Senior Pastor Brian L. Powell

SeniorPastor@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Pastor Brian Powell's Blog Site

Pastor Brian Powell was raised on the North Carolina Nazarene District.  He and his wife Heather are originally from High Point, NC.  Before answering the call to fulltime pastoral ministry in 1998, he was actively involved in local and district church activities.  Brian has pastored churches in the western part of the state and the piedmont area.  Part of his experience includes church planting; Brian was the founding pastor of Covenant Life Church of the Nazarene in his hometown of High Point before answering the call to Raleigh First in 2005.

Pastor Brian is an Ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene.  He holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and also a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) from Houston Graduate School of Theology.  His undergraduate work was completed at John Wesley College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with a double major in pastoral ministry and biblical theology; at JWC Brian graduated as valedictorian of his class.  He is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Nazarene Theological Seminary.         

Heather is Brian’s wife and has been the love of his life since high school.  She is a registered nurse with a Bachelor of Science (BS) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  Heather takes her own vocational calling to provide quality healthcare very seriously and uses her spiritual insight to reach out and encourage the local church.  Their son, Jake, is a junior in high school with a love of football, music and arts, jiu-jitsu, and various other contact sports.  Their daughter, Amaya, is in third grade and loves life.  Pastor Brian and Heather view their call to serve the church as something God has established in each of their lives.  Pastor Brian’s philosophy of ministry is established through servant leadership; his aspiration is nothing more or less than God’s purpose for his life, family, and the RFN church community.

Associate Pastor Jeremy Henderson

AssociatePastor@RaleighFirstNazarene.org
Pastor Jeremy Henderson's Blog Site

Pastor Jeremy has served in fulltime ministry for 10 years. He and his wife Zandra have been married for 8 years and they have two beautiful children, Brennan and Hannah. He graduated from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho with a BA degree in church music. Before coming to North Carolina, Pastor Jeremy served churches in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. His role at RFN is very dynamic. He leads Celebration Ministries (60 member choir), oversees outreach & discipleship programs, and works alongside Pastor Brian as a vision-caster for Raleigh First. Pastor Jeremy is a skilled musician and is very creative in his approach to worship and arts within a ministry context. He and his family model servant leadership; they believe in living out their faith. Pastor Jeremy says, "I have a passion for serving Christ and His Body and I am privileged to be apart of God's work. Successful performances and fulfilled objectives are certainly great experiences, but greater yet are the times when the presence of Christ is made real in our midst. As an act of worship we must respond by giving our all for God's glory."

Worship Director Jennifer Sen

WorshipDirector@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Jennifer Sen came on staff at RFN in March of 2007 after moving to North Carolina late in 2006. Her husband, Tap, flies the F-15E, and is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC.

Jennifer was the youngest child of Jim & Elaine Tompkins. Jennifer’s musical genes came from her father who was the most talented music pastor the Southern Baptist Convention ever employed. She grew up under her father’s musical influence in a small town in Texas until leaving for college. She studied piano from an early age, and played and sang in church every time the doors were opened.

In 1990 she moved to Anchorage, Alaska and began a career in health club and property management. She later joined the team at Muldoon Community Church; it was here that her passion for worship arts began to take shape.

Over the years Jennifer has played with a veritable plethora of talented and infamous musicians, none of which exist as far as the Internal Revenue Service is concerned. Her musical influences include the piano styling of Liberace, and Kermit the Frog. Little known facts include: her favorite foods are Goldfish Crackers and Diet Dr. Pepper, and her heart belongs to an overweight Miniature Pinscher named Seltzer.

Children's Director Dawn Hopkins

ChildresDirector@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Dawn grew up in Greensboro, NC and was taught early on to be in church every time the doors are open.  It was in church that she met her wonderful husband of almost eight years, Pastor Doug Hopkins.  They have two children, Hannah age six and Isaac age two. 

Children and music have been Dawn’s passion from the time she was a child.  Dawn has been serving the Lord through music since before she can remember, singing with choirs, praise teams, leading worship, and as a member of a traveling choir in college.  She taught two-year-olds for two years at Wesleyan Education Center and then served alongside the Children’s Directors of First Wesleyan Church in High Point where hundreds of children are ministered to on a weekly basis.  She also served as the Nursery Director of Covenant Life Church of the Nazarene for two years, prior to coming to Raleigh First. 

Dawn recently received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministries from John Wesley Collge in High Point, NC. Her studies have included an emphasis in children's ministries and early childhood education.

 

Youth Pastor Josh Brown

YouthPastor@RaleighFirstNazarene.org
Pastor Josh Brown's Blog Site

Joshua Brown has been working with teens ever since he was one. Being called into the ministry at the age of 20, Josh left the comforts of a 9-5 job to attend John Wesley College and prepare for a fulltime call to pastoral ministry. While there, Josh survived two years of working with middle school kids at Kernersville Wesleyan Church. He served as a small group leader and Sunday school teacher, before being called to work together with Pastor Brian Powell as a Youth/Associate Pastor at Union Cross Church. During his last year at JWC, Pastor Josh assisted Pastor Brian with a new church plant in High Point, NC. Completing his BA degree in Pastoral Ministries and Counseling, Joshua then answered a call to serve as a youth pastor in Troy, NC. However, (to hear Josh tell the story) “Pastor Brian could not bear working without me so he begged me to join him once again, this time in the big city of Raleigh, at Raleigh First Church of the Nazarene.” This is Pastor Josh’s story and he’s sticking to it!

Family Outreach Pastor - Doug Hopkins

FamilyOutreachPastor@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Pastor Doug Hopkins has been in fulltime pastoral ministries for four years.  Doug is the husband of Dawn Hopkins, and the proud father of Hannah Noel (11/01) and Isaac Douglas (12/05).  Doug is a Licensed Minster in the Church of the Nazarene and a candidate for the Master’s of Divinity Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.  Doug completed his undergraduate work at John Wesley College in High Point, NC where he graduated Salutatorian of the 2004 class with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible & Theology.

Doug’s ministerial experience consists of serving as Senior Pastor of Hopewell Wesleyan Church in Greensboro, NC; and prior to RFN he was the Teaching/Preaching Pastor of Covenant Life Church of the Nazarene in High Point, NC.  As a soldier in the U.S. Army Doug was also very much involved in ministry; he served with the 422nd Civil Affairs unit in Baghdad, Iraq (2003) where he worked to provide supplies to orphanages and water to small villages. 

Pastor Doug’s responsibilities at RFN include meeting the needs of our families through biblically grounded discipleship and outreach, relevant teaching, preaching, and pastoral counseling; as well as assisting and supporting his wife and the Children’s Ministries department of RFN.  Doug’s heart is set on preparing “God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”  Ephesians 4:12-13.

Sonshine Learning Center (SLC) Director - Jackie Cook

SLCDirector@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

SonShine Learning Center opened on November 4, 1997 as a ministry of Raleigh First Nazarene. Since that time Jackie Cook has been the administrator and visionary for SLC. Before being called to this position, Jackie was a stay at home mother for thirteen years. During that time she took care of many other children in her home. God has given Jackie a deep love for kids from the time her own children were born. Jackie feels the SonShine Learning Center is a wonderful way to show God's love to children and their families. Displaying God's love and educating young minds (in that order) is the main objective of SLC. Jackie is married to the love of her life, Rick, and they have three daughters: Sharon, Christina, and Cheryl; one son-n-law, Chris; and one grandson, Cason, all who live in Nashville, Tennessee. Jackie loves what she does and is very gifted; God has enabled her to invest in the lives of children and parents as she builds Christ's Kingdom on earth.

Office Administrator Jan Spencer

OfficeManager@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Jan Spencer returned to the Triad area in November of 2006.  Before moving back, she and her husband Bill spent twelve years residing in Fort Mill, SC. They have two children, Natalie and Michael, who are grown.  Jan was praying for the right position and for God to open the right doors; He did. When she was presented with the opportunity to become Office Administrator at RFN it became evident that this was the Lord working and leading in her life.

Jan and Bill are lifelong Nazarenes; she was saved at age six in a primary Sunday School class. She is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in business; she also met Bill at TNU and they have been married for over 25 years. Jan gives God the honor for all that He has provided in her life and ministry.

Administrative Assistant Kathleen Klomp

OfficeAssistant@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Kathleen Klomp grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, the second of eight children born in a nine year span. It was during that time that Kathleen realized that she enjoyed taking the lead.  She spent her childhood years attending First Methodist Church in Glenview, Illinois. Inspired by her mother, Kathleen loves to sing; her mother sang for 18 years with the North Shore Harmonizers, a singing group of over 60 women. She also enjoys painting (walls, not pictures) and fixing up her house, and she loves infants and children. Kathleen is married to Harry and together they have four children and four grandchildren. Corey and his wife Kim have two children, Nichole and Jimmy. Tara lives in Greensboro with her children Rachel and Eddie. Maggie is in her fourth year at UNC-Greensboro and she looks forward to a career as a teacher. Melissa lives in Plant City, Florida.

Through the many struggles of life she feels that RFN helps keep her grounded. Kathleen allows her time working with the church to cultivate her own walk with the Lord.
Kathleen loves serving God and others. Her ministry at RFN began with SonShine Learning Center on a voluntary basis several years ago. She then started to volunteer her time in the church office. Presently, she serves on staff as part-time office assistant. Her work gives her a sense of purpose and being.

Facility Manager - Bill Piper

FacilityManager@RaleighFirstNazarene.org

Bill and Vivian Piper met in 1974 while attending Bible college in Florida; they now celebrate thirty one years of marriage, two children, and five grandchildren.  Bill’s heritage includes a family tree that has pastoral leadership from both sides and in every generation.  Both Bill and Vivian are from central Florida, where they owned and operated their own construction and land management business for twenty four years. 

Bill attributes his conversion in 1968 to his mothers’ obedience to the Lord in all things.  He remembers his mother as a praying person; calling out to the Lord on behalf of her children, while on her knees beside her bed.  Bill and his siblings heard her prayers through the closed bedroom door each night as they grew up, and feels that it is the prayers that are responsible for every one of his siblings working for the Lord today.  Bill received the second work of grace (Sanctification by the Holy Spirit) on May 17th 1997, two days before closing the doors of his long-term business, when he heard the Masters’ Call into fulltime service; he feels that the past ten years have been in preparation for answering the call to fulltime facilities management at RFN. 

Vivian asked the Lord into her heart as a child, and gives her Pastor (Jim Moore, Deland, FL) the credit for leading her to the Lord.  Her family continues to live in central Florida and western North Carolina. Their family includes Scott, Monica, Rylee and Ezekiel Ragan of Raleigh, NC; and Billy, Mandy, William and Michael Piper who live in Spring Hill, Florida.