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Mark became the pastor of New Horizon on July 1st, 2010. He is a commited follower of Jesus Christ and passionately loves and serves Him. Mark and his wife, Denise, were married in Christ and have four incredible children- Zachary & Tara, Nicholas & Holly, Emily & Jarrett & Benjamin- three of whom are married, several who have served on church staffs, one who was recently ordained, and all (including their in-laws) in love with Jesus. Mark began his ministry in Charleston, IL and has served in some of the largest Methodist Churches in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. Besides being a full-time pastor, Mark also is an avid musician, songwriter and has recently had an opportunity to tour and play internationally with the Sanctuary Worship Band at Christian Music Festivals.
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Mike is our Executive Director. He came to our first worship experience in March of 1995 when New Horizon met in a high school cafeteria. Mike thinks Jesus is the greatest leader in the world. Through his spiritual experiences at New Horizon, God led Mike to make a life change towards Christian leadership. Mike met his wife, Jamee at a New Year's Eve party in 1990. Married since 1993, they have an daughter, Allison, and we can't forget their cocker spaniel, Zoe. A perfect day for the Potts' family includes a ballgame with Allison, catching a movie, barbequing some ribs, and having friends over for dinner. Little known stuff about Mike: his first car was a 1964 blue Mustang convertible, his favorite color is blue, and he loves blues music. Favorite movie: Shawshank Redemption
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Jackson is our Director of Worship Arts. He has a passion to see people connect with God through worship. Originally from Troy, IL, Jackson married his wife Jessica in 2003 and moved to Chambana in August of '04. In the fall of 2008 they said hello to their new daughter, Emma Jane. Jackson enjoys traveling, working on projects, video editing, good movies, reading books, playing games with Jessica, watching Emma sleep and chasing their 9lb Shih-tzu, Gracie.
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Dave is our Director of Student Ministries. He believes students are the coolest people ever and wants to see students' lives transformed for eternity. Originally from Mt. Vernon, Illinois, he has also lived in St. Louis and Sumner, Illinois. Dave has been married to his wife Brooke since 1999 and they have three amazing kids: Trevin, Noah, and Ellie. They recently acquired a dog named Scruffy, a schnoodle. On a free Saturday he would choose to read, play his keyboard, play card games with his kids, and watch Strongbad on his computer. Little known facts about Dave: He can gargle the alphabet, he was a DJ for a radio station, and he once drove 23 straight hours from Louisiana to Michigan. Dave’s dream job is to write a book about all the mom and pop pizza places in Illinois.
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Jennifer is our Director of Children’s Ministry. She loves seeing kids not only invite Jesus to be their Forgiver and Forever-Friend, but also invite their friends along for the amazing adventure with Jesus as the Leader of their lives. Originally from Mentor, Ohio, Jennifer has also lived in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Jennifer has a pet beagle named Alley that was found by the Humane Society in Georgia, in well... an alley. Some of Jennifer's interests include traveling, going to the movies, reading, spending time with friends, taking walks around the neighborhood and occasionally, cooking. Obscure facts about Jennifer: she can balance a spoon on her nose, has worn her PJs to church on a Sunday, and wants to ride in a hot air balloon.
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Deb is our Director of Communications. She loves to see people connected and serving in an area that they are passionate about. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Deb has also lived in Hawaii and Manhattan, Kansas. Deb met her husband Mike in 1985 and united in marriage in 1986 one year after their first date. Deb and Mike have two children, Sami (currently attending the University of Illinois) and Sean (currently attending Kansas Sate University) and a golden retriever Bella. Some of Deb's interests include hiking, reading books, traveling with friends and doing just about anything with her family. Obscure facts about Deb: she loves to tell knock-knock jokes but has difficulty not laughing before the punch-line. Deb also has a growing Winnie-the-Pooh collection.
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Bryan is our Treasurer and Financial Team Leader. He has been with New Horizon since the beginning and has a strong passion to maintain financial stewardship within the church. Bryan grew up in Beverly Hills, MI (near Detroit) and came to Champaign to attend the U of I, where he obtained his B.S. in accounting. Bryan has been married to his wife, Trisha since 1997. They have 2 girls, Kaitlyn and Emily. Bryan loves to fly and is certified as a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and aircraft mechanic. He was a pilot for Northwest Airlink for a few years and now works full-time from home for HAVI Global Solutions (indirectly McDonald's Corporation), where he is a Project Manager. Bryan is also a cancer survivor. He is in remission after being diagnosed with Hodkins Lymphoma in February of 2005. In Bryan's free time he enjoys spending time with his family, tinkering on the computer, and bungee jumping! Bryan is also the IT Team Leader at New Horizon.
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Bob is our Building Superintendent. He has been at New Horizon since February 2002 and loves working here! Originally from Bellflower, IL, Bob was raised on a farm and is retired from the U of I where he worked as a Water Treatment Operator. He has been married to Barbara for 37 years, and they have two boys, Jason & Brian, and two granddaughters, MacKenzie & Madyson. Barbara is also retired from the U of I where she worked for 35 years in the Educational Policy Studies department. Bob's interests include camping, fishing, cooking, gardening, playing Euchre, walking, riding bicycles, having fun with his grand-daughters, and helping his older neighbors out. Obscure facts about Bob: he spent 3 years in the U.S. Army, he was stationed in Badkissin, Germany for 2 1/2 years on border patrol, he played on a squadron basketball team in Germany, and in highschool he played baseball, basketball, and track. Another interesting fact: Bob has been to Amsterdam, Holland and Paris, France. Phone: 217 359-8909