OUR MINISTRY TEAM
Jason Fritz
Lead Pastor
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Jason Fritz
Jason’s passion is pointing people to Jesus by graciously sharing the gospel. Jason is also the primary vision caster and believes the church is called to engage culture with the life of Jesus. He has been doing pastoral ministry in the Valley for over 30 years and is a native Phoenician. He is married to Jill and they have three grown kids. Jason likes all things outdoors and can be found watching UFC on Saturday nights with friends.
Dana Erickson
Executive Pastor
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Dana Erickson
Dana is responsible for overseeing the staff, ministries, and operations of Illuminate. Dana has been in ministry for over 35 years. He has been in churches in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California, and Arizona before joining the staff team here at Illuminate. He loves the church and seeing the life changes that happen through Jesus Christ. Dana is married to his wife, Denise. They have five children and four grandchildren. Dana loves all things Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Disney and the ocean are his “happy places.”
Chris Herrington
Worship Pastor
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Chris Herrington
Chris has served in local church ministry in a variety of roles, but brings his talents of worship leadership to Illuminate. Here he leads our gifted, creative, and humble ministry team. A native of Nebraska and Kansas, Chris found his way to Arizona while serving as program director in camp ministry at UCYC in Prescott. He and his wife, Carrie have three children. Chris is passionate to see worship embraced in all aspects of life.
Steve Johnson
Pastor for Discipleship and Global Outreach
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Steve Johnson
Steve’s responsibilities include overseeing all of the ministries along our Discipleship Pathway, as well as our global partnership efforts. Steve has spent over 45 years as a church planter and teaching pastor of Anglo and Latino churches in Arizona, California, Florida, and Argentina. He spent five years as President of Latin America Mission (an interdenominational ministry with two hundred Anglo and Hispanic missionaries and partners in over 20 countries) and most recently served for six years as the Executive Vice President of Phoenix Seminary before coming on staff at Illuminate. His greatest passion is to see people mobilized to serve effectively for the sake of God’s Kingdom.
Steve and his wife Shellie find incredible joy in loving their four adult children and spoiling their grandchildren. Steve is a crazy fanatic of real futból: soccer.
Scott Martin
Local Outreach Pastor
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Scott Martin
Scott enjoys the responsibility of leading our church body to have deep roots in Christ that outpour as service within greater Phoenix. Scott has been involved in ministry for years, including serving inner city LA in a state-side missionary capacity, leading youth in Northern California and Chicago, then settling back in Phoenix as a young adult and outreach pastor. Scott loves cultivating creative partnerships, serving diverse populations, and walking alongside people as they navigate the use of their gifts to serve others. Scott is married to Jenna. They have three children, Avery, Ellison, and Bode. They love the beach, surfing, being outside, and making memories as a family.
Todd Robertson
Family Life Pastor
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Todd Robertson
Todd is a Southern California native. He was heavily involved in student ministry and at the age of 21, became a pastor. Todd and his wife Sonja moved from Orange County to Gilbert in 2001 to plant a church. Over the years, he has held many positions in the church but still has a huge heart for young people. Todd is passionate about the gospel and loves discipling young men who are considering the ministry.
Todd and his wife, Sonja have two sons, Caleb and Noah. The Robertson’s are a very active family. They love being outdoors, hiking, their dogs, days at the lake, and baseball.
Hudson Garcia
Youth Pastor
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Hudson Garcia
Hudson has the privilege of overseeing all of the 5th-12th grade ministries. He has been in ministry for six years and has worked in worship, college, and youth ministries. Hudson has a passion for seeing those who are far from God come to know his amazing love and experience forgiveness. Hudson is married to his wife, Brooklyn, and they love serving in the local church together. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as being overly competitive with board games and pick-up basketball.
Charlie Courtney
Kids Director
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Charlie Courtney
Charlie’s responsibilities include leading the ministry’s staff and operations. Charlie has her degree in elementary education and has served in children’s ministry since 2017. Her passion is found in sharing the love of Jesus with both children and their parents, supporting and encouraging them through this beautiful season of life. Charlie is married to her high school sweetheart, Ryan. They have three children, Cheney, Ryder and Lilly. Charlie loves spending time adventuring with her family and exploring all of God’s creation.
Lisa Robbins
Director of Ministry to Women
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Lisa Robbins
Lisa oversees all facets of Bible studies, events, discipleship, and leadership training for the women of Illuminate. She is passionate about women being in authentic community and discovering their identity in Christ through their knowledge of the Word of God. Through discipleship and leadership development, Lisa champions women to walk in their God-given potential and calling. Lisa is married to her husband, Zach, and they have three girls, Zoe, Ellie, and Laney. Zach and Lisa spend a lot of time on the sports field cheering on their daughters and escape to the beach to rest and recharge.
Andrew Kirby
Pastor of Care and Support
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Andrew Kirby
Andrew’s role is coordinating both Illuminate’s Care Ministry and its Recovery Ministry. Kirby’s heart is to love people right where they are, helping walk them toward a better future through a relationship with Christ. Kirby struggled with addiction for nearly a decade before a life changing encounter with God while in the Teen Challenge of Arizona program in 2016. Kirby’s passion is to see the church walking alongside individuals through some of their most difficult times.
Kirby’s favorite things are God, his wife Madison, Legos, and a good science fiction or epic fantasy book. He also enjoys playing his guitar and leading worship.
Josh Nowikowski
Director of Hospitality
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Josh Nowikowski
Josh oversees the Soul Kitchen, First Impressions, and Hospitality aspects of Illuminate. Josh has been in ministry since 2020. He served as Kitchen Manager at Teen Challenge before joining Illuminate to help build and launch the Soul Kitchen Ministry. Josh has expertise in organizing volunteers, cooking, and serving people. His passion is encouraging and teaching others to serve our community while having fun. Josh is the father to Roxi, an Australian Shepherd and Terry, a rabbit; both still live at home. Josh also loves anime, Toms, and making people smile and laugh.
Brooklyn Garcia
Worship Leader
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Brooklyn Garcia
Brooklyn helps lead Sunday services and our Young Adults ministry. Brooklyn served as a chapel band worship leader at Grand Canyon University, and has served as a worship leader at several churches throughout the years. Brooklyn enjoys working alongside her husband, Hudson here at Illuminate. She also enjoys teaching piano lessons, reading, and serving in the community.
Matt Burkholder
Youth Director
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Matthew Burkholder
Matt has the privilege of leading the junior high ministry and aiding in the high school and young adults ministries through teaching and administration. Matt has worked in youth ministry for four years and most recently worked in higher education as an academic and financial advisor. His heart in ministry is to help the next generation come to know Jesus and follow Him for a lifetime. Matt is married to his wonderful wife, Cara, and together they have three boys. In his free time, Matt enjoys road cycling, watching baseball, and spending time with his family.
Marcos Padilla
Youth Assistant
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Marcos Padilla
Marcos helps to oversee the Youth Ministry in all areas. Marcos has a career passion for ministry and God’s local church and a heart to see the next generation transformed for Jesus. You can find Marcos checking out local coffee shops in the area with a smile on his face and a cold brew in hand.
Emily Long
Office Administrator
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Emily Long
Emily takes on the duties of managing the church calendar and room reservations, ordering supplies needed for the offices and Sunday services, and scheduling volunteers for the hospitality and facility teams. Her passions are connecting to the body of the church, serving in special needs and local outreach, volunteering in animal rescue, and advocating for kids with both medical and learning needs. Emily has three children. She loves watching them shine and thrive in doing what they love. Emily enjoys the mountains, hiking, trying new recipes, and spending time with her dogs, and those she loves the most.
Jake Pitner
Designer
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Jake Pitner
Jake is our graphics designer. He has had a love for creative media since he was 14. Jake’s favorite thing is having meaningful conversations with people and having a few genuine belly laughs along the way. He likes to believe that his taste in Chicago sports teams is exquisite; but their records would say otherwise. When he’s not designing, conversing, or watching a losing team play on TV, you’ll find him competing in some form of activity whether that’s baseball, basketball, Spikeball, or NHL on the PS4. Overall, the thing that makes Jake the most fulfilled is knowing that what he’s doing is making an impact for people and their eternal destination.
Logan Young
Media Director
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Logan Young
Logan is in charge of the creation of video and photo content for Illuminate. His job is to capture and tell the stories of how God is moving within our community. He has a heart for filming missions and traveling. Logan has a passion for the outdoors, food, and movies.
Isaiah Patterson
Technical Director
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Isaiah Patterson
Isaiah oversees the audio, visual, and lighting for the weekend experience. He has spent several years working in different churches learning, leading, and loving volunteer teams to create worship experiences. Isaiah loves hanging out with friends, good food, and playing board games. With the help of his talented team, Isaiah hopes to continually improve the worship experience so others can encounter the love and hope only found though Jesus.
Nisha Binder
Admin Assistant
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Nisha Binder
Nisha has the responsibility of organizational administrative support for various ministries. Nisha is a pharmacist by training and has worked primarily in managed care settings. Her passion is streamlining and creating efficiencies. Nisha is an Arizona native who enjoys baking (and eating!) pies in her spare time. She is married to her husband, Will and they have one child together.
Kelly Kramer
Admin Assistant
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Kelly Kramer
Kelly serves in project administration. She grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. She has an identical twin, a passion for her Lord and Savior, her family, architectural design, nature, and off-roading. Married to her wonderful husband, James, they have three kids and enjoy spending time with family, the outdoors, traveling, being involved with the car community, and serving at Illuminate.
Katelyn Serra
Admin Assistant
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Katelyn Serra
Katelyn assists Pastor Steve and the team with Cornerstone, Global Missions, baptisms, women’s ministry, and classes. Katelyn has a background in grief counseling and has worked with many different populations. She has been involved in the church through worship ministry, hospitality in the café, and serving as a youth leader, attending several summer camps. Katelyn is an Arizona native, married to her husband Carsten. Katelyn loves dogs, people, hiking, all things dark chocolate, and serving her friends. Her happy places are in Hawaii and her grandma’s farm in Sleepy Eye, MN.
Lindsey Beeker
Children’s Assistant
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Lindsay Beeker
Lindsay has the responsibility of helping prepare weekly lesson plans, facilitating childcare for weekly Bible studies, and assisting in hosting family events. She has been serving in some capacity since she was 11 years old when she led her first group of VBS kids. Lindsay has a passion for building community and growing in discipleship. She is married to Dustin Beeker and is the mother of Charlie, Hank, and Calvin. Lindsay enjoys reading, spending time with her family, and is a fitness enthusiast.
Sharon Fulwider
Children’s Assistant
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Sharon Fulwider
Sharon’s responsibilities include overseeing many of the aspects of running a successful Children’s Ministry: classrooms, activities, social media, and more. Sharon has a background in education and a heart for all things to do with children’s ministry and leading the next generation to Christ. She truly loves to see those ‘aha’ moments in kids’ eyes as the gospel unfolds for them in many ways. Sharon loves assisting families as they are charged with raising their children to know Jesus and the message of salvation. Sharon is married to Drew and they have two sons. Sharon loves all things sports but especially Steelers/Eagles football. She also enjoys fellowship time with other women and believers as she works to grow her relationship with Christ.
Michael Obar
Audio Engineer
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Michael Obar
Michael has a love for AV and sound recording. He brings the tech team a heart of worship and comes with over 35 years of worship team experience and over 20 years of worship leading. Michael grew up on stage and has always been very active in ministry-related endeavors. He has led worship not only in the U.S., but overseas. Michael’s heart for the Lord and for people reflects his personal mission to reach people through the arts.
Joshua Lopez
Assistant Audio Engineer
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Joshua Lopez
Joshua has a curiosity for all things technical, including audio, video, and lighting. Joshua spent four years serving in the U.S. Navy, acquiring skills that he currently applies to his role at Illuminate. Because of his heart for the Lord, Joshua desires to build up the church through a genuine and unique worship experience. He enjoys taking his dog to the park, finding the best deals at Goodwill, and traveling.
Emily Talpas
Local Outreach Assistant
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Emily Talpas
Emily works to build bridges between the Outreach Team, church, community, and ministry partners. She developed a heart for outreach as a teenager living in El Paso, Texas and it has continued to be a joy and privilege for her to help stir up that passion in others. Emily is also a worship leader at Illuminate and a member of the Women’s Ministry Team. Leading worship was the catalyst behind Emily’s involvement at the Phoenix Rescue Mission and a call to service there. Emily currently speaks at chapel, leads worship, teaches a Bible study, and helps coordinate service opportunities involving Illuminate that are designed to prevent homelessness. She was also asked to serve as an Ambassador for the Mission. Emily is married to Jeff and they have one daughter, Rachel.
Pam Lyons
HR & Finance Director
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Pam Lyons
Prior to joining Illuminate, Pam worked in corporate accounting, corporate benefits, non-profits, and managed high-profile executives. She is a skilled professional with a vast understanding of multi-faceted business operations including accounting, management, marketing, project management, and system conversions. Her passion is to provide organizational stability and structure while shoring up tenuous accounting processes.
On her days off you can find Pam and her husband Steve hiking the AZ desert, off-roading, walking their sweet black lab, or enjoying time with their two grown daughters.
Garrett graduated from Eastview Highschool in Minnesota in 2016. Garrett moved to Scottsdale in October of 2020.
Camden Weimer
Facilities
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Camden Weimer
Camden was born and raised in the Arizona valley and is full of love for Jesus and how He has transformed his life. Ever since he was young, Camden has had a passion for fixing and creating things. He enjoys the challenge of learning new concepts and applying them. Camden also has a heart for serving in youth ministry and seeing the dramatic life change that Jesus brings in the students. He is an avid mountain biker and enjoys going for a ride whenever he can.