Our Staff
MINISTRY LEADERS
Damon and Michelle Curtis
Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader – Southwest Campus
Damon and Michelle Curtis as ministers for the Southwest Campus, as well as oversee the work of the Youth and Family Ministry across The Greater Houston Church. Passionate about strong marriages and families, Damon and Michelle have served full-time in the ministry since 1999. They have gratefully served in churches in Dallas, Houston, New Jersey, and New York. They were married in 2000 and have two lovely daughters Ava and Claire.
Jim & Evelyn Rempel
Evangelist & Women’s Ministry Leader - Gulf Coast Campus
James and Evelyn Rempel are ministers for the Gulf Coast campus of the Greater Houston Church. They were married in 2002. The Rempels have served in the ministry in NJ, NC, NY and now in Houston, Texas! James studied psychology at the University of Minnesota and Evelyn studied Spanish/Translation at Rutgers University, in NJ. They love spending time with their three kids, Madelyn, AJ and Sammy. Together, they love eating good food, playing games and getting away to the mountains and the beach.
Derek and Misha Wooten
Evangelist and Women’s Ministry Leader –
North Campus
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Derek and Misha Wooten minister to the North Campus and oversee the Singles Ministry. They have served in The Greater Houston Church since 2O11 after ministering in Indiana, Ohio, and Florida. Misha has her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction; and Derek is currently seeking his Masters in Missional Leadership. With their beautiful daughters Nadia and Skylar, they love to travel overseas, go to concerts, and play tennis.
MINISTERS
Graham Baskin
Youth & Family Minister
Graham Baskin is the Youth and Family Minister for the Greater Houston Church. After earning a degree in Psychology from Kennesaw State University, he served in the full-time ministry in Georgia from 2017 until his arrival in Houston in 2019. Graham’s desire is to see God move powerfully in the next generation as they encounter Jesus through the scriptures and by witnessing the lives of other committed disciples through a fully integrated community in the church.
Matthew and Christine
Campus Ministers
Matthew and Christine serve as campus ministers overseeing the college students of the Greater Houston Church. Matthew graduated from Rice University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate in Leadership Coaching from the Doerr Institute, and Christine graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Biochemistry. They began working for the church in 2022 and stepped in to lead the campus ministry in 2024. Matthew and Christine will be married in August 2024. They love playing boardgames, having people over for dinner, and spending time in nature together.
ELDERS, TEACHERS, and ADMINISTRATION
Ronnie and Linda Ricks
Elder and Elder’s Wife
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Houston church members since 1992, Ronnie was appointed an elder in 2018. Ronnie and Linda have been married since 1986, and both are native Texans. Ronnie has served on the church Board of Directors for over 20 years. With a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Ronnie works as the Manager of Production Planning with Westlake Chemical. Ronnie and Linda’s son, Ashton and his wife Loveth are part of the Central Campus. Their daughter, Taylor, is a graduate student at Drexel University, and she’s part of the singles ministry in The Greater Philadelphia Church of Christ.
Rhett and Debbie Spivey
Elder and Elder’s Wife
Youth Ministry Administrator
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Rhett was appointed an elder in 2018 and is a Nurse Practitioner at the Doctors Clinic Houston. Beginning in 2018, Rhett’s wife, Debbie, began as an administrator for the church drawing on years of experience as an executive administrative assistant. Married in 1990, they have served full time in ministries individually in Athens, Atlanta, Chicago, Milwaukee, Boston, and together in Dallas, New Orleans and Kansas City. Rhett and Debbie have two adult children. Sarah and her husband, Michael Bringardner, are a part of the Mission Point Church in San Antonio, and Kaylee is involved in the singles ministry in Houston.
Joseph and Sheila Hammond
Elder and Elder’s Wife
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The Hammond’s have been members of the Houston church since 1997. Joseph and Sheila have been married since 1980 and have two adult children. Joseph was appointed an elder in 2020. He is currently serving as the Southwest Campus Benevolence Representative and has previously served on the church’s Board of Directors and as a Spiritual Recovery Deacon and an Addiction Recovery leader. Joseph is an attorney and has been in private practice since 1985. Their son, Alex, is an attorney and his wife, Bethany, have two children and are part of the Austin Church. Their daughter, Brigette, is also an attorney and her husband, Marv Richardson, have one child and are part of the Bridge Point Church in Marietta, Georgia.
Jeff and Ginger McJunkins
Elder and Elder’s Wife
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Jeff and Ginger McJunkins have been members of the Greater Houston Church since its inception in 1991. They moved from Dallas, TX to help plant the church in Houston. Jeff was appointed an Elder in 2020 and has served on the church Board of Directors since 2018. He has worked at First American since 1997, where he is currently the Sr. Examiner in the Tax Research Department. Jeff and Ginger were married in 1986 and have two adult children, both living in Houston. Bradley is part of the singles ministry, while Katie is involved in the campus.
Brian Akins
Teacher
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Brian Akins serves the church as a teacher and was previously part of the teaching ministry in the downtown region of the Boston Church of Christ. He has been married to Cynthia since 1998, and they have two daughters, Atalie and Eliana. Brian received his Master of Biblical Interpretation from Lubbock Christian University in 2008. He also has degrees from the University of Texas, Rice University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is an accounting professor at Rice.
John Beene, CPA, MDiv
CFO and Teacher
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John Beene, CPA, has served as the CFO since 2015 and was appointed as a teacher in 2018. A disciple of Jesus since 1987, John grew up in Tennessee, helped with a church planting in Knoxville, and then spent sixteen years in New York City working in church administration and full-time ministry. John oversees the fiscal operations of the church and provides Biblical teaching. He completed a Master of Divinity from Abilene Christian University. John’s wife, Chandra, works as an attorney serving non-profits, and they have four children Hannah, Kayla, Ellen, and Josiah.
Laura Cox
Business Coordinator
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Laura was baptized in the Houston Church in 1991 as a teen and has been married to Lannie since 1999. She has served the church in many roles, including serving as a Women’s Ministry Leader. Laura brings years of administrative experience working in roles from patient and financial coordinator positions. Lannie & Laura have a daughter and a son they adopted from India. They enjoy traveling and being with their extended families.