Staff Team

Urban Discovery Ministries

Michael V. Fariss
President/CEO
udm@urbandiscovery.org
757-287-7144

For over 30 years, Mike Fariss has provided the vision and leadership to establish Urban Discovery Ministries and develop its inner city outreaches. He presently equips Christians for inner city ministry by coaching churches for urban evangelism or church planting. With his wife, Kim, Mike is completing a two year church planting work in East End Newport News. He has begun assisting several Southside churches in establishing a congregation for the public housing communities near Norfolk State University. Mike uses sports ministries in his church planting model.

Missionary Staff Team

Ronnie McAdoo Executive Director provides leadership for UDM’s partnerships with churches and businesses, which includes training and fundraising. Having served as UDM’s Sports Ministry Director for seven years, he continues to mentor young athletes and local coaches; He serves as the director of the Urban Community Church of Norfolk’s 'One Died for All' basketball camp; He leads weekly Bible studies for coaches and athletes; Ronnie is a speaker for the Good News Jail and Prison ministry and works closely with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and speaks at numerous Christ centered sports camps.	Ed Haywood Pastor of Urban Community Church of Norfolk, which partners with UDM and maintains model sports, educational and community outreaches that UDM developed and is replicating in other inner city communities. UDM provides funding for missionaries Denise Woodson, Maurice Lamb, and William Joyner whom Pastor Haywood graciously supervises at the Urban Community Church of Norfolk.
Denise Woodson Learning Center Director supervises the Urban Community Church of Norfolk learning center, which UDM supports to serves adults and children from Park Place and downtown public housing neighborhoods. Denise received her GED and came to Christ at this same learning center outreach. She oversees her assistants, all volunteers, and students and implements follow-up and evangelistic strategies to reach out to GED participants. Denise also serves as director of children’s summer reading program and outreach program to their families. Besides her dedicated commitment to the UDM learning center, Denise has a wonderful music ministry as well.	William Joyner Outreach Service Coordinator. directs a Christian drug abuse prevention program called Celebrate Recovery at the Urban Community Church of Norfolk, which has had great success in our community. William also oversees the church’s community food pantry and clothes closet and remains active in coaching football and mentoring young people from inner city neighborhoods. He is also ministers to men in the Norfolk City Jail and assists them when they return to the community.
Maurice Lamb Learning Center and Community Outreach makes personal home visits and conducts evangelistic Bible studies with men who are open to hearing the Word of God, as well as discipling new believers. Maurice works with the Learning Center Director where he helps supervise volunteers. His duties also include testing students, teaching them how to read, or preparing them to take the GED exam. Maurice supports the mission in numerous roles from transporting students to the learning center and Sunday worship services to spreading the gospel of Christ from door to door in the inner city.	Greg Johnston Director of Leadership Development conducts training courses to consult churches on urban evangelism or church planting. Greg also serves as director of the Urban Community Church of Norfolk’s Dream Team: Greg leads weekly meetings where inner city boys learn about Christ…..He does so by mentoring and teaching about life by creating and teaching the children how to run a business; Greg recruits, equips and encourage men to mentor inner city boys; Greg faithfully conducts family intervention visits with his Dream Team parents to serve and support them in their roles. Greg wins trust with parents and recruits the boys for this outreach by coaching recreation football, basketball and baseball at the Huntersville Recreation Center. He also assists Mike Fariss in coaching soccer at Ruffner Middle School and leading the FCA Huddle there.
Shanice Fuller Intern Shanice is our newest UDM Intern. She has been called to help launch a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Norfolk State University. Shanice assists in the FCA huddle for Ruffner Middle School students and coaches 8 year-old girls in basketball enthusiasm and joy. Besides the sports ministry that she is involved in, Shanice is a vital part of the UDM’s church planting work near Norfolk State University. She also serves in Jamaica, working with young people and teaching evangelism skills to young adults as part of her internship.	Chris Williams Pastoral Intern is a “son” of UDM’s ministry. At age eleven, Mike Fariss led him to Christ at a summer camp. When the drug trade escalated in his neighborhood, Chris became caught up in its turmoil until UDM mentors intervened and provided a way out. God transformed Chris’s life and gave him a wonderful family. He became a leader in a Christian residential outreach center in Alabama where He served fulltime for 13 years. He moved to Newport News with his wife, Cindy, and their two children. Chris will complete a pastoral internship with UDM in June 2011. In September, the Peninsula Community Church anticipates installing Chris as the pastor of its newly established Peninsula East End Church near downtown Newport News.