Familiar Faces

Below are people who you will see quite a bit of at The Journey. Whether they serve a lot of “face time” in front of the congregation or are simply involved in many activities, we can almost guarantee that you’ll run into these men and women.

Sherry Christensen

Sherry is our Children’s Ministry Director and even though she’ll soon step down in order to teach elementary school, she will continue to play a key role in our church.

Sherry’s experience is fourfold; she’s the mother of four beautiful children, ages 2 through 11. In addition to raising her own children, she taught for 10 years and has always been involved in planning multi-age, leveled activities.

When Sherry walks through the doors at The Journey, she knows that she’ll find what she needs: an encouraging hug, a heartfelt prayer, or a just a compassionate listener. She knows she’s missed when she’s not there and that makes The Journey her home away from home.

Working with children is a blessing to Sherry. “I genuinely love being around kids – they have a wit, wisdom, and innocence about them that makes you want to encourage those characteristics.”

Nick Landis

Nick Landis is a member of our Praise Band and he assists with the sound board as well. He has a music degree and is employed as a full-time sound engineer in Austin so we’re glad to have his expertise. Since last year, Nick’s been “helping out where he can” at The Journey, and he doesn’t mind spending Sunday mornings engaged in one of his favorite activities - playing the guitar.

Matt Franke

A recent addition to our Praise Band is Matt Franke. You’ll see him playing Bass each Sunday, surrounded by both people, and music, that he loves. When Matt’s not sharing his gifts with us, he’s recording in the studio, playing a gig, or working towards earning a degree in Jazz Studies.

Nick Thacker

More often than not, Nick Thacker will be the guy with the guitar, leading the congregation in song. He started his career early, leading worship bands from the time he was in middle school and eventually becoming a full-time Worship Director. 

Music is Nick’s language. Along with studying music in college, he has composed songs and written books about music. In fact, he was even nominated for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Music!

At The Journey, Nick feels comfortable sharing his faith through music. He enjoys the moments when he forgets about the music, forgets about the tune and even forgets about the words. It’s then that he is simply worshiping. “My commitment to myself is to find that moment in every song I ever sing or play, on or off the stage. It’s not always easy, and can be frustrating when I let myself down, but I’m addicted to the feeling.”