jacob Alvarez
Next Generation Pastor & Worship Leader
Hi there, I'm Pastor Jake! I've been blessed to be a part of our AVNaz family since August of 2017, and I have the pleasure of working with our ministries for young people and with worship on Sunday mornings.
I've been a believer as long as I can remember and I was baptized when I was 12 years old, but it wasn't until my later years in high school that I finally started taking Jesus seriously. Looking back on it all, I realize that the Lord had been tugging me toward a life of ministry ever since I was a teenager, though it took me a while to answer that call. I spent a couple of years at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho studying Criminal Justice and Military Science, convinced that was the path God intended for me to follow with my life. Those years were some of the most wonderful, difficult, and ultimately life-changing years of my life. It was during those years that the Holy Spirit helped me to finally understand that the trajectory I had chosen would take me further away from the life that He had been calling me to, so I returned home for a year to wait on God's instructions for my life. In the meantime, the Spirit was faithful to help me grow in knowledge, understanding, and zeal for the things of God.
Near the end of that year at home, I got a phone call from Pastor Jeff, who I had known from our time together at the Yreka Church of the Nazarene, offering me a chance to serve as the director of youth ministries. The Spirit must've seen that I was hungry to learn and to serve, and passed that message along to Pastor Jeff! Recognizing that this was the instruction I had been waiting for, I surrendered everything and experienced God's gracious gift of entire sanctification, knowing that I could only take up this life with His help.
Ever since then, I've been serving on the pastoral staff here at AVNaz and taking ministry and theology courses in pursuit of ordination in the Church of the Nazarene, and hopefully a degree in Biblical Studies someday! I've loved being a part of our AVNaz family, running youth group events, leading worship, experimenting with ministries for emerging adults, and serving my brothers and sisters as we all seek the Kingdom of God. It is my privilege to be a leader in our shared journey to grow deep in the grace of Jesus Christ, taking part in the teaching and preaching of the Gospel.
I've been a believer as long as I can remember and I was baptized when I was 12 years old, but it wasn't until my later years in high school that I finally started taking Jesus seriously. Looking back on it all, I realize that the Lord had been tugging me toward a life of ministry ever since I was a teenager, though it took me a while to answer that call. I spent a couple of years at Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho studying Criminal Justice and Military Science, convinced that was the path God intended for me to follow with my life. Those years were some of the most wonderful, difficult, and ultimately life-changing years of my life. It was during those years that the Holy Spirit helped me to finally understand that the trajectory I had chosen would take me further away from the life that He had been calling me to, so I returned home for a year to wait on God's instructions for my life. In the meantime, the Spirit was faithful to help me grow in knowledge, understanding, and zeal for the things of God.
Near the end of that year at home, I got a phone call from Pastor Jeff, who I had known from our time together at the Yreka Church of the Nazarene, offering me a chance to serve as the director of youth ministries. The Spirit must've seen that I was hungry to learn and to serve, and passed that message along to Pastor Jeff! Recognizing that this was the instruction I had been waiting for, I surrendered everything and experienced God's gracious gift of entire sanctification, knowing that I could only take up this life with His help.
Ever since then, I've been serving on the pastoral staff here at AVNaz and taking ministry and theology courses in pursuit of ordination in the Church of the Nazarene, and hopefully a degree in Biblical Studies someday! I've loved being a part of our AVNaz family, running youth group events, leading worship, experimenting with ministries for emerging adults, and serving my brothers and sisters as we all seek the Kingdom of God. It is my privilege to be a leader in our shared journey to grow deep in the grace of Jesus Christ, taking part in the teaching and preaching of the Gospel.
Frank Morley
Chaplain
Kathy Jonas
Bookkeeper
Bio coming soon
Kailynn Ornelas
Receptionist
Hi friends, my name is Kailynn! I serve part time as a receptionist in our church office and as the manager of our app and website. I've been a part of the church here since October of 2021 and I have loved worshiping and serving here ever since.
Oh yeah, I like cows and making coffee too!
Oh yeah, I like cows and making coffee too!