call to duty would be to show people they could live life to their full potential in God. When his tour of military duty ended he returned to Colorado, the place of his upbringing, took employment and began his new journey.
In the fall of 1987 he was invited to come work at the SouthGate Ministries in Phoenix, Arizona. With his dog, all the clothes he could fit in his ragged old car, and $100, he left to fulfill this new journey. He began serving as groundskeeper, bus driver and children’s church worker at SouthGate Church. In 1988 he met his precious wife Jeri Lynn and married in 1989. God continued to work in his life and in 1992 he became the Associate Pastor of the church. Only a year later, in 1993 he was offered the position to serve as Senior Pastor. At the young age of 31, he knew this was what God had prepared.
As the years have gone by he and his wife have been blessed with five wonderful children and a group of people they call their family and friends at SouthGate Church. He has never regretted his choice to leave all he knew and journey down this path called the Christian life and to the vision God planted in him so long ago, knowing this vision would live beyond what he could fulfill in his lifetime. The one thing he knows for sure is that the real joy is not in the fulfillment, but in seeing what we become in the journey to obtaining it!
Pastor Isaac King
Associate Pastor
Pastor Isaac King is the son of missionaries to Southeast Asia and Africa. Pastor Isaac grew up on the missions field and lived overseas until he was 17 years old. He has been involved in church ministry since 1999, 12 years of which has been devoted to full time youth ministry. Pastor Issac came on staff here at SouthGate Church in August of 2017 as an Associate Pastor. He oversees our Sunday worship services, leads our youth group on Wednesday nights and teaches Bible for middle school students Monday through Friday at the 91st Psalm Christian School, which is a ministry of SouthGate Church.
Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Pastor Isaac believes God‘s word is true and should be taught in it’s entirety. He focuses on teaching God’s word and equipping people with the foundation to stand up for what they believe.
Pastor John Wilkirson
Associate Pastor
I was born in the Good Samaritan Hospital here in Phoenix. My parents were both Christians and I was raised in the Southern Baptist church. I experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in 1972 and tasted a new dimension of life in Christ Jesus as a result. I never realized how exciting the Christian experience could be. On several occasions during my childhood and youth I had profound experiences when the Lord manifested his presence to me in unique, tangible ways. I arrived at the conclusion that it was his desire to allow me the opportunity for full time service in some capacity. I love to teach and preach, and after hundreds of times of hearing and studying the Word, I still make new discoveries and gain deeper insights. I have had dynamic experiences in conducting outreach programs, including door to door evangelism, inner city and Children‘s Church programs. I love full time ministry! I would rather trim the Lord’s bushes, and cut the Lord’s grass, which I also still do at SouthGate, than run the entire State of Arizona!
Of personal note, I immediately joined the Army after my High School graduation. I became a Pathfinder and served in the 101st Airborne Division in Viet Nam and was wounded in action. I have a lovely wife June, have two fine children, and five grandchildren.