By Jesse Russell, student news writer, Office of University Communications

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Dr. Joel F. Carwile, Campbellsville University Board of Trustees member, alumnus and pastor of First Baptist Church in Athens, Ala., will being speaking at CU's weekly chapel service at Ransdell Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 401 N. Hoskins Ave., Campbellsville, Ky.

Carwile is the pastor at the 198-year-old First Baptist Church in Athens, Ala., and is a graduate of West Limestone High School in 1982, Liberty University in 1998 and Campbellsville University in 2009. He also received degrees from The Southern Theological Seminary and George Fox Evangelical Seminary.

Carwile has received a bachelor of science degree in religion, master's in theology, doctor of ministry and doctor of divinity.

Having served in the ministry almost 30 years, Carwile has been pastor of First Baptist Church since August 2015.

He served his first four-year term on CU's Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2016 and is in a second four-year term through 2021. He served as an associate trustee in 2017.

Carwile was saved and baptized as an 8-year-old boy at Shanghai Baptist Church in Limestone County in Alabama. He said his mother was very influential in his decision to accept Christ.

Carwile said he had “a very emotional rededication to Christ when I was 17 at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.”  It was there he was called to preach but did not follow through with that calling until he was 24 years old.

Carwile is the son of Bobby and Gayle Carwile of Athens, Ala. Carwile and his wife, Jo, have two children Zeke and Dani.

Chapel is designed to provide opportunities for corporate worship and exposure through a variety of informative speakers and presentations.

All chapels are open to the public free of charge and are televised live on WLCU (Comcast Cable channel 10 and digital channel 23.0) and are streamed live on the internet at wlcutv.com.

For information about chapel, call the Office of Campus Ministries at (270) 789-5227.