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Meet The Staff | Northgate

This is Northgate

Transforming our homes, communities, and the world by Pursuing God, Building Community, and Unleashing Compassion.

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Lawrence Davis

Senior Pastor // EST: 2010

Lawrence and his wife Michelle moved to the Bay Area in 2010 to pastor at Northgate. His wife Michelle is a full-time teacher and athletic trainer at American Canyon High School. Together they have 4 children. Madilynn, Malachi, Elsie and Demetrius, their two boys were adopted, Malachi from Ethiopia, Africa and Demetrius as a foster child in Solano County, Ca. Lawrence attended and graduated with a Master’s degree in Ministry and Biblical Studies from Hope International University. Lawrence is passionate about the local and global church. An avid sports fan and loves to dream.

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Robin Ahlering

Director of Connections // EST: 2023

Robin is passionate about getting people engaged at Northgate. Whether it is welcoming newcomers, helping you discover your gifts, or connecting you with others, she is committed to making Northgate a place you can call home. It is all about growing the Kingdom and serving His people! Robin, her husband, Joe, and their daughter, Payton, returned to California after 8 years in Idaho. She loves animals of all kinds, but especially dogs. Her house would be full of rescue dogs if Joe would let her! She enjoys reading, traveling, watching football, and hanging out with family and friends.

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Jeff Bachman

Executive Pastor // EST: 2022

It is Jeff's greatest joy to invest in those who then get to invest in others for kingdom impact! Jeff has been in ministry for 30 years and has worked in students, families, groups, and campus pastor ministry before stepping into his role here at Northgate. He is passionate about getting a glimpse of the eternal through the lives of the people he works with that passionately seek out Christ in their life on a daily basis.  Jeff has his Master’s Degree from Western Seminary in Evangelism and Equipping. He and his wife of 21 years, Shara, have three children, Jackson (16), Isabella (14), and Charlotte (12). Jeff loves music, cooking, traveling, podcasting, comic books, and sitting over conversations with a beverage.

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Megan Freedman

Pastor of Care // EST: 2017

What drives Megan is her desire to place value on people with everything she does. She is driven to love the unlovely and notice the unnoticed. She has three amazing, launched children. Her husband brings her great joy and even after fifteen years of marriage his shenanigans to not disappoint.

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Jim Kennemur

Senior Ministry Pastor // EST: 2022

Pastor Jim and his wife Betty have been married for 46 years and have two daughters and 6 grandchildren. His hobbies include wood working, building HO trains, and doing cross stitch embroidery. He brings 40 years of Pastoral ministry to the Senior Adult Ministries. He has also been a police and fire department chaplain as well as reserve firefighter and most recently a volunteer hospital chaplain where he helped train other chaplains concerning how to deal with patient and family issues.

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Sammy Verbis

Students - High School // EST: 2019

Sammy loves High School Students!! He loves to see them meet Jesus for the first time, he loves to see them grow deeper in their relationship with Him, the adult leaders and each other. Sammy believes that High School Students can make a major impact in their world with Jesus in their hearts and a Kingdom Worker mentality. A born and raised Benician, Sammy is surrounded by family in town, including his awesome wife, Amanda, and sweet daughters, Audrina and Gabriella. Sammy has been involved in student ministries at Northgate since 1996, as a student, Student leader, volunteer leader, Director of Student ministries, Director of Families and now Director of High School Ministries!

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Mandy Le

Children's Ministries // EST: 2023

Mandy is deeply devoted to her faith, her husband Aaron, and their three boys, Eli, Max, and Ben. She also adores her two miniature horses, Taco and Milkshake, and all of their chickens. You'll often find her joyfully dancing with kids, cracking jokes, and embracing the delightful chaos of life. Mandy's passion for teaching children about Jesus was ignited over a decade ago when she began volunteering in our Children's Ministry. With divine guidance, Mandy has found herself in this position where she can utilize her God-given passions and talents to instill in every child the belief that they were created on purpose.

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Amanda Verbis

Childcare & Preschool Director // EST: 2022

Amanda has been working with children since 2008 and has a passion for the education field. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from St. Mary’s College and believes God has called her to work with kids. She is passionate about giving children a safe place to learn, grow and develop and believes every child is unique and special. Amanda dreamed of opening a childcare center for many years where every child is welcome and she was able to make this dream a reality in 2022 here at Northgate! She lives in Benicia with her cool husband, Sammy, and their two beautiful daughters, Audrina and Gabriella. When Amanda isn’t busy running around campus you will find her drinking a cold brew coffee, listening to music and bargain shopping. Amanda looks forward to meeting you and your family!

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Aaron Hines

Worship Pastor - Associate // EST: 2022

A Charleston, South Carolina native, Aaron Hines moved to the Bay Area to Pastor and lead the Creative and Production department here at Northgate. He has professionally worked in the entertainment industry as a singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Most recently appearing on Season 21 of the Emmy Award winning show The Voice! Aaron has also been simultaneously pastoring and leading worship at some of the largest churches in America for the last 8 years. He studied and received his Bachelor's of Arts in Music performance and biblical studies at Charleston Southern University and Post graduate in Entertainment Business at Southern New Hampshire. He is passionate about the creative arts, leading, developing people's gift, the local, and the global church. Aaron is the dog dad of two pups named Winston and Duncan, an avid sports fan, and is a big time foodie!

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Astrid Chauvin

Worship // EST: 2021

A Bay Area Native. Grew up serving at church while both parents were in full time ministry. At an early age had a heart for worship ministry and a desire to impact and see the next generation learn and grow in their personal relationship and worship to God. Graduated from Visible Music College with a B.A. in Modern Music Ministry with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. She served and worked at churches in Tennessee and Mississippi before moving back to the Bay Area to continue doing ministry. She is passionate about all things related to worship arts, leading, helping people step into their giftings and using it to glorify Christ. When Astrid is not working you will find her enjoying time with her two little girls and her husband Kyle and their dog Daisy. Her desire is to lead people to the throne of Jesus. If you wondered how to pronounce her name, just think "Austry".

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Zak Stamps

Director of Technology // EST: 2021

A Benicia resident originally from Los Angeles, CA, Zak is all things tech. A professional sound engineer, producer, broadcast production consultant and web developer, Zak has worked with countless venues and churches from around the country and has supported many large names in the entertainment industry as well as a handful of Theatre tours Since 2003. His prayer is to elevate Northgate to the next level of worship through technology with the sole focus on bringing newcomers to Christ through the lens of AVL.

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Joe Ahlering

Director of Operations // EST: 2023

Joe is an avid sailor who has spent decades navigating the open waters with a passion for adventure. Married to his wife for more than two decades, he embodies a profound and enduring love within his family. With a daughter in high school, Joe cherishes the joys of parenthood. His strong faith and love for Jesus inspire him to make a lasting impact on the world, working towards the betterment of the kingdom with unwavering dedication. Through his love for sailing and his commitment to his family and faith, Just Joe exemplifies a life driven by purpose and a desire to create positive change.

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Ron Kleiner

Director of Facilities // EST: 2016

Faith , Family and Fitness are the cornerstones of how Ron is built. He believes anything is possible with God, and the best is always yet to come. He's one of the few who look forward to working out, the tougher the workout the better. After all, he has to find some way to keep up with his four awesome girls and his beautiful wife, Tracy, of 17 years. Ron's a pretty laid back guy; shorts and flip flops are how he likes to roll. Coffee and sports…a couple of life's essentials. Go Broncos!

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Brian Moore

IT Director // EST: 2019

Brian loves all things tech! You'll always catch him working on the Northgate website or creating some app or device that will make the jobs for others easier. He is married to his beautiful bride Jennifer and has two wonderful little girls, Kaitlyn and Madison.

Northgate is a non-denominational church located in beautiful Benicia, CA. Our staff and volunteers can't wait to meet and pray with you.

2201 Lake Herman Road
Benicia, CA 94510
(707) 747-5855
office@ngate.org
https://thisis.church


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Page Last Updated: November 26, 2024 at 2:26 PM