Here at Park Street, we believe that God created every member of the church body to fulfill a significant role in reaching our community (and our world) for Christ. As part of this “every person serving” philosophy, we rely heavily on an awesome network of volunteers to carry out this mission. The following individuals are paid staff members who serve this church community through spiritual leadership and equipping others to serve.
Bill Johnson : Lead Pastor
Phone:419-289-0224×102
Email: bjohnson@parkstreetbrethren.org
Bill Johnson joined Park Street as our new Lead Pastor on June 1, 2009.
He says, “What is core to who I am is a deep love for the people of God. But after a quarter century of leading the church, I am becoming more and more convinced that we need to explore new ways of BEING the church….I want to BE the church with others who also want to be Christ’s presence in the world….I am seeking a community that wants to experience the power of truth, authentic transformation, renewed impact in our culture, and a passion to be fully alive in Christ.”
Bill and his wife of 30 years, Marla, met at Wheaton College. They have three adult children – Christine graduated from Wheaton and now lives in South Carolina with her husband Jeremy, Sarah is at Moody Bible Institute, and Daniel is at Taylor University. Marla has a heart for the underserved. She grew up overseas, where her dad was in third world development.
Bill has over 25 years experience as a senior pastor in international congregations, a leadership development pastor, and as a discipleship and spiritual formation pastor.
Wende Lance : Executive Director
Email: wlance@parkstreetbrethren.org
Wende oversees all operations and support ministries — facilities, budget & finances, human resources, communication, etc. — here at Park Street. Wende has also been the driving force behind our outreach ministries and has served as co-coordinator of PSBC short-term missions trips. Wende began serving full time at Park Street in June 2005. She graduated from the Ohio State University and from Ashland Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry. She and her husband, John, live in Loudonville and have three teenagers.
Jason Barnhart : Associate Pastor
Email: jbarnhart@parkstreetbrethren.org
Jason leads our youth ministry and serves as a teaching pastor, filling in for Pastor Bill regularly. He graduated from Ashland University in 2004 with degrees in Religion, Psychology, and Ethics, and received his Masters of Divinty from Ashland Theological Seminary 2008. Jason oversees the youth program and works with youth to enhance their relationship with others and Christ. He is married to Allison, who is an active member of Park Street and works as a graphic designer. The couple lives here in Ashland.
Sherry Van Duyne : Associate Pastor
Email: svanduyne@parkstreetbrethren.org
Sherry’s primary responsibilities at PSBC include leadership in our Legacy Lifestage, which focuses on ministering to and with folks ages 55 and over, as well as overseeing our volunteer-supported Care Ministry. Sherry began her ministry at Park Street in August 1989, after graduating from Ashland University and Ashland Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Education. Prior to ministry at Park Street, she served with husband Ken at Shipshewana, Indiana, where he served as Camp Director. Sherry has also been a stay-at-home mother to three children, a substitute teacher in public schools, and a “volunteer extraordinaire” in the local Brethren Church. She has also served in a variety of district and national ministry positions for The Brethren Church. For most of her years at PSBC, Sherry served as the Director of Children’s Ministries.
Doug Cooper : Director of Young Adult Ministries
Doug is part-time director of the Luminus Network, a community for young adults, hosted by Park Street. Doug has also been a worship leader at Park Street for over 20 years and currently co-leads the Worship Design Team and our 11:00 worship service. Doug’s best friend, organizer, and memory is his wife, Debbie. He also takes partial credit for their children Nate; Pete; Emily; Aubrey; son-in-law, Aaron; and grandson, Keslar. Doug’s hobbies are coffee and having an opinion. He wishes his hobbies were gourmet cooking, traveling to cool places, and recording music. His real job is as Development Director at Red Red Design. You can reach Doug at 419-606-1621.
Nicole Patterson : Director of Children’s Ministries
Email: npatterson@parkstreetbrethren.org
Since joining the PSBC team as a part-time employee in March 2008, Nicole has demonstrated her passion for sharing and teaching the love of Christ to children of all ages up through 6th grade. Nicole embraces this very important ministry with enthusiasm and an authentic desire to help each child develop a personal relationship with our Lord. Nicole graduated from of Ashland Theological Seminary in June 2008.
Sherry Bryant : Ministry Support Coordinator
Email: sbryant@parkstreetbrethren.org
Sherry Bryant serves as our full-time ministry support coordinator and receptionist here in the PSBC office. She provides administrative support for our entire staff, oversees our office volunteers, manages the church calendar and publishes PSBC publications including our weekly bulletins and bi-monthly newsletters. Sherry is married to Dick and is an active member of PSBC and sings in the choir.
Kathy Whisler : Preschool Director
Email: parkstreet_school@yahoo.com
Kathy has served as the director of Park Street School since 2004. She joined the school in 2000 and has served in various capacities including teacher and assistant director. Kathy and her husband, Russ, have three sons. Kathy enjoys reading a variety of books and spending time watching her sons in their various sporting events. You can reach Kathy by calling the preschool at 419-289-6128.
Deb Cooper : Bookkeeper & Office Assistant
Email: douglascooper@zoominternet.net
Deb serves as our part-time bookkeeper here at PSBC and is responsible for all accounts payable, financial reporting, and payroll. She also serves as our back-up office support person. She lives in Ashland with her husband, Doug (Director of Young Adults). They have four children, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren.
Larry & Joyce Jordan : Custodial Team
Larry & Joyce began serving as PSBC’s custodial team in the spring of 2007. Their responsibilities include cleaning, setting up for special events, and general maintenance.
Arden Gilmer : Pastor Emeritus
Email: agilmer@parkstreetbrethren.org
Our retired pastor and now Pastor Emeritus, Arden Gilmer, began pastoral ministry at Park Street in 1979. A graduate of Ashland University and Ashland Theological Seminary, he also earned a Doctor of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is married to Bobbi. Since his retirement in 2009, Arden has continued to serve as our volunteer Care Ministry Equipper.
