Staff

God is good and God is for us. All of us. Mari Anne and I married the year that Oak Cliff's Stevie Ray Vaughan released his song, ' Pride and Joy.' (Yes, true). After our wedding, we moved to work in the San Francisco area for a few years then I attended seminary to pursue a pastoral calling. After graduating from seminary, we returned to the San Francisco area. By God's grace (and kindness and deep sense of humor), I planted and pastored a church there for more than a decade. We moved briefly to the Midwest where I pastored and helped another church plant get off the ground. In 2001, we moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where I planted and pastored Christ Church Santa Fe. In 2015, God opened a door for us to come to Dallas where I served as President of Redeemer Seminary. We came to Dallas to serve Jesus and mentor young leaders in the mission of God. Throughout our married life, God has gifted Mari Anne and I with 5 children who we love dearly, spouses of our children that we love as our own, and Sam (our first grandson). Our other family member was a dumb Bloodhound named Ocho. She lived for 13 years. We miss her a bunch. The mission of God in my life took a beautiful and surprising turn in the Fall of 2016, when John Hawkins invited me to lunch at Hattie's in Bishop Arts. That meeting eventually led us to St Jude Oak Cliff. I am thrilled to be in Oak Cliff and honored to serve at St Jude Oak Cliff. See you all soon!

Hey friends, Deb here--St Jude’s resident detail warrior as Nika calls it or the boss of the bosses as Mart calls it, but most of you would probably know me as the Pastoral Administrator. You might assume that because I am one of five daughters out of six siblings in my family that I am not a huge sports fan, but you would be mistaken. My presence on the staff has now shifted us to a majority Sooner loving team. My husband, Jim, and I spent a good deal of time living between Texas, Oklahoma, and a short stint in California. I wish I could tell you we lived a fairy tale life, but anyone who is married—and honest—knows the challenges and struggles that comes with marriage. I watched my marriage come back from the brink of divorce, and all the while I felt God’s nearness and encouragement to hold on to the rope that tethered me to my husband. If you want to hear more about this miraculous story, don’t hesitate to ask! I honestly do not think I would have been able to trust God so much through those tough years if not for a foundation of trust I had built in the Lord and his promises years earlier. In 1995 one day I woke up, slapped my bed, and decided I wanted more from my relationship with the triune God. I joined Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and have not looked back. I have gone from a participant and now leader in this ministry, and have seen the fruit of it in my life as well as the life of my family. When I am not keeping the trains running for St Jude or doing the same for my BSF chapter, you can find me embroidering, playing Mahjong, singing, spending quality time with my wonderful home group, or talking to my cat. And, when my schedule allows, I love sneaking away to Port Aransas…this gal can’t get enough of that salt water! My dream for St Jude is that God would continue to grow and sustain us so that we can see more people transformed by the good news of the Gospel. The fact that I can play a small part in that on this team delights me greatly. If you need anything, just ask!

Hey friends! This is Jess. As the Communication & Creative Design Coordinator, it’s my job to keep you all informed on what’s happening around St. Jude...and design a few stickers every so often. Although I’m a native Texan (born & raised in Fort Worth), I’ve spent quite a bit of time in East and Southern Africa. It was while I was living in Zambia that God began to poke holes in my definition of the gospel. The longer I lived and worked alongside my Zambian brothers and sisters, the more I realized that the gospel I grew up with was defined less by what was found in the Scriptures and more by my American individualized worldview. And then I began to observe how this worldview negatively impacted how we (the American evangelical church) “do” global missions, particularly regarding orphan care. So, I decided I wanted to do something to change this. However, my narrow understanding of the gospel, as well as my glimpse into the complexities of poverty and systems of injustice had convinced me that I was not yet equipped to do this well. This led me to Denver Seminary’s Justice and Mission program. After graduation—armed with a master’s degree—I decided I was ready to go change the trajectory of American evangelical global missions. God, of course, had a different plan, and I ended up spending a year Uganda helping to launch a new initiative designed to empower the local church to support vulnerable families and children. Eventually, I made my way to Dallas where I spent several years with an African organization focused on leadership, justice, and reconciliation and now I am on staff at World Vision. Through all my studies of Scripture and time spent with believers from around the world, I am convinced now more than ever of God’s desire to restore this messy, broken world back to himself. And I continue to be amazed that the God of the universe invites us—messy, broken people—to join him in this mission of reconciliation…all because He loves us. And because God loves and saves us, in return we get to sacrificially give love, grace, and justice to our family, our neighbors, and the world. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s SJOC’s main thing. It’s part of what drew me to St. Jude—that and the St. Jude family. If you want to hear more about my story, how I ended up at St. Jude,  tips on where to travel in Africa, or what it's like to be the favorite aunt of six nephews, let’s grab some coffee.

Hey there! I’m Tashara Oliver - St. Jude Oak Cliff’s children & youth coordinator. From diapers to graduation caps, I’m your gal. Dallas born and raised, I’m so lucky to call Oak Cliff and, more so, St. Jude, my home. I graduated from Texas A&M University (a-whoop!) with a degree in Environmental Science, and love to escape to the outdoors as much as I can. I ain’t ever met a mountain I didn’t want to climb, or a desert I didn’t fall in love with. I spent my time post-college in college ministry, working in outdoor stores, and now as a full time environmentalist. I consume books, tea, and a good record like nobody’s business - especially when they’re combined. I’m so glad to get serve our younger ones here at St. Jude Oak Cliff!