Phil & Priscilla Newell: Senior Pastors
Phil & Priscilla have been the pastors of this church since 1977, and Phil just finished his D.Min degree at Western Seminary in Portland. Previously they served as youth pastors in Pella, Iowa, pastors of the Open Bible Church in Sedalia, Missouri and a three-year stint as Principal of the Open Bible High School on the Island of Trinidad. They have two children and three grandchildren. Their hobbies are reading, entertaining and bicycling. Phil also works as a consultant assisting churches that are either declining or expanding through church planting. Priscilla works as a part-time secretary in the church office, heads up the women's ministries, and assists with a host of other responsibilities around the church.
E-mail: pnewell@PortlandOpenBible.com

Scott Thomas: Pastor & Youth Ministry
Scott and Sherrie are no strangers to our congregation as Scott grew up in our youth group and he and Sherrie spent their first year of fulltime ministry with us. They first began serving at Portland Open Bible in the summer of 1996, within weeks of getting married. After serving for a handful of years as our youth pastors and worship leaders, they spent the next decade ministering to students in Bend, Oregon and Eugene Bible College then returned to this pastoral position in the summer of 2010. Scott received his M.A. in Leadership from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. They have two young boys who complete this family.


 

Karen Bobst: Administration
Karen is a graduate of Eugene Bible College (now NHCC), and is a minister with a degree in Religious Education.  She serves as our church secretary, bookkeeper, and also assists in a number of other arenas with children's ministry, directing ladies' retreats, and teaching discovery classes. The Bobst family has been with us since March 1998, and Karen previously served nine years on pastoral staff at The Lighthouse in Eugene, Oregon. She and Jeff have a very busy life with four kids - two young adults (one college and one in the Navy) and two teenagers. In her free time, she enjoys entertaining, scrapbooking or watching her children's sporting events.