| Urban Team |
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Urban is a team led church with the Lead Pastor casting the vision through prayer and study of the word and culture. Many people play a part in the development and implementation of the vision. As Urban grows so does the team so that we can continue to reach more people for Jesus Christ. |
- Ben Brinkman - Lead Pastor
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Lead Pastor
BA. Psychology
bbrinkman@lifeaturban.comOne of my first memories is from when I was 6 years old. My family and I had just come home from church and I was sitting on my bed highlighting in the column breaks of my Bible, though I didn't know what I was doing at the time. (I was 6, I didn’t know what I was doing). As I was highlighting my mom walked in and said, “Ben, what are you doing?” I replied, “I am highlighting my Bible because I want to be a pastor just like my dad." Now, in retrospect, I realize that even at a young age I had a dream and through the processes of life, I would eventually achieve that dream.
I graduated from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington in 1997 with a degree in Psychology. I met my wife Katie during this time and we were married in the summer of 1997. Together we completed a year long internship at The City Church in Kirkland, Washington. In 1999 we moved to San Diego, California to help pioneer The City Church San Diego where we started the youth ministry and internship program. In the spring of 2005, we moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where I was the youth and young adult pastor and internship director at The Church at South Las Vegas. While at The Church at South Las Vegas, I had the opportunity to travel and minister in churches throughout the nation and internationally which caused the dream God had given me to continue developing.
Whether on the stage or having coffee with someone, I like to talk about real life issues in a humorous and practical way. It is through humor and thought provoking insight that l desire to challenge people to discover the dream and the gift that God has put inside of them and help equip them to live in that dream.
My wife and I have two amazing daughters and we live in beautiful downtown San Diego.
www.benbrinkman.com
Ben's blog - Katie Brinkman
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Ladies Ministry
Urban Kids
BA. Education
kbrinkman@lifeaturban.comI will never forget the night in February 1996 when I was hanging out with some friends. It started out as a night like any other, yet ended up being the night that would change the course of my life for eternity. As the night was winding down I was talking with a friend about church when he looked at me and asked me the question I had been waiting to hear. He said, “But Katie, have you ever asked Jesus Christ into your life?” Without hesitation, as tears ran down my face I said, “I’ve wanted to for so long but I don’t know how”. I accepted Christ into my life and then the journey began!
A year and a half later Ben, the friend who asked me if I wanted to receive Jesus in my heart, and I were married. After completing two years of college at Northwest University, Ben and I did a year long internship at The City Church in Kirkland, Washington. We moved to San Diego, California in 1999 to help pioneer The City Church San Diego were we started the youth ministry and internship program. In 2002, I graduated from Christian Heritage College with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with emphasis in Education and Biblical Studies. We moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in the spring of 2005. We were the youth and young adult pastors at The Church at South Las Vegas. I was also an instructor for the Las Vegas Leadership Institute.
I believe scars are beautiful. I see them not as a sign of where a wound was inflicted but rather a sign of where a healing has taken place. I am grateful for the story the Lord has given me, it is through my story and the truth of the Word of God that I hope to inspire people to get beyond their past and step into their future.
I live in beautiful downtown San Diego with Ben and our two amazing daughters.
- Brandon & Mel Miller
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Brandon & Mel Miller
Leadership team members
bmiller@lifetaurban.com
mmiller@lifeaturban.com
Brandon’s facebook
Brandon’s twitter
Mel’s facebook
Mel’s twitter
Coming from a broken home and experiencing the tragic loss of her mother at the age of seventeen, Mel had a lot of questions about God. She attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon and knew who to go to with her questions: Brandon Miller. Brandon was the Fellowship of Athletes President, and the one who led her the Lord and eventually asked for her hand in marriage! Although he had a completely different upbringing, with a great family and athletic success -- Mel and Brandon were a perfect compliment to each other and both have testimonies of God’s radical transforming power.
Mel and Brandon were married the summer after graduation in 2004, and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada right after their honeymoon to help start a church. They knew they wanted to be in ministry together someday and that they wanted a big family, they just didn’t know how soon the family would start! Nine months after they were married the found out they were pregnant. They welcomed their daughter Hannah in December of 2005 and their son Bishop in August of 2008.
They are excited for their new adventure in San Diego serving at Urban Church. Their passion within the church is for discipleship, building relationships and encouragement. Mel loves to write and Brandon loves anything active and outdoors. They also both love having people over, but most of all their biggest hobby is their family.
- Tranica Esperas
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Leadership Team Member
First Sunday
tesperas@lifeaturban.com A California girl through and through I have spent the majority of my days enjoying the reality that I could climb a mountain and hang ten all in the same day. For the first 19 years I lived a fairly sheltered and mostly privileged life but on the cusp of year 20 the Father had big changes set in place. After many seasons surrounded by well meaning and great intentioned church folk, I was removed from anything resembling comfort and was thrown into the cold pool of unknown.
After a horrendous season of pruning family, friends and sin from my life, me and my blank slate self were led to San Diego fall of 2006. To teach, refresh, & restore me the Father introduced me to a new family of people who's ties of loyalty and commitment would carry me through years to come. It was within that season that I began to see the dreams the Father placed in my heart and I began to fall head over heels in love with helping people. I was finally able to give & receive like one is meant to within the body of Christ.
Knowing I'll never be perfect and complete until I meet my Maker, I am plenty happy with my current journey of restoration and healing. I've got big dreams to help bridge the gap between malnutrition and obesity and I pray the Lord uses me to help fight world hunger. Although I love all thing Urban I especially love First Sunday where I have been working since early 2010. I am also excited to be a part of the Urban School of Ministry.
- Jonathan & Kitzya Ramirez - Worship & Youth
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Jonathan & Kitzya Ramirez
Worship & Youth
jramirez@lifeaturban.com
kramirez@lifeaturban.comHaving just tied the knot this summer, I cannot begin to tell you how blessed I am to have such an amazing woman as my wife. God has been opening doors for us here at Urban Church and I now find myself with the great privilege of being able to lead the church into worship each week. Besides worship my wife and I work together serving the youth each month at "The City" youth services and also on Sunday mornings with the Jr. High classes.
Both of us have been involved in various aspects of church ministry since childhood and we feel blessed to have the opportunity to continue to serve Him here at Urban Church. Our desire is to bring young people closer to God and to provide them with fun and relevant youth services and events. Having each worked in youth ministry for 15+ years, we have had the opportunity of working beside and learning from a diverse group of leaders and pastors through youth events, conferences and mission trips.
I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Diego State University in the fall of 2008 and I am in the process of completing my Master of Arts in Education for Counseling and Guidance from Point Loma Nazarene University. Kitzya is currently completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Art Education at San Diego State University.
- Caleb & Jo Luehmann
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Caleb & Jo Luehmann
Leadership team members
cluehmann@lifeaturban.com
jluehmann@lifeaturban.comWhen we started pursuing a relationship one of the most important conversations we had was the one in regards to where we saw ourselves in the future. Both of us had a deep desire to use our marriage as a ministry tool and minister in some way or form with our future spouse. It was so exciting to sit in front of each other and hear the plans that God had for each one of us and see how they intertwined and complemented each other. Seeing God speak the same plan to both of us even though we grew up miles apart from each other was a testament to God's sovereignty and goodness.
During the time we were dating, Urban Church was in its beginning season and we were both ecstatic to serve in the capacity we were able to serve. We got married and being involved in the church became part of married life, we both knew we wanted to have a family that had God and His church as a priority.
After a few months of serving while having full time jobs, we felt God asking us to re-arrange our time commitments. Through prayer and wise counsel we realized God wanted Jo to quit her job, pursue her masters degree in ministry at Point Loma Nazarene University and help at Urban Church and He wanted me to get more involved with the men’s ministry and start taking classes at the Urban School of Ministry getting credits at Porland Bible College. It was soon after that we felt I had to quit my job as well and we both had to give ourselves as missionaries to the work God is doing in San diego through Urban Church. The Lord gave us the faith to move in that direction and we have embarked in a journey of church planting and serving Urban Church to the best of our ability.
We live in downtown San Diego; we love watching movies, we believing dancing with each other in public places is essential to our marriage, and we love going up on our roof to enjoy the sunset together.
- Naomi Brinkman
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Leadership Team Member
Urban School of Ministry TeacherI was born into a Christian family and my earliest memories are of church and hearing about Jesus. I accepted the Lord as my Savior at a very young age. After high school I attended and graduated from Bethel Temple Bible School in Seattle, WA. In 1957 Ted, a student from Holland, enrolled in that school. Ted and I were married the following year.
We were ordained to ministry and began 20+ years of pastoring in 1960. We pastored churches in Odessa, WA, Whidbey Island, WA, and Oak Harbor, WA. In 1970 we were asked to go to Holland to pastor a church of Dutch-Indonesian Christians. While there we were privileged to minister to Catholic nuns in their convents. After returning to the States in 1974 we pastored in Plummer, ID for 8 years. One of my greatest joys during our years of ministry was teaching the Scripture.
In 1981 my husband retired from active ministry due to health problems and he took a job on Whidbey Island where we lived until his death in June 2009. We were very active in our local church and I taught ladies Bible studies for many years. We took several missions trips and in 2004 spent six months in Uganda teaching in a Bible College.
As a widow my desire is to use my remaining years to do whatever I can to benefit God’s kingdom, so in October 2010 I sold our home on Whidbey Island and moved to San Diego to be part of Urban Church. I am finding fulfillment in teaching in Urban School of Ministry and also in a Community Group held in my home. I am assisting with office work and enjoy being part of the Glue Team.
My husband and I were blessed with four sons, one of whom is Pastor Ben.
