Paul Burris – 
 
Lisa and I are excited about coming to Syracuse Calvary. I am one of six children (3 boys and 3 girls). Although we are scattered geographically we still remain very close. Our sister Lisa passed away in 2006. I grew up mainly in the Indianapolis area where I graduated from Avon High School in 1977. 
 
My father is a retired Methodist pastor where he served for over 50 years. He is still active in the United Methodist church and living in Fort Wayne. He has been my mentor and anchor throughout my life and my ministry. My mother was always supportive of my father’s ministry and did a wonderful job at raising six children. She passed away in 2006.
 
My wife, Lisa, and I have been married for 10 years (we’ve been together for 18) and have 3 wonderful children between us. My oldest son, Deyan, (31) lives in Columbia, Missouri. My youngest, Kristopher, (28) lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Lisa’s daughter, Kinsey, (31) lives in Leadville, Colorado. Although the kids are scattered across the United States, we feel blessed to have several unique travel destinations to visit each year.
 
Lisa was born and raised in northern Indiana. She has been a blessing in my life. Her love for God and others is one of her greatest strengths. We share many of the same interests including a love for the outdoors and the Denver Broncos. She lived in Missoula, Montana for 10 years where her family owned a canoe and kayak store. Our connection to the West is one of the reasons we were attracted to each other. I thank God daily for bringing her into my life.
 
After graduating from high school I moved to Colorado where I spent the next 15 years. My time in Colorado was spent enjoying the great outdoors; hiking, camping, mountain climbing, rock climbing, backpacking etc. In Colorado I attended Colorado Mountain College in Leadville (AA in Outdoor Studies) and Colorado State University in Fort Collins (BA in History). Although I worked in a variety of jobs in Colorado my main profession was working with developmentally disabled adults.
 
In 1992 God called me back to Indiana and into ministry where I have been serving for the past 30 years.  I attended Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis and graduated with an MDIV degree in 1997. I was ordained an Elder in the North Indiana Conference (now the Indiana Conference) of the United Methodist Church in 1999. Over the years I have served 6 different churches of various sizes in a variety of settings. Although I love the many different aspects and challenges that ministry has to offer my main passions are: preaching and teaching, children and youth ministry, music, missions and outreach and pot luck dinners. In my 30 years in ministry I have led and/or participated in 25 mission trips (including Jamaica and Haiti).
 
Hobbies and Interests: Hiking, camping, golf, travel (I’ve visited all of the lower 48 states), attending spectator sports (especially football and basketball), genealogy, American Civil War studies and photography.