Our Chaplains' Ministries
Meet Our Team
 | Michael Belton, BoD, President/Lead Minister, SMI Senior Chaplain Michael was medically forced to retire from the Army after 26 years of service and is the humble President and Lead Minister of Serve Ministries, Inc. He served as an Infantryman, Logistician, and Space Officer who also worked in Intelligence and Cyber for conventional forces and special operations. He is a former Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He also served as a Company Commander during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003 with the 3rd Infantry Division for Operation Iraqi Freedom and served with a Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan in 2013 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Michael has a heart to serve Military veterans past and present, First Responders, and their families. He formed Serve Ministries because he believes many spiritual needs are going unmet. Michael believes most people connect through social media and gain information through online resources daily. He, therefore, feels it is essential to reach people how they prefer to be reached. Michael also serves as the Chaplain of the Niceville Police Department in Niceville, Florida. Michael is a Seminary graduate from Liberty University with a Master of Divinity and a Master of Religion. He also graduated with a Master of Aeronautical Science in Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. |
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| Kevin Saunders, BoD, Vice President, SMI Senior Chaplain Kevin is from Kentucky but has lived all up and down the east coast. He started a relationship with Christ in high school after a dream. He was interested in ministry, but his direction was not clear. He joined the Coast Guard with the intent of always doing what he could to help others. In about 2017, he ended up in the hospital, reconsidering what he had left undone in his life. Upon being discharged, he pursued and was awarded a BS from Lancaster Bible College and later a Master in Ministry from Carolina University. He loved that part of his spiritual journey. He found strength in the wisdom of scripture and the rhythm established by old desert monastic communities who intentionally prayed, studied, and served daily. With the help and encouragement from Serve Ministries, Kevin has finally found a way to serve in a way God had been driving him towards all along. Kevin is a Grant Writer and the Director of Federal Grants for Serve Ministries, Inc. |
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| Daniel Gilyeat, Executive Director, SMI Community Chaplain Daniel is a combat-wounded veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Daniel joined the United States Marine Corps in 1995 and was medically retired in 2006 after a roadside bomb took his left leg. With a desire to continue to serve his country and fellow veterans, after a boost from TV’s Extreme home makeover, he ran for U.S. Congress in the third district in Kansas and worked with a veterans organization (until present) to build houses for Helping A Hero. The latter builds handicap-accessible homes. Daniel is involved in many different veteran organizations looking for guys and girls with trauma, PTSD, and other traces of combat from all wars. Daniel Was ordained in 2017 through Sower’s Field College and became a Chaplain with SMI in 2022 to broaden the path to reach other veterans and first responders through the love of Christ. |
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| Doreen Miller, BoD, Secretary, SMI Community Chaplain Doreen is currently a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina. She has more than ten years of experience working with those who suffer from emotional, mental, and spiritual trauma. She served in the Air Force for almost seven years on active duty. Since then, Doreen has been a part of several ministries within her local church. The most rewarding ministry was helping care for others by building relationships and helping them to find their source of emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Doreen comes to Serve Ministries with a desire to build a counseling, coaching, and chaplaincy ministry specifically to serve and help Veterans, First Responders, and their families with what they need. Doreen is currently serving as Secretary to the Board of Directors. |
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| Steven Walsh, Chief of Chaplains, SMI Ordained Chaplain Steven served in the United States Air Force and retired after 24 years, seven months, and six days as a chief master sergeant and is currently serving as Secretary of the Board for Serve Ministries, Inc. He served as a command and control specialist specializing in electronic warfare. Steven is currently serving in prison ministry and teaching a Christian-centered approach to addiction recovery in the Santa Rosa County jail system. He has been a recovering alcoholic since 9 June 2000 and has worked with over 800 addicts struggling to achieve sobriety. In the prison ministry field, Steven has 15 years of experience in bringing Christian principles to inmates and performing spiritual adviser visits for those struggling to find answers in their lives. He has a heart for all who are suffering and lost and has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to stand in the gap for those in need. He is a Community College of the Air Force graduate with an Associate of Science degree in Airway Science and a graduate of the Senior Non-commissioned Officer’s Academy. He is an ordained Mission’s Minister and a Licensed Community Chaplain. He is married and has four children and six grandchildren. |
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| John Newby, Production & Media Director, SMI Community Chaplain John is currently a nine-year Police Officer at Niceville Police Department in Niceville Florida. He is a member of their Tactical Response Team and a Field Training Officer. He works patrol and during the school year as a Senior Resource Officer at a local school. He attends Coastline Calvary Chapel in Navarre. John graduated from Limestone University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science. He enjoys studying The Doctrine of The Trinity, the history of the Christian Church, and The Apostolic Fathers, also known as the Ante-Nicene Fathers. He is a competitive strength athlete and avid sports fan. He is the podcaster for our podcast The_Watchmen on Spotify. He also runs an apologetics channel on YouTube called John 20:28 Apologetics and LionAndTheLamb podcast on Spotify. John became a Chaplain with SMI in 2022 to reach other police officers and first responders through an apologetics standpoint using podcasts/social media. |
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| Ed Miller, Counseling Services Director, SMI Ordained Chaplain Ed retired as a Deputy Sheriff-Sergeant in 2003 and 2009 after 27 years in the active and reserve Air Force. He has also served as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and a dispatch center supervisor. Ed is an ordained minister through the National Association of Christian Ministers and is working on his Master’s in Divinity through Liberty University. He is certified as a chaplain with Emergency Chaplains in Durham, NC, The Christian Motorcyclists Association, and Serve Ministries. He instructs in the SMI chaplain’s course and serves as the Counseling Services Director. Ed and his wife started Refined Ministries and Responding to Grace, focusing on Christian counseling, chaplaincy, and peer-to-peer support for veterans and first responders. |
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| Theron Russell, Veterans Administration Director, SMI Senior Chaplain Theron served in the Marine Corps as an aviation electrician and Chaplain’s assistant. Later he served in the Michigan Army National Guard as a Motor Transportation Operator. Theron grew up in Michigan and recently moved to North Carolina to do his Clinical Pastoral Education at Charles George VA Medical Center. He has been involved with ministry for over 30 years, working with teens at camps and as a youth pastor. His passion is working with Veterans, helping those struggling with mental health, addiction disorders, and unhoused. He received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Phoenix and his Master’s in Divinity from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. |
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| James Campbell, Outreach Director, SMI Senior Chaplain James served in the Army, Army National Guard, and Air National Guard as an Enlisted service member and an Officer after graduating from the Academy of Military Science. As an entrepreneur, he was the CEO and President of three companies that were awarded three government contracts with the Army Air Force Exchange Service. He is an inventor of products and was awarded a U.S. Patent. He also served with a deployable disaster response team with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. James began receiving his calling to ministry at a very young age and throughout his years of service in the military. He answered the call in 2020 and received his Ordination and Community Chaplaincy Licensing through the National Association of Christian Ministers and additional licensing through Serve Ministries, Inc., focusing on First Responders and Veterans. He continued training as a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains and the North Carolina Sheriffs' Chaplains Association. James currently serves as a Chaplain and Reentry Services Coordinator with Safer Communities Ministry with the Anson and Union County Sheriff's Offices. He also volunteers as a Chaplain for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department - South Division and Special Operations, Stallings Police Department, Indian Trail Veterans of Foreign Wars, and is a Union County Critical Incident Support Management team member. He received a Suicide PAIR training certificate from Light University, a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Excelsior University, and an M.A. in Pastoral Counseling with a cognit in Community Chaplaincy from Liberty University. |
