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Roger became our new Lead Pastor in August 2007. He came from the Aldersgate United Methodist Church of Marion, Illinois - the largest United Methodist Church in Southern Illinois. Roger and his wife Joye have been married since 1985. They have two boys, Samuel and Levi, as well as a dog named Skippy Duke. Even though Roger is a Duke graduate, he and the family are excited about being avid University of Illinois fans - just as long as they are not playing Duke. Roger's call to ministry is to lead others to Jesus Christ and to help disciples grow and develop in their faith. Roger enjoys the time he can spend with Joye, Samuel and Levi. Roger collects and plays old stringed instruments. He enjoys woodcarving, painting, photography, antiques, hiking, fishing, biking, basketball, and chess. Roger loves the wilderness and wildlife. An interesting fact about Roger is that he hiked over 150 miles across the state of Illinois through the Shawnee National Forest two years ago. There is one word that keeps Roger from getting a Harley Davidson motorcycle - Joye.
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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 Connections and Childcare Coordinator. She loves to see all people connected in the church with other people 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 and Sean and a golden retriever Bella. Some of Deb's interests include hiking, reading, and doing just about anything with her kids. 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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Kristie is our Administrative Coordinator. She thinks she has the coolest job in the world because she gets to talk to people all day. Kristie grew up all over the United States and Germany as a child of an Air Force dad. Kristie and her husband Michael and have three girls: Elizabeth, Rachel and Sarah and are expecting their 4th child in March, 2009. They also have a dog and 2 cats, all male, which help offset the estrogen level in their house. Kristie has a degree in Ministry and is currently pursuing her master’s degree from Lincoln Christian Seminary in pastoral counseling. Some of Kristie's interests include reading, playing the piano and going on trips with her kids’ youth group. Obscure facts about Kristie: she can wiggle her nose like a rabbit, makes AWESOME cheesecake and learned to ski in the Alps.
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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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Laurel is our Financial Secretary. She has been at New Horizon since March of 1995, and she has served on the financial team since the fall of 2004. She grew up in Hannibal , Missouri, but has lived in Champaign for 14 years now. Laurel is married to Jeff, and they have a five-year-old son named Scott. She loves being home with her family as much as possible, but works part-time as a pharmacist with Carle Rx Express. Her interests include reading, playing with Scott (although not as much as he would like!), and she's just learning how to scrapbook on the computer. Obscure facts about Laurel: she's a fan of both Barry Manilow music and rap music, she loves to snow ski, and as a youth she represented her hometown for a year as Becky Thatcher.
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 (28) & Brian (35), and two granddaughters, MacKenzie (8) & Madyson (6). 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