Cornerstone Bible Church |

Austin Burby

Austin grew up right here in the town of Portage. He is a CPA by trade who creates opportunities for his clients. He really loves his work. Austin is a wonderful joy to our church and he uses his talents in the accounting world to take care of our finances and our budget.

Austin remembers his conversion which occurred in the spring of 2010 shortly before graduating college. He had heard the gospel presented many times up to that point. Unfortunately, he was unwilling to bring himself to give up control of his life (which, ironically, he admits that he didn’t have control of his life anyway!). During a hectic week as he was finishing up college, Austin came to the realization where he knew he was both nothing on his own, and could do nothing on his own. He accepted the truth that he was lost and could not live without abiding in the death and resurrection of Christ. He needed the aid of the one true master and Lord. Austin gave his life to Christ on that Monday morning.

His passion for knowing the Word of God has confidently been moving forward since he has been at Cornerstone. He loves the content that is in and around Joshua 24:15. He notes that when you seen the context around it, Joshua is committing himself to be set apart from the nations around him. And on the other hand, if you read the text carefully, it was an indictment against Israel at the present time for Joshua knew that Israel, in general, was not going to serve the Lord. In spite of this, Joshua held his ground and continued to speak these convicting words to Israel. It is definitely an amazing passage.

He has been married to his beautiful wife Marion for over 10 years and they have three young children: Ainsley, Jameson and Hayden. His family is certainly a special joy to Cornerstone.

Kyle grew up in Southern California and attended Grace Baptist Church for the first 20 years of his life. He earned his B.A. at The Master’s College in Biblical Exposition as well as Counseling, and then he graduated from Talbot Theological School with a M.Div. in Pastoral Ministries. Kyle was led into ministry at the age of 15 when he attended a youth conference in the Santa Clarita Valley. He knows that preaching the Word of God and shepherding the hearts of God’s people is his purpose in this life.

When he was in school, he had the privilege of walking in the land of Jesus and learning the Bible from some of the most accomplished professors in Israel. He has been there twice for a total time of 6 months, and it was one of the greatest experiences in his life. His passion for explaining the Word of God has only grown due to his studies in Israel, and it certainly helps him to understand more of the Bible.

Kyle was brought up in a Christian home under two godly parents, Ken and Beckie Ruggles. Ken worked as a CFO for Spears Manufacturing Company, but is now retired and is very involved in church ministry. Beckie was a school teacher and also loves to be involved in ministry.

At the age of 8 on the way home from the beach, Kyle came to know the Lord. The process was quite simple: He knew that he would be accountable to an eternal, immortal, all knowing and all powerful God as he sat and looked over the ocean. Having heard the Gospel many times at his church, it was simple math at that point. The only way to escape the judgment of a holy God was to place all of one’s hope and trust in the person and work of Christ. On that summer day, Kyle gave his life to Christ and God gave him the gift of salvation.

Kyle fell in love with Meisha Preston and on November 1, 2015 they were married. Kyle’s favorite aspect of life now is to know his wife better so that they can grow in their relationship. They have been blessed with four wonderful children: Abigail, John, Micah and Hannah.

While family and ministry are important, the most enjoyable aspect about life to him is knowing Jesus Christ, loving Him and living for His glory. Christianity, or ministry, is not a profession to be sold, rather it is a conviction that Kyle personally holds to and it is the most vital aspect of his life.

Carey grew up in the nearby town Westfield, Wisconsin. He is currently the Vice President of Facilities and Transportation at his family business, where he has been employed for over 25 years. Heading his responsibilities are project management, which involves designing and building new facilities, in addition to the redesign of current facilities to ensure proper functioning. Carey loves his job and will tell you he likes thinking outside the box to create solutions.

Carey came to know the Lord at a very early age. God has always been part of his life and through ongoing sanctification he has grown in his walk and his love for God. Carey enjoys being a member at Cornerstone Bible Church. He is committed to attending and contributing to men’s bible study and is passionate about God’s word and fellowshipping with like minded men. God’s word continues to amaze and humble him as he is constantly learning the way the Old and New Testament are weaved together. As a result of conviction and a deep love of the Lord, Carey has now begun to disciple others.

Carey has been married to his best friend Michelle for 29 years. He has two grown children, Cody and Reagan. Reagan is now married to her husband Levi and they have two children, Vincent and Bo. Carey enjoys spending time with his family and his grandchildren.

Dave Hopperdietzel

Dave grew up 100 miles north of Portage in Marshfield. He has been a Deputy Sheriff for 23 years and serves at the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. He is good at what he does, and he has lots of funny stories. If you need some good stories with entertaining value, Dave is your guy. We enjoy having him and his wife here at Cornerstone.

Dave came to know the Lord when he was 18 years old. He grew up in the Roman Catholic Church and found it hard to leave for one simple fact—it was the only tradition that he had known. At the time, he was having numerous discussions with his girlfriend about the truth of who God was and how the Bible was a book to be treasured and read. Dave strongly believed in a works based salvation, but never experienced the true grace of real deliverance. He came to the understanding that Christ was too great to be pleased with the works which a finite human could offer the one true God. Dave knew it would never be enough. Christ found Dave when he came to the realization that Christ did all the work. This is a truth that Dave loves; namely that Christ’s work on the cross and His resurrection really does cancel the debt of your sin.

One of the important aspects Dave has learned about God through his life is that God has always been, always is and always will be in control. By God’s grace, he has come to base his life on God’s sovereignty. Dave enjoys Cornerstone for two main reasons: There are great people here and the Word of God is valued and taught unashamedly.

By God’s providence, that girlfriend who had many conversations with Dave regarding the truth went onto fall in love with him. Dave married his wonderful wife Michelle 25 years ago and they have two grown children: Jacob and Rachel.

Tom Deich

Tom grew up in “Rural” Cambria Wisconsin. Part of that is in quotes because he wanted to make sure that those reading understood that he was raised in the country. He works for the Grande Cheese Company in Wyocena as a Maintenance Coordinator.

Tom had the privilege of being able to go to church nearly all of his life. He always knew that there was a God, but it began to become more personal to him as he was going into high school. Putting it in his own words, Tom just felt the Lord “tugging at his heart.” This was no surprise, seeing as the Lord can and does operate through the use of our conscience. It was at this point when he decided to make a change in his life. He accepted the truth of the one true Messiah, who died and rose again in order that Tom would experience the freedom of living in Christ. The Lord called Tom to Him at the age of 15 years old. He would tell you that though there are still struggles at times regarding these spiritual things he has been called to know and experience, Tom knows he has the assurance that the Lord will always draw him closer to Himself. This is simply what it means to have a saving relationship with Christ—He is always with you. As Tom learns to walk with Lord in true fellowship, he trusts that the Lord will lead him in all things that pertain to His will. It is a particular joy to Tom that the Lord will take him to an abundant and eternal life which is beyond this one.

Like all of our other elders, Tom has enjoyed Cornerstone for its solid teaching and great fellowship. Tom has exhibited a remarkable passion to learn and love the Old Testament. Some of his favorite stories would have to be Abraham and his journey of faith as well as the beautiful story of Ruth. Tom readily identifies with the fact that we all need a kinsman redeemer. One of his favorite verses would have to be Proverbs 27:17. It is most rewarding to lift up a brother in the Lord.

In 2007, Tom fell in love and married his beautiful wife Tami Jo. They have been blessed with four boys who are all full of life: Sawyer, Mason, Carter and Marshall. Our church certainly has been blessed by not only Tom and Tami, but by their boys as well.

Author: Kyle Ruggles