All glory and honor be to God. For more than 20 years, Zeek Avelar has had the privilege of investing in students and teaching God’s Word. As a young man, God placed strong men of faith in his life who patiently answered his questions, spoke hard truth, and helped guide him to a more personal relationship with Christ. That investment shaped his calling, and today he seeks to do the same for others — mainly helping students know what they believe and why they believe it and equipping them to “be ready always to give an answer for the hope that is in them.”

Zeek is married to his beautiful and incredibly talented wife, Drea, who has the ability to take his wild ideas and not only bring them down to earth but also bring them to life through the many creative details that happen behind the scenes. No kids yet, but they are currently practicing with two tiny pups, Purdy and Ponchito. When Zeek is not teaching, he enjoys smoking meats, searing steaks, board games, dad jokes, and exploring new adventures in the area. Sadly, he is also a huge Dallas Cowboys fan — not because they are good, but because he can always count on them to turn very promising seasons into absolute total disasters. This effectively builds his character, strengthens his resolve, and keeps him humble. Every. Single. Year. Zeek loves the challenge of teaching and guiding young people. He believes students are the church today, not tomorrow. He believes students desperately need a real relationship with Christ, not empty religion. His greatest joy in ministry is seeing those moments when the truth finally “clicks” and a student’s faith becomes real and personal. His greatest hope is to partner with faithful parents in the training-up of their children so they can stand firm when their faith is inevitably challenged by the world.

Life Verse: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).