MEET THE STAFF
Scott began his ministry at Church on the Hill in September 2000 as the Pastor of Student Ministries, and in October 2004 he accepted the position of Senior Pastor.
Background: born on 6/12/71 in Prospect Park, NJ
Married: May 5, 1996
Family: wife Kelli and two children, Courtney and Austin
Favorite Thing to Do: finding sanity at the beach
Unknown Talents: kayaking (Look out, he's a black belt in Tae Kwon Do!)
Favorite Food: Mexican
Hobbies: anything outdoors, especially backpacking, hiking and fishing
Elliot joined the staff in January 2004. Elliot's connection to Church on the Hill goes back a few years. His grandfather, Clarence R. Sands, was the senior pastor at our church for 35 years (1943-1979). Elliot's father Bill Sands, grew up at this church and is also in fulltime ministry, currently serving with the Mike Silva Evangelistic Ministries. When we asked Elliot how it feels to drive up the Hill on Sands Drive (named after his grandfather) to work he said, "very weird, but cool."
Background: born on September 5 in Livermore, CA
Married: December 31, 2002
Family: wife Penny, one daughter Anika Marie, two step-children Calida (25) and Clayton (18), and twin-step-grandchildren Luna and Athena (5).
Favorite Thing to Do: Go shopping for used CD's and DVD's. "I can't pass up a good deal on a killer movie!"
Favorite Food: Thai
Hobbies: Waterskiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and traveling to different countries.
Most Unknown/Unimportant Talent: Can pick up almost anything with his toes.
John came to Church on the Hill in July of 2007 after serving in San Jose for 13 years as a Senior Pastor. He has a passion for serving the Bay Area and specifically for helping people come to know Jesus. His passion also includes seeing persons transform more each day into the likeness of Jesus Christ and having the privilege of playing some small role in that.
Background: Born in Springfield, MO but raised in Salida, Colorado (Go Broncos!)
Married: January 31, 1976
Family: Wife, Pamela, 2 adult married "kids" (Audrey and Kyle whose spouses are Tanner and Rachael, respectively), 3 grandkids and one Jack Russell terrier, "Dot".
Favorite Thing to Do: Tide pooling with Pamela, and anything that is active and competitive.
Favorite Food: Italian, Chinese, McDonalds, Panda Express, Mexican, Pizza Hut...you get the idea.
Hobbies: Scuba diving, golfing and reading
Most Unknown/Unimportant Talent: Does the best "lizard" imitation in San Jose. (don't ask...) and can tell you the names of all the Teletubbies and the Spice Girls.
Tami was born in San Jose and has lived here for her entire life! She joined Church on the Hill's staff in January 2006 as the fulltime Children's Ministry Director. Her area of responsibility includes all children, from birth through fifth grade. Tami has a huge passion and love for children ... and volunteers! Her goals are:
- That the children will have fun while learning about Jesus
- Parents to feel secure and confident when they drop off their precious children
- Kidz on the Hill volunteers be valued.
Family: husband Chuck and four children: Natasha, Charles, Cassandra, and Christopher.
Favorite Thing to Do: spending time with her husband and children
Enjoys: Going to the beach and vacationing in Tahoe
Jay has been on staff since June 2004. After having spent many years working odd jobs he didn't enjoy (banker, real estate appraiser, luggage salesman, janitor...just to name a few), Jay has found rest in knowing that he is where God wants him to be. He's passionate about teaching and influencing both students & staff towards Godly change and constant movement towards Christ. He has his bachelor's degree in Biblical Theology & Christian Leadership from William Jessup University in Rocklin, CA.
In his spare time he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, writing and playing music with his band AfterSunday (shameless plug!), watching good movies, reading good books, eating steak & sushi (but never together), and writing. Jay hopes to write a book someday. No one may read or buy it, but he still hopes to write it.
Cindy has been working fulltime at Church on the Hill since October 1985 and is primarily responsible for graphics and all-church publications. She is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has her degree in Art. She also has fun managing Church on the Hill's kitchen facility and Cafe on the Hill.
When she's not working, Cindy enjoys spending her time in Monterey.
Kathy divides her time between COTH and Achiever Christian School. She is a transplant from the Midwest and a graduate of Western Michigan University. Her husband, Jim is a scenic designer and technical director at SJSU, and is currently teaching himself to speak and write Chinese. Her son, David, is active in the high school group at COTH and loves going on missions trips to far-off places. In her free time, Kathy enjoys playing string bass with various classical groups.
Barbara has been employed at Church on the Hill since 1980, after many years of volunteering and three years of teaching at Achiever Christian School. Her spare time is taken up with her husband Terry, four grown children, and eight grandchildren.
Lisa joined the Church on the Hill family in May 2007. She is married with one lovely daughter and loves spending time with her family. She's lived in California her whole life and loves the beach, sun, and outdoors. She graduated from San Jose State in 2000 with a BS in Business/Marketing and earned an MS Learning Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University in 2006. In her spare time, you can find her hiking to the top of Half Dome Yosemite, kickboxing, napping or traveling to Hawaii.
When you call the church office, Tiffanie is the friendly voice that you hear. She was born in Fresno, CA and has four children - Nicole, Alexis, Izaiah and Haley. She loves to serve with Kidz on the Hill on Sundays. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with her family going on day trips to the park and the beach.
Karl is often spotted at the piano or keyboards leading worship on Sunday mornings, running band and vocal rehearsals on Wednesdays, helping Roger plan the worship gatherings, or hidden away in a dark office working on the website or other things geek. That stuff is really too geeky to talk about, but if you really want to know, email him.
He's been at COTH since 1987, involved with the music department since 1999, and currently serves as our music director since May 2006.
In all seriousness, Karl is passionate about worship and helping others experience the joy of glorifying the One who is worthy of praise. His favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Brittany jumped on staff in May 2007 after she graduated with her BA in Communication Studies from Azusa Pacifica University. She has always loved students, and feels privileged that she gets to be a part of a team dedicated to seeing teenagers come to a growing, lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. She is currently working on her Masters in Youth Ministry at Western Seminary and would some day love to do youth ministry overseas. Her passions include music, reading, anything outdoors (hiking, camping), playing at the beach, and being with people she loves.