Associate Pastor

Pastor Jake was called into ministry while doing disaster relief work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  He is a New Orleans native and graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in History.  He then received his Masters from Wesley Theological Seminary.  Jake is passionate about forming & building a Christ-centered community that impacts our neighbors and the larger community in meaningful ways.  Jake met his wife Robin while serving in the Peace Corps together in Armenia.  They moved to Northern Virginia in 2010, and have two beautiful children, Mack & Stella.  Pastor Jake is a Black Belt in Jiu-jitsu, a published author, and loves spending time talking about (and eating) food!

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Executive Director

Wendy is a Wisconsin native and graduated with a degree in Business Management. She is a long-time member of Gainesville Church along with her husband Chris and 3 boys. She is passionate about helping people grow in their faith and to become involved in the church community. When she is not serving at the church, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to concerts, reading and taking care of her plant collection.

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Communications Director

Originally from New England, Julie moved every year as a child due to her dad's career with the Army—her parents met in the church choir at an Army base in Alabama and the rest was history! But she has called Virginia home for most of her adult life. She earned her degree in graphic design from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her career has spanned design, marketing, content creation and messaging for various nonprofits and startups. When she isn't trying to encourage participation and growth for the church she loves to hike, kayak, spend time with her dog and friends. She also runs an artisan soap and body products business.

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Director of Missions

Gary has attended GUMC for more than 5 years and he's passionate about taking on new church projects, our missions ministry teams, and being able to serve our community.  Gary is a retired Marine, has been married for nearly 45 years, has 2 grown children and 3 grandchildren.  He has been learning to play the guitar and says "I can probably play as well as a 5th grader now...."

Children's Ministry Assistant

Kristen and her family have attended Gainesville Church for the past two years.  She is a licensed social worker with a specialty in palliative care.  As a busy mom of 3 small children she also has a passion for the Children's Ministry here at Gainesville Church.  In her words, "GUMC has become a place to not only grow in our faith and relationship with God, but a place where we have been able to develop friendships and connection opportunities with other families."

Children's Ministry Director

Carrie truly loves working with children and helping them to build a personal relationship with Jesus. She grew up in Western Pennsylvania in a very faithful family attending her local church. As a former school teacher, Carrie is passionate about education and earned a Masters Degree in Education, with a specialization in Gifted Education. When she's not here at Gainesville Church, Carrie enjoys crafting and baking with her 3 young girls, and spending time with her husband Steven.

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Youth Director

Bert is passionate about middle & high school students experiencing life-changing faith in a fun and loving community. Bert grew up in a military family stationed all over the U.S.—from Hawaii, to California, to North Carolina and Virginia. After attending high school in Northern Virginia, he graduated from Roanoke College with a degree in Religious Studies. Bert and his wife Liesl currently call Sterling home.  

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Director of Discipleship

Melonie moved to Northern Virginia from North Carolina with her husband and 4 children a few years ago. She graduated from the University of NC in Greensboro. She previously served as the Communications Director at her former church in North Carolina for many years before moving to Virginia and joining the Gainesville Church family.  She has a passion for discipleship ministries, small groups and reaching the un-churched in our community.  When she's not here at the church you can find her out enjoying a run or hiking with her family.

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Worship Director

Adam was born and raised in the greater Philly area (Delco gang rise up!).  Even as a young 16-year old, his passion for music and worship began to merge as he embraced leadership roles in his local church.  He graduated with a degree in music and business from Eastern University and came to Gainesville church in 2016, along with his wife Carol Ann. Adam is passionate about worshipping God through music and he absolutely loves building relationships with people in the church.  Fun fact about Adam is that when he's not leading worship, his favorite genre of music is heavy metal (yes, like guys screaming and guitars playing at the speed of light...he loves it!).  

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Stage Designer

Carol Ann is an Alabama native, moving to Philadelphia, PA with her husband, Adam, before coming to Northern Virginia together.  She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the University of Montevallo. Carol Ann is passionate about taking the concepts in scripture and turning them into an artistic physical representation for the congregation to experience a deeper connection with God. When she is not working at the church, she is spending time with her husband, Adam, reading, playing the piano and baking.  

AV Director & Operations Manager

Patrick is a Northern Virginia native, growing up in Fairfax County before attending Shenandoah University. Patrick is a passionate perfectionist when it comes to being behind our sound board: With a degree in Music Production & Recording Technology, he plays an important role in the quality of our worship services. Patrick spends much of his free time with his family—his wife Nora and their young daughter.  

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Receptionist & Children's Ministry Assistant

Bernadette grew up in Maryland before moving to Northern Virginia. After attending Gainesville Church for many years, she became a part of our staff team in 2017. Bernadette's passion is helping people in need as she leads our community assistance program. When she's not serving here at the church she is a phenomenal quilter & seamstress. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children.

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Bean is a wise and gentle soul, passionate about ministry and staff morale. He's been in ministry his whole life.  Bean knows the key to a good day at church begins with a full breakfast. You can find him every morning waiting patiently outside the church kitchen, while a certain human prepares him bacon, eggs and cheese. The rest of the day you can find him checking on the staff, knowing the best way to cheer us up is by having us scratch his back or give him a treat.