Alumni Spotlight: Doug Rife ('95)
Lead Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX

We are so grateful for the foundation that was laid for us at Trinity. Just like you, life has not been the neat, tidy, perfectly-laid-out plan we had formed in our dreams as innocent teenagers. God has been crafting far too beautiful a mosaic for all that. We have experienced far more difficulties than we expected: death of those dearly loved, heartbreak in ministry, failures too painful to even utter, disappointments from the most unlikely sources, we have held dying orphans in our arms, and we have watched far too many close friends wander away from all that we hold most true. Yet, in all of this, we have seen the beauty of a gracious God who pursues us and takes pleasure in making beauty from ashes. Real grace. Grace that births joy in the real stuff of life. We are blessed beyond words!

We are profoundly grateful for the investment of godly teachers, coaches, and administrators who poured into us beyond what was required of them to prepare us for real life. Yes, we benefited academically from our time at TCA. Marisa enjoyed a full-ride academic scholarship to begin her undergrad. We played sports. We participated in VIP (could there be a "snobbier" name for an ensemble?!?). I was in the drama program as well. But, with all those great experiences, it is the Biblical foundation we received at Trinity that has served us best for the defining moments of our journey thus far, and we are extremely grateful. 

I am currently serving as the lead Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. We have a Christian school where our two oldest boys attend. Our youngest son attends our daycare, where Marisa serves on the Leadership Team. This has been a wonderful and fruitful season of ministry.

One of my greatest joys is serving as the President of A Place Of Hope Africa, an orphanage started out of our church in southeastern Nigeria. We have 54 beautiful children being shown the love of Jesus in action. Most of our kids are HIV positive and/or special needs and have been rejected by their society. What a privilege to get to play a small part in the story of redemption for these great kids.