Father Deacon Herbert Ezra Ham is a native Oklahoman with three of his great-grandfathers having made the Land Run of 1889 and homesteading in the Guthrie and Edmond areas.

He has a BA in Philosophy from Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee, OK), a MDiv in New Testament from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC), and a MA in History from the University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond, OK). In addition he has done graduate studies at the Baptistiche Theologische Hochschule (Zurich, Switzerland), PhD studies at Baylor University (Waco, TX) and D.Min studies at Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK). He completed the three-year residency requirements for the St. Stephen's Course at the House of Studies at the Antiochian Village (Ligonier, PA).

Deacon Ezra was an ordained Baptist minister for 25 years. He attended Inquirer's Classes at St. Elijah beginning in 1988. He and his family embraced the Orthodox Faith and were charismated Lazarus Saturday, 1991.

In Novemeber, 1999, Deacon Ezra became the Church Administrator at St. Elijah. He is an active participant in St. Elijah's Family Night program in which he teaches the Inquirer's Class.

In addition to his work at St. Elijah he is also an Adjunct Professor of History at UCO; an Adjunct Professor of Ancient & Medieval Humanities at UCO; and an Adjunct Professor of Religion at the University of Phoenix-Oklahoma City Campus.

He is a co-author of The American Orthodox Church: A History of Its Beginnings published by Regina Orthodox Press.

Subdeacon Ezra and his wife Kathy have seven children and five grandchildren.