We pray that you might meet Lon through the words printed here;
then as a visitor of our church!

The Church

Lon has served Bethlehem and the Lick Skillet/Hazel Green community since 1992. He has proven himself as a caring, loving, and God-fearing man, which has proven evident that the Lord was leading him -even back then- to be our Shepherd today.

When asked what he plans for Bethlehem’s future, he remarked: “There are many opportunities and ministries to be created where we can reach out to each other and to the members of our community for Christ.  The dreams accomplished during the past 15 years are just preludes to the dreams that we will see in our future.  Our vision as a church is being fulfilled because we, as a people, have -and never will- stop dreaming.  My support team of workers and staff are of the highest caliber, and no church is worth more than the people who hold it together.  God’s plan for our future is beyond what I can ask or think, but it is HIS PLAN, and I know we will look back with praises to His name.

His Family

Pastor Lon was born on January 11, 1964, in Charleroi, PA, as the son of Steve and Becky Ostrzycki. He has 1 brother and 2 sisters.  In 1970, the family moved to Chattanooga, TN, where he was influenced through the ministry of the late and renowned Dr. Lee Roberson of the Highland Park Baptist Church.  The family later moved to Chickamauga, GA, and then in 1976 relocated to the Huntsville, Alabama, area where he has resided since that time. 

He subsequently married his high school sweetheart, Susan Norton, in 1983.  A book could be written concerning his life from that moment.  Lon and Susan were told that their only hope in having a child was through the process of adoption.  They opted instead to believe that what is not possible with man, is possible with God, and now are the proud parents of two children, Lon Alan, Jr., (19) and Rachel Susan (16). Both of his children dearly love the Lord.

Alan was called to the ministry at an early age, and is now pursuing that call through attendance at The Mobile University in Mobile, Alabama, as a sophomore—maintaining a 4.0 GPA.   Rachel will be a Senior at Hazel Green High School and graduate in 2008, also with highest of honors.  Her future appears to be in education and child development, but following the Lord is uppermost in her mind, wherever He may lead.

His Education

Pastor Lon attended the University of North Alabama, as well as Whitesburg Heritage Bible College, where he often is asked to fill in for various professors as an instructor.  He jokingly laughs as he refers to his best education being the “School of Hard Knocks.”

His Leadership

Pastor Lon began his work in Youth Ministry in 1983 at Heritage Baptist Church in Huntsville as a voluntary youth leader.  In 1992, he was chosen as the bi-vocational Youth Pastor/Associate Pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church. There were only 6-8 teens back then, now the Youth Ministry claims 100-125 members!

During the earlier years, he filled in as an interim pastor for nine months while the church was searching for a Shepherd.  During that time, souls were continually being saved and families were joining the church (a strange phenomenon for a church without a pastor).

His enthusiasm for reaching the lost and drawing them to Jesus through teaching, preaching, and evangelism is evident through his constant and consistent dedication to developing new and better programs affecting not just young people, but all of Bethlehem’s congregation and community of which he has been a strong, upstanding citizen.  His involvement has extended to community affairs in the Lick Skillet/Hazel Green area since 1992 in athletics and school participation, as well.

Some of these programs were World Changers (11 years), later starting Community Changers (now in its 6^th year); the Stand-up Team and First Priority Teams (12 years) in our local schools.  These achievements could not have happened without the leadership of the Lord.  As he met with school principals and directors, the congregation prayed—and God displayed his miraculous hand through each of these ministries and we rejoiced in souls being saved almost daily.

Four years ago, one of his youth was taken home to be with Jesus at a young age through an automobile accident, and as a result of her altar-prayer with Lon a few weeks earlier for “Unity” to reign throughout this area—the program of Community-Unity was founded.  Local and surrounding churches are encouraged to close their doors two Sunday nights a year—to unite in a common bond of worship with each other at a larger central meeting place.

Attendance at youth conferences in general, youth rallies, and youth revivals, (“Acquire the Fire” being one in particular), stirred an excitement within the souls of teens that was evident not only on Sundays, but in their daily communion with the Lord.  A youth band was started, and “Broken,” a team of approximately 30 young people began an expressive worship of dance, publicly declaring their love for Jesus and traveling to different churches in the area to do so.  Lon’s dream of having young people go and minister on their own was being fulfilled.

He saw the need for a place where teens could congregate, not just on Sundays, but throughout the week, and envisioned a place that would fulfill that purpose at Bethlehem.  A cafeteria and game room was established.  The new addition to the church provided a basketball court and a spacious area for a game room that now provides air hockey, ping pong, pool, Nintendo, and other video games.  You could (and can) find Lon along with the willing helpers and volunteers of Bethlehem cooking hamburgers and feeding the teens with physical food, while an opportunity to feed their spiritual needs is never overlooked.

But Pastor Lon’s talents do not just lie with youth.  His love for all of the church permeates from infants and pre-school children, all the way to Senior Adults.  Since 1998, he meets with the Senior Adults every Tuesday morning and often drives the bus or van to places such as Gatlinburg, Memphis, Branson , etc., where a few days are spent fellowshipping and enjoying each other and the goodness of the Lord.

The Future

Pastor Lon is an example of one who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.  He encourages all the members of BBC to be proactive in creating opportunities for others to get involved in ministry, not only as a community, but also as a local body of believers working together.  One of his life verses, “I can do all things THROUGH Christ (Phillipians 4:13) rings clear both in his messages and through his life.

As Bethlehem has grown from an average of approximately 90 people in 1992 to well over 800 in three morning worship services, with 525 in Sunday School classes, Lon’s dreams continue to grow, and he attests to how God had been leading him in the last year and a half in another direction.  His thoughts were never of being the Senior Pastor until God laid the plan out before his eyes clearly and concisely.  He not only felt the Lord’s leadership in this, but was excited to know God could entrust him with a group of wonderful praying people such as are members at Bethlehem. The people of Bethlehem responded and confirmed this calling with a vote of overwhelming confidence on June 20^th, 2007.

Not to be left out of her importance in this role is Susan’s position as his wife.  Over the years, she has worked with young people and knows that the future will reveal a beautiful pattern of God’s love in all of our hearts.  With Lon’s busy schedule, she has never complained of his absence from their family life.  She realizes that it is not the quantity of time that we spend together, but the quality of that time—and their family is an indicator that Pastor Lon must be doing things right.

Things you want to know but were afraid to ask:

What are your favorite things to do? Preaching, Teaching, Hunting, Fishing, Spending Time with Family, Working Out, Bungie Jumping, Riding 4-Wheelers & Going Boating and Dating (Come on... His wife!)

What is your favorite movie of all time? The Passion of the Christ & the Rocky Movies (ALL of them!!)

What about your favorite music group or artist? Jimmy McClure & the BBC Praise Team (AKA Jimmy and the Toons) and UNCHAINED

And your favorite sports teams?  Pittsburg Steelers, Tennessee Titans and the Atlanta Braves

What is your favorite thing to do on a Saturday? Sleep in! and spend time with family... sometimes cookout or watch a movie.

What is your favorite scripture? Romans 12:1-2, Philippians 4:13

Who would like to meet? Billy Graham & Jesus, because of their passion for the lost!

What did your high school classmates think you would be when you grew up? Over 400 of my seniors class voted me "Most Likely To Be: MARRIED TO SUSAN"!! (Some smart cookies, aye?!)

Where are you most likely to be hangin' out these days? Church, Hospital, Funeral Home, Visiting in Someone's Home, Studying for Sermons, Teaching Lessons, Filling Out Letters for Recommendation or Pastor's Page, Marryin' Folks, Counseling, Envisioning Dreams for BBC,  Praying and on, and on, and on, and on! To God Be the Glory!

We couldn't end this welcome without establishing Lon’s highest priorities:  God, Family, then Church. 

Bethlehem

As we pray together—God will grant the increase, and we will praise His marvelous works. is dedicated to creating strong families with the knowledge that “Strong Families Build Strong Ministries.”  Family comes second only to God and our relationship with him.  It was interesting to hear him remark, “Don’t pray for me if you aren’t praying for your family first.  Pray for them… and then pray for me!”