Chris has served in ministry as a Navy lay chaplain, a youth ministry volunteer, a Young Life Area Director in Sammamish Washington, and as pastor of Cascades. He is married to Karen, and they have four children, Maddy, Rhyan, Jordan Ann, and Sofia.
Chris received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, his Masters of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his Doctor of Ministry degree in Missional Church Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.
Chris is passionate about fly fishing, outback hiking in the great Pacific NW, serving as a Young Life volunteer leader at Camas High School, and sharing God's love with neighbors and friends through Jesus Christ. He loves living in Clark County with its proximity to the mountains, ocean, great food in Portland, and beautiful rivers to fish. His life verses are Colossians 3:12-17 and his goals for ministry are framed by Acts 2:42-47.
The daughter of career missionaries, Sarah was born in Portland and raised in China and Nigeria. She returned to Portland to attend Concordia University, where she earned degrees in Theater and English and participated in every musical ensemble available—as accompanist, singer, horn player, or bell ringer. From there, she went on to earn a BA in Music from Portland State University, an MA in Music from the University of Portland, and a PhD in Music History from the University of Washington. Her day job involves working with Concordia’s online education department as an instructional designer. Since 2004, Sarah has also been the director of MADE (Music, Art, and Drama Education) for Kids at Concordia—a program that involves area youth in musical theater camps during school breaks.
Sarah has always known music to be her language of worship, and she is grateful to be a part of the Cascades family. In her free time, Sarah enjoys photography, volunteering in her daughter’s Spanish immersion class, and being out in nature with her husband and two small children.
Nancy was born in the Yamhill, Oregon area and has lived in the Northwest all her life. A graduate of Western Oregon University for her bachelor's degree and Portland State University for her Master's, she taught middle-school and high-school English for eleven years and taught at Clark College from 1989 to 2016. She was also involved in tutoring, substitute teaching, and coaching competitive high-school speech and debate.
Since third grade she has enjoyed singing in church choirs and has been a member of Cascades' choir since she joined the church in February of 1987. With a theatre minor and a fair amount of directing experience, Nancy was happy to step into the role of choir director when the opportunity arose, and she loves this ministry! Nancy has five children and seven grandchildren (of whom she is very proud).
Some of her favorite activities here at Cascades have included participating in productions of Godspell and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, teaching in the LOGOS program and assisting with the Mission and Peace ministry. She also feels blessed to have served as an Elder and a Deacon and be a part of this wonderful congregation. For recreation, she enjoys traveling, reading, gardening, and cooking. The choir is truly Nancy's passion, and she loves being a part of this beautiful aspect of God's work.