Clergy and Staff
Rev. Thomas Hinson, Rector
Tommy established the Church of the Advent in late 2007, along with a core group of men and women living in Columbia Heights. Prior to this time, Tommy lived in Boston, MA where his passion for urban renewal was born out of his tenure as a mental health counselor working with underserved populations. A native of Winston-Salem, NC, Tommy attended Furman University where he met his wife and best friend, Laura. Tommy received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. He and Laura have a son named Riley and a dog, Jasper.
Email Tommy
Rev. Blake Johnson, Associate Pastor
Blake serves the Church of the Advent as a pastoral fellow. In addition to assisting in the pastoral care and teaching ministry of the church, Blake oversees our liturgy and prayer ministry. Before moving to DC from Alabama in the summer of 2010, Blake and his wife of seven years, Mary Ann, worked together in small business. Blake has degrees from the University of Alabama, the University of Kentucky, and Nashotah House Theological Seminary.
Kaitlynn Hendricks, Parish Administrator
Kaitlynn began attending Church of the Resurrection in 2009 after moving to DC to study economics at the University of Maryland, College Park. She came on staff for Rez in December 2010, then for Advent in June, 2011, and now serves as the Parish Administrator for both. She directs church operations, from resource management, to communication, to event planning, to design. Kaitlynn grew up in rural Oregon, but spent many summers & holidays with family in DC all throughout her life and now calls the federal city home after living here since 2007. She enjoys writing, reading things that are just a little bit too complicated to really understand, and exploring the city on her vespa. Email Kaitlynn.
Wendell Kimbrough, Director of Worship Arts
Originally from southern Mississippi, Wendell moved to DC in 2007 to work for the Church of the Resurrection help with their new church plant–Advent. He is now Advent’s Director of Worship Arts and oversees everything related to music, sound, and slide projection at the church. Wendell studied at Furman University and spent a formative year afterward with a graduate fellowship at the Trinity Forum Academy. When he’s not working for Advent, Wendell can be found writing, recording, or performing original music around the DC region. To learn more about Wendell’s music, you can visit his website here.
Email Wendell
Parish Council
The Parish Council is the primary leadership body of the church, composed of both clergy and the following elected lay leaders:
Coite Manuel, Rector’s Warden Email Coite
Chris Trimble, Treasurer Email Chris
Eleanor Barkhorn
Erin Sparks
Curt Zeager
Parish Life Team
The Parish Life Team is comprised of all the appointed ministry leaders, and provides oversight for all of the parish ministry at Advent:
Rachel Kriss, Hospitality
Hahna Fridirici, Women’s Ministry
Rimas Orentas, Men’s Ministry
Daniel Hall, Community Group Coordinator
Evan & Amy Rogers Hays, Community Group Coordinators
Ali Phillips, Community Group Coordinator
