Elders

Elder Team

It is our belief and conviction that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church (Col. 1:18) and that He's entrusted the overall spiritual direction of the local church to a team of elders (Titus 1:5; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Peter 5:2). The elders are to lead like Jesus and their authority is to be expressed in loving servant-leadership and not selfish, domineering leadership (1 Peter 5:3; Hebrews 13:17). High Pointe is blessed to have the following elders presently serving our church family.

(See this document for more info)

TOM WILLIAMS (e-mail Tom)

Tom was born in Des Moines WA the 11th of 16 children. He grew up in a conservative Christian home and graduated from Washington State University in 1989 with a BS in Criminal Justice. In 1991 Tom met his wife Danielle and they were married in 1994. Tom, Danielle and their three children; Tara Rose, Amanda Christine and Thomas Edwards have lived in the Puyallup / Graham area since 2000. They first attended HPCC in 2001. Tom and Danielle have served as Core Group leaders and Tom also serves as a member of the Men’s Ministry Team and as a lay counselor within the church.
Tom is an insurance professional who owns an independent adjusting company. He and his business partner began the company in 2002. Starting up and owning a company has been a tremendous exercise of faith. Tom shares that “God has been very faithful to me and my family through my company and in many other areas of my life.”
When not working, Tom enjoys playing golf, hiking and climbing. He has summited Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams. The Williams family enjoys vacations at Sun River, the Oregon coast, and anywhere they can ride roller coasters.
The single greatest spiritual influence in Tom’s life has been his father. He taught Tom from God’s Word since he was a child and served in the church. He taught him that serving is an integral part of Christian life and essential for spiritual growth. Aside from the Bible, Tom enjoys reading works by C.S. Lewis, John MacArthur and A.W. Tozer.

DWIGHT ANDERSON (e-mail Dwight)

Dwight and Cristina, along with their two children, Olivia and Nathan have attended High Pointe since 2001. Cristina is a homemaker and Olivia and Nathan are both students at Seattle Pacific University, one of Dwight’s alma maters. (He also has degrees from WSU and the UW.) Dwight and Cristina have been involved in various Core Groups and Dwight is part of the media team that runs visuals during our worship service. He also helps out in JAM from time to time.
Dwight has always been amazed by the physical world. His professional work focuses on converting sustainable, forest-based biomass into renewable fuel for the Chevron/Weyerhaeuser joint venture known as Catchlight Energy. The scientific aspects of this job are also his hobby. The natural realm shares disputed boundaries with the domains of beauty, wisdom, mirth, and mystery in a way that draws him in and helps to inform an awe of God. Other hobbies include playing trumpet at the Linden Grove Health Care Center, running, sailing, tennis (mostly as a spectator), and reading either non-fiction or poetry. One of his favorite poems is “On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness,” by Arthur Guiterman.
Dwight has been blessed with several godly mentors and examples in my life, but believes he is also indebted to Christian voices from history. The latter category includes Isaac Watts, James Clerk Maxwell, George Washington Carver, Fanny Crosby, C.S. Lewis, and J. Vernon McGee. As helpful and inspiring as folks such as these are, however, he aims to spend much more time in the Bible itself.

BRAD MIRK (e-mail Brad)

Brad, his wife Donna and their three children began attending High Pointe in 2006. Their oldest daughter Kelsey and her husband Andy are parents to Donna and Brad’s first grandchild, Lily. Their son Jordan is a student through Liberty University, and is a part-time employee of High Pointe in the Student Ministries. Youngest daughter Abby is an active member of the Student Ministry and serves in JAM.
Brad is an Advanced Placement U.S. History and Government teacher at Emerald Ridge High School where he also serves as the Head Boys’ Track Coach and an Assistant Basketball Coach. Outside of work, Brad enjoys being able to spend time with Donna and the family, as well as working on various projects around their home. Brad is usually reading a book on history or government as well as the occasional works of literature.
In addition to the Bible, Brad has been especially influenced in his spiritual journey by the works of John Wesley, Ravi Zacharias, Hank Hanegraaff and John MacArthur. He is actively involved in High Pointe ministries as a Core Group Leader, a member of the set-up team, and an occasional speaker on Sunday mornings.

CARROLL FRYE (e-mail Carroll)

Carroll and Jan became members of High Pointe Community Church in 2005. They have two adult children, Julie and Darren. Their son Darren works as a math instructor in Tacoma. Their daughter, Julie, is married to Brice Johnson and they have one child, Will. Brice and Julie serve as part of the ministry, Youth Compass that will take them to Germany to serve.

The Fryes are enjoying retirement from their professional careers. Jan was a teacher and librarian, and Carroll worked as an engineer and business manager for Weyerhaeuser. Both Jan and Carroll grew up in coastal South Carolina and lived in eastern North Carolina for 17 years before moving to Puyallup in 1988.

Jan and Carroll are involved in several ministries at High Pointe. Jan works in KidZone, and Carroll serves on the Church Finance Team and as PrimteTimer Ministry lead. They also lead Core Groups.

Carroll enjoys reading, movies, history and travel. He particularly enjoys reading about the history of God’s people and their influence on the world around them and hearing how people came to know and follow Jesus.

KEVIN SULLIVAN (e-mail Kevin)

Kevin Sullivan graduated from Texas A&M University with an accounting degree in 1986, and worked for several years in the corporate world before pursuing God's call into full-time Christian service.

He served as the Pastor to Young Married Adults for eight years in a church in Houston, Texas. During that time Kevin earned a Masters of Divinity degree.

Kevin's passion is connecting people with Jesus Christ, particularly those who are unfamiliar with a relationship with God. In 1999, God led Kevin and his family to move to the Northwest to start a church where people could experience God in a refreshing and life changing way. By God's grace, High Pointe Community Church officially opened its doors for weekly services on April 23, 2000.

Kevin is married to his beautiful wife, Nancy, and has two daughters, Lauren and Audrey. He is an avid sports nut and rides his mountain bike weekly.