Senior Pastor
Sam grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He first came to Australia on a working holiday visa when he was 18. He spent twelve years in Osaka, Japan where he taught English, directed a Gospel Choir, worked with the homeless, planted a church and also met his wife Yoriko. Sam pastored the Melbourne Japanese Church before moving back to the UK to work with Crosslinks. He returned to Brisbane to work with CMS in 2008. He has been at Village since 2016. Sam and Yoriko have four children whose names mean ‘grace’ in four different languages.
Associate Pastor
Jeremy is married to Lucy and they have three children. Before training for ministry at Queensland Theological College (QTC), Jeremy was a software engineer for 10 years. After that he was part of the staff team of Mitchelton Presbyterian for 7 years, joining Village Church in 2021. Jeremy has a PhD from UQ on the book of Isaiah, and sometimes teaches on Hebrew or Old Testament at QTC or BST. Jeremy oversees our Sunday services, community events, pastoral care, and assists Chandra overseeing Community Groups.
Responsible for: Church Community, Preaching, Sunday Services.
Women's Ministry Worker
Chandra grew up in Stanthorpe but more recently spent 13 years living in Ecuador. She loves coffee, reading, cooking, board games, and baking—including making a mean Persian love cake. Chandra is our full-time women’s worker and Community Groups Coordinator at Village. She loves seeing women learn to live for Jesus, as well as journeying alongside her Christian sisters in their walks with Christ. If you’re a woman at Village who wants a chat over coffee, Chandra’s keen to chat to you. Extra points if you can ask her in Spanish.
Specialised Ministry Worker
Philip studied creative writing at QUT and became a Christian through uni ministry there. He’s always working on some new book, though he’s never happy with any of them. He studied at Queensland Theological College, and is working part-time for Village, overseeing our Transformation ministry. On any given day, you might find him working on Community Group studies, doing graphic design jobs, helping to write and edit our current teaching series, or helping to lead the community group for young families, with his wife Serena.
Kids Ministry Worker
Amy is an imperfect but beloved daughter of a perfectly loving God. She delights in sharing the good news of Jesus and His kingdom with kids of all ages. Amy has a background in early childhood education. Before joining the staff team at Village, she worked as a primary school teacher and completed a Masters of Educational Studies at UQ, specialising in curriculum. Amy is married to Stewart. They have three children and a much-loved dog. In her downtime, Amy enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, sipping tea, dancing, getting to the beach, and feeding those around her.
Outreach & Communications
Cynthia grew up in Mexico with an extended lay-over in the USA where she went to uni, before moving to Australia. With a 10-yr background in Digital Communications and a love for the gospel, Cynthia joined the team as a full-time trainee and has now, since completing it, become our outreach and communications worker, where she also helps to drive our Spanish & international ministries. You’ll often find Cynthia with a skinny decaf latte in her hand while telling the gospel story alongside her husband in multiple languages.
MTS Trainee
Sarah is from a small country town and grew up in a Christ-loving family. When she came to Brisbane for her first degree in dance, she made Village her home church. Recently, she has been studying at Queensland Theological College in Children’s Ministry and has just started a two-year Ministry Training Strategy Apprenticeship partnering with Village Church. Sarah also loves catching up for coffee, reading, and crocheting. If all three can be done at once, even better.
Admin/Accounts Officer
Preeti is originally from India and also lived and worked in the United States before moving to Australia in 2024. Married to Rajah and a proud mother of four daughters, she is devoted to her family and seeks to honour God in all she does. Preeti holds a degree in Architecture and has worked as both, an architect and educator, while faithfully serving in youth and children’s ministry over the years. Preeti enjoys travelling, exploring new cultures, and spending time with family and friends. In her Admin and Accounts role, she supports the church staff and treasurer, helping the church’s ministries operate effectively as they serve and reach the wider community.
Admin/Accounts Officer
As Administrative Officer, Anthony oversees the behind-the-scenes operations of the church office to help facilitate ministry staff and the various areas of the church. Anthony also assists the treasurer by doing some bookkeeping duties. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball and sipping some nice green tea.
