STAFF
Jason's Bio
I believe that Springfield, VA is an incredibly strategic city for carrying out God’s mission for making disciples of all nations. Our community is a place where leaders gather and God is bringing the nations to our community. He is also regularly sending people out from our church to pursue his mission elsewhere as they move due to their career. God has this church, where it is, for it to impact the globe and it is my joy to equip our church to pursue that mission.
As a Christian, I am thrilled to say that Jesus loves me and has rescued me from the consequences of my own sinfulness. I trusted him as Savior over 20 years ago, but am learning more about the depths of his love each day. I long to share that redeeming love with people in the neighborhoods and the nations.
In my family life, I am blessed to have married my lovely wife, Lilli, in 2005. She loves the Lord, loves our family, and brings great joy to my life. We have been given the joy and responsibility of parenting Ada (9th grade), Izzy (7th grade), David (5th grade), and Jesse (3rd grade). I love my family!
As a minister, it is my joy to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection from Genesis to Revelation. I long to see God’s people growing in their relationship with the Lord and going wherever he calls them. I was ordained to the ministry in 2006 and have been serving the Lord with families since then. Since 2013 I have served in various capacities at FBC Springfield as we have tried to glorify Christ by making disciples of the neighborhoods and the nations.
In my education I have benefitted from the analytical skills I learned while completing a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State and from the theological and practical skills that I gained from completing a Master’s and a PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. My PhD dissertation examined the relationship between how churches minister to families and how they engage their community with the gospel in word and deed.
I grew up outside of Raleigh, NC and lived in coastal South Carolina from 2008 to 2013. I enjoy exercising, traveling, good BBQ, and watching, playing, and coaching sports (especially basketball). I am an avid NC State fan and I generally root for our local professional teams.
Jacob's Bio
Jacob Boyd is passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ and desires to see the next generation and their families grow to be more like Christ. He loves hanging out and having fun with the youth group students and teaching from God’s Word by remaining gospel-focused. The Lord started to solidify Jacob’s call to ministry while he was in high school at a camp in northern Wisconsin. Throughout his years in high school, he attended youth groups in Twin Lakes, WI, and Ingleside, IL. He also led a weekly Bible study during his senior year of high school.
After Jacob graduated from high school, he attended Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL where he received his BA in Intercultural Studies/Theology. During his time in Chicago, Jacob partnered with various ministries in the Chicagoland area. Once he finished his time at Moody, he started online classes with Liberty University for his M.Div. while working as the Youth Director at his church in northern Illinois. The Lord taught him immensely what it looks like to do practical ministry during these years. Jacob now works full time as the Associate Pastor of Student & Discipleship at FBC Springfield, while also working toward his Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is excited to continually learn how to better serve the church as a pastor-theologian.
Jacob is married to his beautiful wife Elizabeth. She loves working as in RN an Fairfax, VA. In their spare time, Jacob and Elizabeth love to go hiking in the Shenandoah National Park.
Sam's Bio
I recognized my need for Christ when I was a rising senior in high school. It was on the back end of a six month period of dealing with great feelings of uncertainty regarding the future and purpose of my life coupled with bouts of depression. During that summer, on the third night of youth camp, the Holy Spirit drew me to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Accepting Christ has changed my life. I discovered the purpose of life was to worship the triune God and I knew I was made to see and savor His glory. Now in right relationship with God, I felt the call to ministry and began to seek how He wanted me to serve him and his church. I got my answer. I enrolled at Charleston Southern University where I earned a Bachelors in Music & Worship Leadership. There I met my wife Ashelynn who earned the same degree. I have been studying music and worship leadership since then and continue to this day with the goal of leading an effective ministry focused on communing with God in His word and prayer, spoken or sung, for the Glory of God and accomplishment of His mission.
By studying His word and through prayer Christ is molding me into His likeness. He is the driving force of my life and the work that I do. Helping people grow in their knowledge of Him and His relevance to their day-to-day lives is the task set before us as disciples. As a worship leader, the chief end of leading music is to glorify God. Music connects people in a strange yet beautiful way, and I believe it’s God’s plan that we use this powerful tool alongside the truths of Scripture to properly stir our affections and align our hearts to Him, and to Him alone.
I grew up on the coast of South Carolina in Georgetown. I enjoy playing, watching, and studying basketball. Along with my wife, I enjoy studying vocal technique and we are avid movie watchers. My favorite pastimes are playing guitar and studying harmony and jazz theory.
Ron's Bio
Hi, my name is Ron and it is a privilege to be serving with seniors and facilitating building maintenance here at FBCS. I don’t deserve it, but I’m a child of the King, the husband of a beautiful wife, father of seven awesome kids, and "Papa" to nearly 20 grandchildren and am getting used to being a great grandparent too! Linda and I love the (endless) task of trying to keep up with their families. I enjoy studying God’s Word and seeing how it points us to Christ. Since God called me into ministry I have served 2 churches in Western PA and several here in Virginia over the last 41+ years (and yes, unfortunately I brag on some Western PA sports teams). I like outdoor sports, experiencing other cultures, my German Shorthair Pointer, and fixing things.
Carol's Bio
Carol became the Director of Children’s Ministry of First Baptist Church of Springfield in July 2014 but has been a member since 2000. She has been a part of Baptist churches since attending First Baptist Church of Norfolk with her sisters when she was a child. She remembers serving in the bus ministry as a 5th grader leading songs. Carol accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior during this season of her life.
Carol was born in Norfolk, Virginia and attended local public schools. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech where she earned a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. She earned a Masters degree from Chapman University in Education, Curriculum and Instruction.
Prior to joining the church staff in Springfield, Carol taught in public and private schools in Virginia, California, and Florida. She taught Preschool at the church Dayschool for two years. She is active in the church choir and has worked with the youth and children’s ministries in various capacities since arriving here.
Carol and her husband, Jim, have four grown children and the incredible and ever-growing blessing of numerous grandchildren. All four children are active members of their local churches.
Carol and Jim live in Springfield. Jim served in the Navy for 27 years and now works as a government employee. Carol enjoys playing cards, reading, and board games as well as traveling and seeing her children and grandchildren.
Courtney's Bio
Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Courtney was baptised in the Congaree River even though she was raised Methodist. God was already working in her life at 12 knowing she would marry a Southern Baptist one day. Courtney graduated from Winthrop University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree. She worked as the head of Commercial Sales for Aquarian Pools and Spas Inc. until 2009 when she married Curtis Brooker, an officer in the US Army.
After becoming a military wife, Courtney was the leader of the Family Readiness Group for deployed soldiers and their families from 2010-2011. Courtney also has coached t-ball in California, and coached Softball in Michigan and South Carolina.
God has led the Brooker family to NOVA twice now. The first time in 2016. That is when Courtney began volunteering in Sparks in the AWANA program here at First Baptist Church of Springfield. When God moved them to Michigan, she continued to work with Kindergarten in the Awana Program. Now that the Brooker family is back Courtney will be working with the Cubbies and is looking forward to helping preschool aged children learn more about Jesus and the Bible as a whole.
When Courtney is not at Church working with the AWANA program, leading Children's Church, and volunteering at VBS, she loves spending time with her family. She and Curtis have 3 children, Kate, Daniel, and Emily.
Crystal's Bio
Crystal was born & raised in New York State, where her parents still live. After high school, she attended SUNY Potsdam and studied Physics & Math. She married her husband, Tom, after one year and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he was stationed in the Army. She worked in banking and received a Principles of Banking Certificate from the American Banking Association.
Tom & Crystal have now been married for over 35 years. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan with their children and new grandson. Their daughter, Clarissa, is a publisher at B&H Publishing, a division of Lifeway in Nashville, TN. Their son, Brad, is a Software Engineer at Argo AI. Daughter-in-law, Deziree, is a Data Analyst at Latitude Research. Grandson, Cadmus, was born Feb 16, 2021 and is busy learning new tricks everyday.
Crystal has held several positions in banking, owned her own business, been on many non-profit boards, and been on church staff, here and in New Mexico for almost 25 years.
Crystal has been a Born-Again Christian since she was a teenager. She has been blessed to serve in many areas, such as Women’s Ministry Director, Preschool Teacher, Worship Team Leader, Small Group Leader, Missions Chair and Treasurer.
Besides church, Crystal makes time with friends and family a priority in her life. She enjoys playing games, painting, singing and traveling, as much as time allows. Her new favorite pastime, however, is getting to spend as much time playing with Cadmus.
Kris' Bio
Kris grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She moved to Fairfax as a college student. She has a degree in Fine Art from George Mason University. She and her husband Rex Morris are closing in on their 20th anniversary. They have 4 children, Libby, Eli, George, and Robin.
After college, Kris worked as a graphic designer, at a printing company, where she learned the ins and outs of printing. From there she worked for a non-profit association designing publications and advertising materials. Before leaving the design world to become a homemaker Kris worked with a team of designers at United HeathCare (Optum).
Kris accepted Christ as her savior when she was 13ish years old. She was baptized at First Baptist Church in Norfolk Virginia. Becoming a stay at home mom has afforded Kris time to feed her appetite for God’s Word. She started coming to Bible Study at FBCSpringfield when her oldest began attending the Day School. Kris has a passion to know and grow in the Lord and see other ladies grow in their faith.
Kris enjoys watching her kids play soccer, lacrosse, football, and viola (and anything else they decide to try). She loves to paint, sew, crochet, craft, bake and eat (especially spicy food.) Kris loves being on a team, and always enjoys a challenge. She is happiest when she is able to roll her sleeves up and get her hands dirty (literally!).
Pastor Salazar's Bio
I have been serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as a Minister of the Gospel for the past 35 years. I started as a Music Minister and Youth Director at my home church in Costa Rica, Central America when I was only 17 years old. During my time as a Music Minister, I was able to establish a solid music ministry that encompassed adults, youth, and children's choirs. Under my leadership, the church was blessed with quartets, small ensembles, soloists, duets, and many other performances that enriched and expanded the entire ministry. After serving in this area, I was named co-Pastor of the same church. God continued to use me in many ways and allowed me to help establish several churches and support local pastors within Costa Rica and in countries such as Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras. After 14 years of church ministry, the Lord lead me to the United States to be a minister among the Hispanic population in 1996.
My wife, Carolina has traveled with me during 30+ years of marriage. Together, we have raised two sons: Daniel and David. Carolina earned a Master’s degree in Special Education and works for Fairfax County Public Schools. Daniel has been serving the Lord in our local church in many ways. He plays the drums, guitar, and sings in the Youth Praise band. He also teaches the teenagers’ Youth Group, and actively participates in our Bible Discipleship program. Daniel has expressed his desire to serve the Lord full time and has been ordained as a Lay Pastor together with three other faithful and godly men from our church. David, our other son, has been attending college for the past four years, pursuing a degree in Finance. He plays classical guitar and bass in our Praise Band and is in charge of our church’s social media.
With God’s guidance, I have been able to continue working on expanding His Kingdom among the Hispanic population of the Northern Virginia area, while leading new Christians to their next level in their spiritual lives with the help of the Holy Spirit and our Bible Discipleship program. I have also had the opportunity to develop new ministries in our church, and encourage new believers to be a light in their community. Finally, God has granted me the possibility to support many pastors and missionaries of God's work in several countries in the world such as: Bolivia, Spain, China, Colombia, Senegal, Albania, Macedonia, Costa Rica and, in the United States of America.
Pastor Tegene's Bio
Psalms 1:8
"Ask of me, I will give you the nations for your inheritance."
My Name is Pastor Tegene Mengesha. My wife’s name is Trhas Mengesha and we have been married for 20 years. I have been blessed with 3 wonderful daughters Rohebot who is 18, Mesgana age 15, and Abigail age 13. I came to the Lord when I was 13 years old and ever since I have grown in my spiritual relationship with him. From that point on I have been serving him in my own home country and here in this church. My job as a preacher is to help others and to give my testimony about how I was lost and God found me. How he showed me his love and to spread the Good News about how he can do the same for anyone who chooses to believe. I serve the Lord as an ordained pastor to my fellow believers and anyone else that has a hunger and thirst for God in my country’s native language of Amharic at the Ethiopian Congregation of First Baptist Church of Springfield.