Leadership

1 Timothy 3:1

1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

Kerry is married to Rhonda and they have two daughters, Anna and Emily. The LaBatts have lived in Chandler since moving to Arizona in 2004. Kerry has an Associates Degree in Printing and Publishing and worked 15 years for an education book printer in WI. he is currently a Prepress Operator for Prisma Graphic Corp., a commercial printer in Phoenix.
Kerry accepted the Lord at age 8 and recommitted his life at age 20. He and Rhonda attended Word of Life Church in Monona, WI for 9 years and were married there in 1995. In 1999, the LaBatts started attending Lake City Church in Madison, WI where they were active in small groups and various ministries. In 2004, they heard about the Two Rivers Church plant and joined the church plant team. They have seen God’s faithfulness and count it a privilege to serve Him with such great people.

Justin Smith was raised in Southeast Asia, the son of missionary parents. Although he always believed in God, he came to faith in Christ after attending a bible study while in the 7th grade. He had a subsequent encounter (or baptism) with the Holy Spirit while riding the city bus home from college in 1982. He has since been involved in various leadership roles in the local church including small group leader, director of small groups, Sunday school teacher, and worship committee.
Justin and his family moved to Arizona in 2006. Justin graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison (B.A. International Relations), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A. Counseling Psychology), and Wheaton College (Psy.D. Clinical Psychology). He currently teaches counseling and pastoral care at Phoenix Seminary. Justin and his wife, Mary, have two children. They enjoy their golden retriever, playing games, swimming, biking, exotic food (satay, durian, chaptis), and living the mini-van life. Mary teaches 7th and 8th grade math and science at Leading Edge Academy.
Some things you might not know are that Mary first saw Justin while he was in a church drama production (no comment); their first conversation was about Christians in education (of course); and Justin proposed over Dilly Bars (everything goes better with ice cream).

Rick grew up on the family farm in a small rural community in Northern Kentucky. He was saved at 8 years of age in the Southern Baptist Church where his father was a deacon. At the age of 34 he rededicated his life and surrendered his whole heart to the Lord.
Prior to moving to Arizona, Rick and Carla had served in church plants in Columbia, Missouri and in Blacksburg, Virginia the preceding 8 years. Rick and Carla have been married 14 years and together with their children, Nathan (13), Samuel (10), and Livia (8) have been part of the Two Rivers Church family for 5 years. Rick was a deacon at Two Rivers Church prior to his appointment as an elder. Rick helps on the worship team for corporate worship, leads worship in small group settings, participates in prayer ministry with individuals and enjoys helping out with construction projects at the church. Carla maintains a busy schedule as a homemaker and has a passion for inner healing ministry.
Rick is a partner at Arizona Equine Medical and Surgical Centre in Gilbert, Arizona where he specializes in equine surgery. Rick received his DVM from Auburn University (1989), and his PhD (1997) from Colorado State University where his veterinary surgery specialty training was also completed.

Jeff grew up as the son of a naval officer and consequently moved from place to place every couple of years. He lived in places such as Newfoundland, Canada, Imperial Beach, California, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he attended his first 3 years of high school. After graduating from high school in Rye, New York, Jeff moved to Arizona and obtained a business degree from Arizona State University. He has lived in Arizona since 1971. He was raised with a firm belief in God, but didn’t know Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior until the age of 24, when he also received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
He met his wife, JoAnn,at a prayer meeting and they now have been married for almost 30 years. They came to Two Rivers Church in October of 2005 and have been enjoying the fellowship ever since. Jeff is serving his second term as a deacon and enjoys teaching “The Edge” Sunday school class. He and JoAnn attend home group on Wednesday nights and participate in a prayer ministry on Sunday nights. They have a son, Paul, who has served as the youth pastor of Two Rivers Church, and a daughter, Karah, who lives with her husband, Justin, in Casa Grande.
Jeff is a replenishment manager for a SuperTarget in Gilbert and has been with the company for over 15 years. On his days off, he loves to hike with the unofficial Two Rivers Hiking Club. And if you press him, he will admit to a strange fascination wit the game of chess.

Mark is the sixth of nine Lease children born and raised in southern Wisconsin. Mark’s family lived in a small cross roads village surrounded by dairy farms where he enjoyed a rich childhood life, full of country adventures and neighborhood friends. At the age of 12, Mark’s family moved to Sun Prairie, WI, where Mark graduated from high school in 1976.
Mark has an AA degree in Electronic Technology from Madison Area Technical College, attended Engineering school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has an AA degree in Christian Ministry from World Harvest Bible college in South Bend, IN.
Although raised in a Christian family, Mark questioned the truth of his Christian heritage. Setting off on his own search for the truth about God, his journey came to an abrupt end in July of 1982 at the age of 25 when he had a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
Mark met his wife Anne, a native of St. Louise, MO, at City Church in Madison where they married in 1989. Anne, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a BA degree in education, home schooled their son, Gabe (15) through 8th grade, and will graduate in 2011 with an AA degree in accounting from Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Mark works for Emerson Network Power as an electrical engineer and was transfer to the Tempe, AZ office in 2009 when he, his wife Anne, and son Gabe began attending Two Rivers Church.

Shailesh and Aimee Ghimire have been a part of Two Rivers Church since its inception in 2004. Shailesh was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal but has lived in the United States for the past fifteen years. He has lived in Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and now Arizona. He is an Internet Marketing expert with an entrepreneurial spirit. He graduated with a MBA from UW Madison. He loves to play soccer, swim, go hiking/camping, read and teach. Aimee was born and raised in Vinna, Austria. She is the daughter of missionary parents and has traveled extensively through Europe and Asia. After leaving Europe she lived in Washington, Japan, Wisconsin, and now Arizona. Formerly an ESL teacher, she is currently a senior mortgage lender with Prime Lending. She also assists with the Inner Healing ministry at Two Rivers. Aimee enjoys various sports, nature, hiking in Arizona and traveling to experience othe cultures. Shailesh and Aimee have three daughters they enjoy immensely. Anika is 4 years old, Sarina is nearly 2 years old, and Priyasha is 3 months old.