At NWH, it's more than a team of leaders that pour into each intern, it's a family. Countless individuals, sharing life, advice, and time with a heart to see each intern thrive and grow. This internship is something that the NWH family is behind but each Ministry Track has a designated leader who is experienced in ministry to take the internship to the next level.
Meet our Ministry Track Leaders!
JOSH CARSTENSEN (NWH Lead Pastor)
Things Josh loves: Jesus, his wife of 16 years, his three daughters, people, playing in water, the sun, donuts, reading, toys with motors, progress.
RON KING (NWH Associate Pastor)
Ron and Sue met in San Diego over 38 years ago, (holy smokes, has it been that long???) and started loving each other while doing Jr. High ministry together. Their greatest shared loves are Jesus, each other, their two adult sons (Josh and Andrew), their extended family, a boatload of dear friends and ministry partners, the Church, great ethnic foods, global mission, making disciples, being hospitable, and travel. Sue is beautiful, organized, artistic, skilled at teaching and a Jane Austin fan. Ron is not artistic, organizes out of necessity, sleeps through anything Jane Austin and is still wondering how he got Sue to say that she’d marry him.
GARY & TARA (& Lou & Millie) Jones (NWH Youth Leaders)
Gary and Tara! The Joneses have been married for 7 years and love spending time outside with their girls, Lou and Millie! They are stoked to have been in Corvallis for a whole year now and feel as though Oregon is the Pacific wonderland of their dreams! Gary loves being outside bowhunting and dirt biking, and Tara loves photography and interior design. All three Joneses spend time outside together hiking and making trips to the coast! They absolutely love Corvallis and all of the great friendships they have here. The Joneses starting serving in ministry together in college and never looked back! They have served together in children's ministry, youth, young adults, camp teams, and mission trips, and know firsthand that there is always something energizing about working with young people! Gary is the intern director, so the Joneses live a lot of life with the interns. Whether you're laughing, crying, loving, or leading together with the Joneses, they love having a front-row seat, watching God work in and to and through interns!
JUSTIN JACKSON (NWH Worship Director)
Justin Jackson. Nicknames include JJ, Jayje, Jay, and "McLovins" but his wife refuses to use anything but his given name, Justin. He's got a passion for music, and is just as comfortable leading a congregation of worshipers as he is performing with his band at various locales around Corvallis. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, he's your pretty standard PNW hipster, though you won't ever catch him with a cup of coffee in his hand! If you engage him in conversation, be prepared for a lot of pop culture references. He watches the Office and Parks & Rec nearly as often as he watches Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings. Don't let his enjoyment of cinema fool you though, he and his wife Wyndser are always up for a hike into the Cascades, or a trip over to the Oregon Coast. Having the opportunity to serve God and his people through music and worship at Northwest Hills has been a dream come true for Justin, and his deepest desire is that others would have the chance to do the same.
JESSI FURLO (NWH Children's Ministry Director)
Jessi (a.k.a. Miss Jessi) and her husband, James, have been a part of this church family for about 16 years and have been married just as long. They are Colorado/California transplants but have been in the PNW for 20 years and officially call themselves Oregonians…although you may still see them under an umbrella here and there. Jessi has a passion for teaching any age and with over a decade of experience from birth through elementary school she is excited to shift gears from teaching kids about art, reading, and writing, to teaching them the love of Jesus! The Furlos stay busy with their daughter, Elinor (8) and son, Samson (7), riding bikes, taking walks with their dachshund, Vinnie, and doing family movie marathons while putting together jigsaw puzzles. One of our favorite things is to share a long meal together with friends and be so deep in conversation they lose track of time. Don’t be surprised if you get a dinner invite soon!