Sam Maxwell
Associate Pastor
sam.maxwell@manassasbaptist.org
703.361.2146 x248
Rev Sam Maxwell and his wife Yuris are excited to return to Northern Virginia to serve Manassas Baptist Church. Prior to moving to Manassas, Sam served at the First Baptist Church of Huntsville (AL) in their Young Adult Ministry. Sam went to college in West Virginia, earning two business degrees and a minor, before moving to Virginia where he began his career in Advertising. He started attending Seminary at The John Leland Center in Arlington before transferring to finish his masters at Baylor’s Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas. Yuris was raised in Alexandria and attended George Mason University. Sam and Yuris love the outdoors, hiking, traveling, rock climbing, and sharing meals with friends. In 2020 during the lockdown in Alabama, they adopted a boisterous gray kitten they named Azul.
Becky Verner
Director of Traditional Music, Traditional Service Worship Leader, Coordinator for Senior Adult Ministry
bverner@manassasbaptist.org
703.361.2146 x291
As Director of Traditional Music, I work with over 30 voices in our Sanctuary Choir and with 13 handbell ringers in Evensong Bells and serve as a keyboard musician for our worship times. As a worship leader for our 9:00 am Traditional service, I spend time weekly planning those experiences. We use a variety of musical styles and a number of talented singers and instrumentalists in our worship times.
I serve as the coordinator for our Senior Adult ministry and plan (with a committee) monthly events for our members who are 60 years old and better. I also coordinate our Condolence committees. The women and men on these 3 committees prepare a delicious meal for families who have experienced a loss, which allow these families and their friends a time of sharing and fellowship.
I love the Manassas community and serve as the Artistic Director of the Manassas Chorale and the older group of the Greater Manassas Children’s Choir. In addition to participating in community events throughout the year, I’ve served on a City of Manassas committee and am a member of the American Choral Directors Association. I hold a BME degree from East Carolina University and have done graduate work in Church Music from Shenandoah University. In my free time, I enjoy traveling (3 musical tours of Europe, 3 performances in New York City), shopping and relaxing at home. My family includes Dan, a retired English teacher and current author, two married daughters, Amy and Alyssa, and an undisiplined cat named Nacho.
Tom McCain
Contemporary Worship Leader
tom.mccain@manassasbaptist.org
Tom and his wife live in Stafford Va. with their boys and dog. Their oldest son lives in South Carolina with his wife. They enjoy sports and time with friends, and can be found on a soccer field somewhere nearly every day of the week.
Tom has served in ministry for more than 30 years, and has had the privilege of leading worship and creative teams of staff and volunteers integrating creative processes with creative, music and technical teams in churches of all sizes from church plants to one of the largest churches in the country. He has consulted and coached worship leaders and pastors around the country helping them develop ministry focused systems and processes to build sustainable and successful ministries.
He as also consulted with businesses, non-profits, and government agencies on leadership, team development, strategic thinking and planning, and conflict management.
Mindy Johnson
Church Administrator
mindy.johnson@manassasbaptist.org
703.361.2146 x286
As the administrator, Mindy coordinates with the Building and Grounds committee, the Preschool Committee, the Finance committee and the Church Officers committee. She also works closely with groups using space at the church. Mindy is the daughter of a Southern Baptist minister, worked at GuideStone of the SBC for 9 years and chose Jesus at the age of 9. She received her undergraduate and graduate degree from The University of Oklahoma. She and her husband Ben have been married since April 2021 and moved to Manassas with an Army transfer. In their free time they enjoy traveling, being active outdoors and watching sporting events. They plan to adopt in the future.
Kris Callaway
Director of Students and IT
kris.callaway@manassasbaptist.org
703-36-2146 x228
Kris joined Manassas Baptist with his Parents when they moved to the area a little over 30 years ago. He has been involved in multiple ministries at MBC throughout the years. Kris graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Media Arts and has worked in IT and Media related fields. He has always had a passion working with students. When his son joined Wired, Kris jumped in as a leader teaching small groups and has remained involved. He also serves as a Deacon and provides oversight of IT services for the church. Much to his wife’s chagrin, Kris has more hobbies than time but enjoys emulating a foodie and generally geeking out about tabletop and video games, science fiction, and other flights of fancy.
Kody Chan
Youth Ministry Resident
Kody Chan is a full time college student studying to receive a bachelor’s degree in computer science from George Mason University. He, along with his family, started attending MBC in 2013 and he grew up through the children’s program and moved into Wired. His parents first introduced him to mission work in 2011 and he has interned for MBC’s youth director since 2018. He started helping with the youth band in the sixth grade and is now serving in the contemporary band on Sunday mornings. And he strongly dislikes chocolate 🙂
Churon Clark
Director of Children’s Ministry
churon.clark@manassasbaptist.org
Churon Clark and her husband Nathan started attending Manassas Baptist church in 2022.They currently live in Quantico, V.A. As a military family, they have traveled to various places for 13 years. Churon has been blessed with three beautiful children. She was born in Oklahoma and was saved at an early age. She grew up in her church volunteering to help in the nursery and help with younger children. She has worked in various churches working with children throughout the years. She has also taught English overseas to preschool age children. She has been a substitute teacher in Oklahoma. She has a love for children and is excited to be the children’s ministry director. Churon and her husband enjoy family trips, walking and touring museums, and board games.
Kristian Baxter
Director of Finance
kristian.baxter@manassasbaptist.org
703.361.2146 x226
Kristian Baxter comes to Manassas Baptist Church with a great deal of financial experience. She worked at a church in Fort Washington, MD, for over 10 years, holding different positions in the accounting department, and has also worked at a law firm as a client account billing specialist and for other nonprofits in the Washington, DC area. She is a mentor for competitive basketball organization in Manassas, VA. She is a mother to an amazing seven-year-old athletic son, and most of her time is spent in a gym near you. Kristian is excited and ready for the role of finance officer at Manassas Baptist Church.
Teresa Howe
Human Resources Generalist
teresa.howe@manassasbaptist.org
Teresa Howe and her husband, Jon, moved to Northern Virginia in 2013. They, along with their 5 daughters, currently reside in Manassas and began attending Manassas Baptist Church in 2019. Teresa received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cumberland University and joined the MBC team with 9 years of experience working in Human Resources. In addition to her role at MBC, she also homeschools her daughters, teaches English online to students around the world, and volunteers her time as a Unit Leader with American Heritage Girls. With any free time she has left, she enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending quality time with her family.
Mrs. Vernetta Brown
Manassas Baptist Preschool Director
vernetta.brown@manassasbaptist.org
Vernetta Brown, the Director of Manassas Baptist Preschool, is excited to introduce a Christ- based early childhood program to our young children of Manassas, Virginia. The majority of her vocational experience has been in leadership positions establishing and overseeing 18 licensed child care centers, all at the same time, in Southeast Queens, New York, licensed for over 700 children. This experience prompted her to have over 120 employees at any one time. As being a mother of six and a grandmother of two her life’s work has not only been in early childhood education but also in the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Vernetta serves as a pastor and a founder of an online prayer ministry. Overall, Vernetta believes that an individual must be introduced to Biblical foundational truths as children, and what better way but to have them incorporated in a daily early childhood curriculum. Her mantra is that little ones must learn to love God, love themselves, love each other; and then love to learn!!! Learning new concepts is exciting, thrilling and motivating, however, only when presented in an engaging, intriguing manner. This is the atmosphere that will be provided , undergirded with a foundation of love, patience and prayerful guidance at Manassas Baptist Preschool.
Vernetta says ” Come, trust your child in our care! We will treat your child like our own.!! They will quickly learn the academic basics which will launch them into a lifetime of excellence, a sound sense of self-worth and noteworthy accomplishments!! God bless you and we hope to see you soon!! I pray that our school is an answer to your prayers!!”
Karina Chan
Manassas Baptist Preschool Assistant
karina.chan@manassasbaptist.org
Karina and her husband, Wayne, along with their 2 sons, Kurtis and Kody, have been attending Manassas Baptist Church since 2013. She has been a teacher for the Middle School Girls small group since then. In January of 2022, she started teaching the kindergarteners/first graders on Sundays. At her previous church, she was a Sunday school teacher to Elementary grade children for 9 years. Karina also had homeschooled her children from kindergarten to high school. Every summer, the Chan family leads two teams from MBC on mission trips to New York to share the gospel with Chinese children in the Brooklyn area.