“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford
From day one, Pastor Erron Mercer has been told that he was incapable of doing things. He was told he would not live to the age of ten. He was told that he would not be able to walk without the assistance of a cane or walker. Doctors told him that he would never have children.
Pastor Erron Mercer has proven people wrong all his life. It all started the day he was born. Erron Mercer was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder caused by a brain injury that occurs when an infant’s brain is underdeveloped. The side effects of CP include impaired body movement and muscle coordination. The doctors told his family that he wouldn’t live a full twenty-four hours. This was the first time Erron did the impossible.
After Erron shocked the doctors by simply being alive, they told him that he would never walk without something to help him keep balance. Erron’s dad was the one who pushed him to be self-sufficient. It was with his father’s encouragement that Erron was able to walk on his own without any assistance.
Erron went to West Texas High School and graduated from there in 1993. During high school, Erron Mercer fell into a depression regarding the fairness of his condition. It wasn’t until he became friends with youth pastor Frank Gordoa that he began to believe that God had a purpose for his life. Frank Gordoa quickly saw Erron’s potential in the field of ministry. Before, this Erron did not even consider going into ministry. Gordoa convinced Erron to start a morning bible study at the high school. By the time Erron graduated, he had over a hundred teens attending his Bible study.
During this time in Erron’s life, God put a call on his life to start looking for his wife. He found the love of his life while he was attending his church youth group. Erron married his high school sweetheart and made her Sonia Mercer.
Even though he has been told time and time again that he couldn’t do things, Pastor Erron Mercer has never stopped trying. He was told he would never have children. Now, he has two boys. Blaze, who is five years old, and Creed, who is three years old. Pastor Mercer leads the congregation of Cornerstone Church in Wheeler Texas. He leads by providing an example of what never giving up looks like.
Andrew Stegall, called Drew by his friends, is a senior at West Texas A&M University in Canyon Texas.
He is currently completing a B.A. of Communication Studies and plans on going into graduate school in the spring.
Drew plans on being a lead pastor of a church someday. Right now, he is the youth pastor at Cornerstone Church in Wheeler, Texas.
He has been married to his wife Bri Lyn Stegall since March of 2017.
