Christel Arslanian - Journey Kidz Director & College Director
Hi, my name is Christel and I get the pleasure of leading and overseeing the children's ministry of our church, as the Journey Kidz Director. I love working with children of all ages and also leading the amazing volunteers I serve alongside with. In addition to Journey Kidz, I also am the College Director at The Journey! That involves leading our College Growth Group leaders, planning fun events, outreach and seeing that the students in our church are growing in their faith and sharing God's love at campuses all over the NY Metro area. I'm passionate in seeing others become followers of Jesus and encouraging them in their faith and walk with Him.
Contact me if you would like more information on Journey Kidz (programming or volunteering), our College ministry, or serving with the Super Service Monday Team!
BASIC STUFF:
I grew up in Brockport NY, a small town outside of Rochester NY, where going to the grocery store meant seeing at least 5 people you knew. After visiting NYC in high school, I decided to come here for college, and in 2004 my freshmen year of college I found The Journey. It was the summer before my senior year I figured out that God was calling me into Ministry and that the plans I had for myself had totally changed. I came on PT at The Journey working with Journey Kidz, and in the summer of 2008 I came on FT!
Visit me on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/christelarslanian
BIRTHDAY: January 22, 1986
EDUCATION: BS in Advertising Communications with an Art concentration at St. John's University in Queens NY.
Interests and Favorites
- Places: Rochester & NYC. I'm simple :)
- What's on your iPod: Hillsong United, Bethany Dillon, Chris Tomlin, Shawn McDonald, One Republic, The Fray, Muse, Marc Broussard, Ernie Halter, Michael Buble....
- Books: The B-I-B-L-E! Screwtape Letters, Love Languages of God, Blue Like Jazz, Purpose Driven Life, Leadership & Discipleship books.
- What do you TiVo: The Office, Project Runway, anything on TLC or the History Channel.
- Sport Teams: Let's go Buff-a-loooo! As an alumni, I root for the RedStorm!
- Movies: Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Little Manhattan, Lord of the Rings, Home Alone 1&2 (you can never get enough of kevin!), Disney classics...
- Hobbies: Artsy stuff, meeting new people, going to coffee shops with great friends, parks in NYC, Wegmans, movies, exploring new places, camping & road trips, encouraging/mentoring others...
- Dislikes: Crowded Subways, materialism, the smell of fish and gas prices.
- Odd Facts: Both of my parents were born outside of the US - my mom in Germany and my dad in Lebanon (where he lived for over 20 years). I have yet to make it to either country...
- Life Scripture: "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" - Galatians 5:6
Caroline Lopez - Office Manager
My name is Caroline and I am the Executive Assistant to Pastor Kerrick and the Office Manager. I am fortunate to work in a lot of different areas, including Growth Groups and at the Sunday services. I am passionate about serving wherever I am needed, and love seeing people grow more connected to God and friends at the Journey.
BASIC STUFF:
I am originally from New Canaan, CT, just 1 hour outside of the city. After attending college in Washington, DC, I came back to New York to work for an Off-Broadway theater. I started attending the Journey in December of 2006, served on the Vocal team for a year, and joined the full-time staff in May of 2008!
Visit me on Facebook at: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5302810&ref=ts
BIRTHDAY: August 8, 1983
EDUCATION: The George Washington University: BA Dramatic Literature, Minor in Art History
Interests and Favorites
- Places: Martha's Vineyard, Barcelona, London, Berlin, Washington, DC, New Canaan, CT and of course NYC!
- What's on your iPod: Lots.
- Books: Romeo & Juliet, the Bible, Blue Like Jazz, The Glass Menagerie
- What do you TiVo: Gray's Anatomy, anything on Bravo
- Sport Teams: Not so much
- Movies: The Sound of Music, Love Actually, Almost Famous
- Hobbies: Traveling, dancing, art, coffee, Scrabble
- Dislikes: Tomatoes
- Odd Facts: I have moved 6 times in the last 2 years
- Life Scripture: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5-6
Elliott Sneed - Journey-Brooklyn Pastor
My name is Elliott and I'm the Journey Brooklyn pastor. I also help lead the Journey Leadership Experience here at the Journey. I love to see new things started from scratch, and the process of people taking next steps to grow spiritually as they take the risks. I am passionate about building relationships with people that are far from God, and I also enjoy strategizing about how the church can be most effective in accomplishing God's mission.
Contact me if you would like to know more about: Journey-Brooklyn location, Journey Leadership Experience.
BASIC STUFF:
Originally, I am from Louisiana and Texas, where I met and married Heather Ruth, the love of my life! We have been married for 12 wonderful years. Heather Ruth and I were able to pastor and start two churches over the past seven years. We have two children, our 5-year-old daughter Abigail and our 3-year-old son Micah. They are the joy of our lives! We are excited to be a part of a growing church life The Journey – especially being a part of launching a new site in Brooklyn and seeing it reach its full redemptive potential.
Visit me on Facebook at:http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1032712468
BIRTHDAY: August 13, 1973
EDUCATION: Texas State University – B.A. in English & History; Southwestern Seminary - Master of Divinity
Interests and Favorites
- Places: Brooklyn (we already love it), Texas, Boston, and NYC!
- What's on your iPod: Little bit of everything.
- Books: Books on leadership and strategy, historical fiction
- What do you TiVo: 30 Rock, King of Queens, Seinfeld, Law & Order SVU
- Sport Teams: Go Giants! I am also partial to the Buffalo Bills.
- Movies: Almost anything with Will Ferrell or Steve Martin, almost all westerns, and yes, really good science-fiction movies
- Hobbies: I enjoy hanging out with my wife and kids, NFL football, good restaurants, tech stuff, and movies
- Dislikes: I hate being too hot, small rooms, all spam email
- Odd Facts: I once performed a dramatic short in front of 3000 people. It went well!
- Life Scripture: "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-22
Cristina Fowler - Executive Assistant
Hi there! I'm Cristina, and I am Nelson's Executive Assistant. I suppose my primary job is making sure Nelson is able to focus on what matters—teaching and developing the people of our church. Some days that means a lot of administration and organization, and other days it's all customer service, assisting both Journey members/attenders and church leaders from across the country. I also have the unique pleasure of working with Church Leader Insights. Check us out at: http://www.churchleaderinsights.com.
Contact me if you would like to know more about Nelson or Church Leader Insights.
BASIC STUFF:
Although I was born in NYC, I grew up in Miami. After college, I started working at Walt Disney World (then the Disney-MGM Studios, now Disney’s Hollywood Studios), where I stayed for a little over two years. After a few twists and turns, I found myself back in New York, and eventually I wiggled my way into the theatre world. I worked for a small non-profit theatre for almost a year (where I met my now husband, David), and then ended up returning to Disney—working in the creative development department of Disney on Broadway. I was there for three years when I felt that tug and knew it was time for a change. I’ve been working for the Journey ever since.
Visit me on Facebook at: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=663157393&ref=name
BIRTHDAY: 07/16/1980
EDUCATION: BA in sociology (minors in French and education) from the University of Florida (GO GATORS!)
Interests and Favorites
- Places: Avignon, France; St. Maarten; the West Village, NYC; my bed
- What's on your iPod: Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Marc Broussard, Caedmon's Call, Sara Bareilles, Mika, Maroon 5, and many more.
- Books: The Bible, The Count of Monte Cristo, Walt Disney: An American Original, The Life of Pi
- What do you TiVo: LOST, The Office, The Amazing Race, Heroes…and The Hills
- Sport Teams: Miami Dolphins (AFC), Dallas Cowboys (NFC), and the Florida Gators!
- Movies: Sixteen Candles, Clueless, Romeo & Juliet, Life is Beautiful, Cinema Paradiso, Empire Records
- Hobbies: going out to eat, traveling, Disney World, picnics in Prospect Park, walking through NYC neighborhoods I don't know very well
- Dislikes: people on the train who assume I want to listen to their iPod too, balloons (weird, I know), and thunder/lightning
- Odd Facts: I'm double jointed; my husband lovingly refers to them as my "witch fingers."
- Life Scripture: Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. - 1 John 3:18 (NLT)
Dawn Thompson - Director of Events
My name is Dawn and I'm the Events Director for The Journey. I am fortunate to work in a lot of different areas, which include the Sunday services, Super Service Thursday and Mission (Community Service) Groups. I am passionate about seeing people grow in their walk with God and serving those in need in our city and around the world.
Contact me if you would like to know more about Mission (Community Service) Groups, Volunteering on Sunday or at The Journey Office.
BASIC STUFF:
Originally, I’m from Burleson, Texas and moved to NYC in July of 2006. I came to NYC for the first time after high school and knew that one day, I’d live here. I currently live in Astoria with my roommate, Sarah, and my cat, Winberg. My older brother Eric, and his wife Tina, live in Texas, as well as my Mom and Dad, who happen to be the best parents EVER!
Visit me on Facebook at: http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=810714591&ref=profile
BIRTHDAY: October 9
EDUCATION: Hardin-Simmons University: BBA in International Business, Minor in Church Ministry with an emphasis on Missions
Interests and Favorites
- Places: My Mom & Dad's house in Texas, Astoria, Hong Kong, Kenya, South Africa
- What's on your iPod: Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Jason Morant, Joshua Radin, Paul Simon
- Books: The Bible, Cry the Beloved Country, The Good Earth
- What do you TiVo: The Office, 30 Rock, Chuck
- Sport Teams: The Dallas Mavericks
- Movies: Tommy Boy, Elf, Out of Africa, Enchanted, The Lion King
- Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Baking
- Dislikes: Onions & Mayonnaise
- Odd Facts: I have moved over 20 times
- Life Scripture: "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6