MEET OUR TEAM

He is a general superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene. At the time of his election in 2017 he was director of the Africa Region where he previously had served as regional education coordinator. Born in Mozambique, his father and mother served in full-time ministry for the Church of the Nazarene, and at age 17 God called Fili to full-time ministry. He is a graduate of Seminário Nazareno em Mozambique (Diploma in Theology), Nazarene Theological College, South Africa (BTh), and the University of Johannesburg (MA and PhD in Biblical Studies). He served as a pastor in South Africa and Mozambique, and as president of Seminário Nazareno em Mozambique. Fili is married to Samantha, who is also an ordained elder. They have two children: a daughter, Tsakani Gabriella; and a son, Emanuel.

She currently teams with the lead pastor at Kankakee First Church in living its disciple-making vision of helping people “Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Live it Out” in God’s story. In her current role, she leads the spiritual development of the church body by helping to shape the annual preaching plan, creating opportunities and pathways for people to take next steps in their faith journey, and developing disciples within the body of Christ. She also oversees the spiritual formation team from birth to adult. She describes herself in this way: I am passionate about being used by God to help awaken His Church to the ways that we have “missed it,” and to embrace who God has called us to be and how God has called us to live, so that we may truly usher in His kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Besides pastoring, Jenna is an adjunct professor at Olivet Nazarene University in the School of Theology & Christian Ministry.

She is director of the Preaching Collaborative for the USA/Canada Region, a movement helping pastors preach with clarity, bold hope, and evangelistic impact. She is passionate about seeing holiness ignite transformation — not just in individuals, but in neighborhoods, congregations, and communities. Previously executive pastor at City First Church in Eugene, Oregon, Julie witnessed firsthand the power of the gospel to reshape lives and build leaders. Today, she brings that same catalytic energy into developing preachers who invite people to say their next “yes” to Jesus. Julie is completing her Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives at Portland Seminary, with a research project focused on equipping aspiring preachers to preach evangelistically through practice and feedback.
Julie enjoys serving rural congregations in central Oregon as a transitional pastor and helping churches gain strength, courage, and momentum during seasons of change. She and her husband, Zachary, have been married 26 years and love cheering on their adult daughters, Piper and Sailor.

He became a Jesus follower at age 25 while deployed with the US Army in Macedonia. He served three churches in Tennessee and Illinois before moving to the heart of Chicago in 2019 to serve as Reach77 Executive Director and as Missional Director for the Chicago Central District Church of the Nazarene. Since August 2022, Jeff has served as Leadership Development and Revitalization Catalyst for the Northwest Ohio District Church of the Nazarene. He is the founder and CEO of Build Your Story, a coaching and consulting company serving pastors, leaders, churches, and districts. Jeff also serves as Director for Graduate Studies at Olivet Nazarene University where his focus is missional theology and the convergence of Christianity and culture. He is the author of a book from The Foundry Publishing — The News Is Good: Evangelism as a Way of Life.
Jeff has been married for 27 years to Angie (currently an ONU student) and has two sons and an amazing daughter-in-law, all ONU alums. His joy is being with family and working their hobby farm in Northwest Ohio.

She is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene with more than two decades of pastoral and denominational leadership experience. She currently serves as district superintendent of the Hawaii-Pacific District where she provides spiritual oversight, leadership development, and strategic direction for churches and clergy across a richly diverse cultural and geographic context. She previously served as executive pastor at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene and worked with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.
Althea holds a BA in Business Administration from Clark University, a MS in Management of Technology from Polytechnic University (now NYU-Poly), and a MDiv from Howard University School of Divinity. She is currently pursuing a DMin at Nazarene Theological Seminary. Alongside her denominational and pastoral work, Rev. Taylor is the founder of Breathe Hope Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring hope, rebuilding lives, and renewing communities—particularly among those living on the margins of society.

Lindsey Bush began her career as an inner-city elementary teacher and through that experience, felt God call her to full-time children’s ministry. She has served over a decade in many different church sizes, models, and contexts.
Currently, Lindsey serves as Children’s Pastor at GatheringPoint Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais, IL, and a Resident Director at Olivet Nazarene University. Lindsey is a graduate of Bethel Seminary with an M.A. in Children’s and Family Ministry and a leadership coach with the International Network of Children's Ministry. You can find Lindsey traveling to Walt Disney World with her husband, Jamin, reading children’s books, cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes, & enjoying a good game of euchre.

Leon Blanchette, EdD, serves as director of the Center. He is leading a team of ONU’s curriculum designers, researchers, data analysts and theologians in developing training materials, training opportunities and other resources to provide what today’s families need for their children’s spiritual development.
Dr. Blanchette also serves as Professor of Christian Ministry and specializes in children and family ministry. He began teaching at Olivet in 2003. In 2009, he received the Richard M. Jones Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.
Ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 1993, he served as a children’s pastor for 18 years prior to teaching at Olivet. Currently, he serves as part-time kid's worship pastor at Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene and serves on the Chicago Central District Board of Ministry Executive Committee.
He and his wife, Teri, were married in 1983 and have two daughters, Sarah and Emily and three grandchildren; Brenden, Cooper and Zoey. His hobbies include cooking, gardening and most any sport.

Arlene Pellicane is a widely respected Christian author, speaker, and the host of the popular Happy Home podcast, where she equips families to build strong, joyful households. She has authored several highly regarded books on marriage and parenting, including Parents Rising, 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Wife, and Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World, co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman. Holding a master’s degree in journalism from Regent University, Arlene combines her communication expertise with deeply rooted biblical principles to offer practical, faith-based wisdom. She resides in Southern California with her husband, James, and their three children, dedicating her ministry to helping parents and spouses navigate the challenges of modern culture.

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