About Us

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the 501-C3 status, which will allow us tax-exemption for the organization and our sponsors.

Meet the Blast & Cast Board of Directors

Men and Women from the churches of the Sandhills Baptist Association

Jerry Holder

  • Married to Cheryl
  • Member of Vass First Baptist Church, since 1978
  • Past Association Brotherhood Director
  • North Carolina National Guard 1971 – 2012, 35 years of service
  • Self-employed, Holder Farms LLC – production of North Carolina Long Leaf Pine Needles.
  • I serve my Lord at Vass First Baptist Church, since 1978.  There I have been entrusted with many jobs and love serving My God and the congregation. While serving as the Brotherhood Director for the Sandhills Baptist Association, God gave me the mission to conduct an event that would bring the men and women of the local churches together for a day of fun and evangelism.  That event became known as Blast and Cast.

Charlie Neal

  • Married to Carrie
  • Attends First Baptist Church of Vass
  • Blast & Cast Vice President and Leader of Food
  • Entrepreneur: Melaleuca Health & Wellness Sales, Horse Boarding Farm, Hay Broker, and part-time attendant at Pines Funerals (Fry & Prickett Funeral Home. Inc., Powell Funeral Home, and Crematory, and Kennedy Funeral Home)
  • Activities: I enjoy serving others and helping people make connections through Networking. I also love working with horses and providing a foster home for Australian Cattle Dogs.
  • As one of the original organizers of Blast & Cast, it gives me great joy to see the growth of the event over the years. Overseeing the gathering, preparation, and serving of the food for this day is a labor of love for me. Providing a full course BBQ meal that is just one part of a day that allows children to senior adults the ability to gather and enjoy each other in a free event of fellowship, entertainment, and outdoor sportsman activities showing God’s love is rewarding.

Christina Talbott

  • Married to Tim, son Josh, daughter Charli, and daughter-in-law Paige.
  • Member of First Baptist Church of Vass, since 2018
  • Finance Committee Chairperson, Social Committee Chairperson, Director of VBS, WMU & Choir member
  • Employed by Pentair, Inc. in Sanford, NC as the Executive Assistant to COO and Office & Facilities Manager.
  • Shortly after joining First Baptist Church of Vass, I felt God calling me to use the talents that He blessed upon me.  With a degree in accounting and over ten years of experience, it made sense to join the Finance Committee and currently working as an Executive Assistant, leading the Social Committee was a natural fit.  It is truly a great feeling contributing to my church family any way that I can. Blast and Cast is a very special event, and I’m honored to be a part of it. Our Lord has called each of us together at Blast & Cast so that we can spread His word and display His love through our actions.

Tracy Miller

  • Married to Becky, son Logan, and daughter Taylor
  • Member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, since 2002
  • Brotherhood Director, Deacon, Audio/Visual Technician
  • Employed by Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc. in Rocky Mount, NC as a Construction Manager for the Restaurant Design & Development Department.
  • Becky and I joined Pleasant Hill Baptist in 2002 shortly after getting married. Not long after joining, I started going to our Brotherhood meetings. Through the Brotherhood and other church events, we started getting involved in church operations and activities, then with mission projects, both local and outside the community. God has truly blessed us, and we love sharing our time and gifts in serving Him in any way that we can. Having been in Project Management for close to 30 years, I have been able to use that experience in helping plan and organize the Blast and Cast events since their second year. Seeing many of my brothers and sisters in Christ, including my own family and friends, working so hard to put these events on and seeing people coming to know the Lord through it has been amazing. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for the future Blast and Cast events. To God, be the Glory!

Johnny Smith

  • Married to Regan Holder, son Jarret, and daughter Lena
  • Member of Red Branch Baptist Church
  • Activities (Skeet Shooting, Shotgun Bowling, Archery, Turkey Shoot) Coordinator
  • Employed in the construction field and farms with Lewin Blue
  • He is an avid hunter of deer and turkey and has a few mountings to prove it. Johnny accepted Christ in 1988 and enjoys serving God in many ways. I have been volunteering with Blast and Cast for the past four years, and it has meant a lot to my family and me to help and show everyone what can happen if you place everything in Gods Hands.

Cathy Atkinson

  • Married to Ron
  • Member of First Baptist Church of Vass
  • Church treasurer
  • Serve on food pantry committee, nominating committee, and help with vacation Bible school.
  • Secretary/treasurer for husband’s business, Atkinson Infrastructure Inc.
  • Retired Registered Nurse, worked 22 years for FirstHealth
  • Graduated from Union Pines High and Sandhills Community College
  • Member of Senior Adult Council with Sandhills Baptist Association
  • I have been helping/planning with Blast and Cast since its beginnings. It is a blessing to work with like-minded folks to provide an opportunity for our neighbors to see God’s people in action in a day of fellowship and fun.

DeWayne R. Seals

  • Married to Rachael for 21 years, they have one son and are in the process of finalizing the adoption of a young fellow.
  • Member of Ashley Heights Baptist Church since 2010
  • Youth Director, served on many committees, as the finance chairman and chairman of the deacons
  • A lieutenant with the local fire department – served as the chaplain for his department
  • Serving as a youth pastor has proven to be life-changing for himself as well as those whom he serves, the youth.  He has found a special calling upon his life counseling teens that are considering suicide. Local youth will seek him out because of how their peers view his ability to listen and not judge.  With his wife beside him, they are a formidable team in helping battle this devastating component of life for youth today. Most recently, he has served as a team leader for Ashley Heights Baptist Church in Santa Clara, Guatemala, where the team provides VBS, bibles, and witnessing to those that are lost.  DeWayne is also a team leader for the church planting and building project.  His church is also in need of a pastor, and he has played an active role in preaching while the church searched for an interim.

Billy Childress

  • Married to Leticia Childress for 31 years,father to 2 sons with 4 grandchildren.
  • Machinist Team Lead at Ingersoll Rand
  • Member of Red Branch Baptist Church.
  • I answered the call to preach and was ordained in 2006, by Release From Bondage Ministry in Carthage NC.
  • I currently attend Fairview Baptist Church in Carthage where I am serving as a supply pastor.
  • Since then I have been doing the work of an Evangelist and have had the opportunity to see many come to know Christ.
  • I have also along with my mother and sister have ministered through music for many years.