PAID SERVANTS
Pastor: Cheri Holdridge has a passion for urban ministry and for leading The Village Church to be a community of people committed to following the way of Jesus and changing the world. Her core values are: prayer, justice, and compassion. Cheri lives in Toledo’s Old West End neighborhood with her husband, Kurt Young, an attorney who represents injured workers in their Worker’s Compensation claims. They have two children: Rebecca age 10 and Jamie age 6.
Cheri grew up in Kansas and Texas, and studied at McMurry College in Abilene, TX, The University of Durham, England, and Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She has served churches in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Findlay, and Toledo. In her spare time Cheri loves to read novels, go for walks, do yoga, play with her kids, go to the movies, and she is trying to learn to play jazz piano. Cheri is an ordained United Methodist pastor and is in process to be connected to the United Church of Christ.
In talking about The Village Church, Cheri says, “A few years ago, I began to dream about planting a progressive, justice focused church. As I prayed about it, I could see situations in my life, since I was quite young, that were all leading me to this moment. This is the work I was put on this earth to do. I am planting the church that Kurt and I want for our children and for others who are searching for a new way of doing church.”
Email Cheri at cheri@villageohio.org
Village Kids Leader: Jessica Lucero grew up in the great state of Wyoming. In 2008 Jess graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Master of Social Work degree, married Steven, moved to Toledo, started graduate school, and began a new job with the Village Church. Jessica is a student in the PhD program in Social Work at Wayne State University in Detroit. Besides loving children and being passionate about developing The Village Kids as the best children's ministry in town, Jessica is also an artist. She loved arranging flowers, hanging fabric, and using odds and ends to decorate the Walbridge Park shelter house for our Easter service, and we all loved having Jess use her talents on this project!
Email Jessica at jessica (at) villageohio.org
Village Band Leader: Joe Woods has been playing the drums since he was 4 years old and the guitar since high school. He is also a singer, and the folks at The Village have already come to love Joey's singing voice. He is a song writer; and wrote an original song for our Easter service this year. Joe's enjoyed being the youngest member ever of the Maumee High School marching band, marching in the drum line with the Toledo Glassmen, and being the lead percussion instructor for several Ohio band camps. Joe is the front man and lead singer for the band, The Thick of the Woods. Pastor Cheri met Joe at a benefit concert at The Village Idiot in Maumee. We can't think of a better place to find the Band Leader for The Village Church!
Email Joe at joe (at) villageohio.org
JOB POSTINGS
None open at this time
UNPAID SERVANTS
OFFICE MANAGER: Shelly Savory/ office@villageohio.org
Marketing/Outreach Leader: Kurt Young / kmyesq@sbcglobal.net
Service Projects Team: Marie Coleman / drmrmc@yahoo.com
Connection Groups: Pat Groves / patagroves@aol.com