Elders
Luis & Erika Mellado
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Luis and Erika have been a part of the Park Hill family since January of 2018. They began attending with their two daughters, Rebeka and Priscila, and have been faithfully committed to the church ever since.
Luis grew up as a pastor's kid and accepted Christ at age 10 during a children's summer camp in Tecate, Mexico. When Erika was 14, she fell in love with Jesus during a difficult time in her family life, and her life was changed forever. Now, Luis and Erika have served the Lord together for more than 30 years.
When their daughters were young, Erika and Luis were missionaries in Madrid for 3 years. They have since served in the church in various capacities. Erika is currently an Instructional Coach in the public school system, helping teachers and students succeed in their learning, and Luis is the Regional Director for The Global Leadership Summit in Mexico.
As elders, they are passionate about building up the body of Christ to become more like Jesus, being a part of the local body serving God and others, and providing premarital counseling for members of the church.
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Elders
Matt & Aleah Pursley
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Matthew and Aleah met in college, quickly fell in love, and were married in 2010. They moved to San Diego in 2017 to help plant Park Hill Church and continue to serve on the leadership team– Matthew as Executive Pastor and Aleah as Pastor of Community Formation.
As elders at Park Hill, Matthew and Aleah speak into the development and health of Park Hill and faithfully help guide and guard it. They desire to see the hope of Jesus transform individual lives and the city of San Diego.
Their heart is specifically to be spiritual mothers and fathers who plan, oversee, and shepherd Park Hill alongside an incredible team, their continued prayer for the church is that together, its members will get to see God's kingdom come as it is heaven.
Matthew and Aleah have two sons, one daughter, and a Bernese Mountain Dog named Bo. Their family loves spending time together, whether it's enjoying the outdoors, reading books, or family movie night.
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Elders
Matthieu Rouffet
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Matthieu grew up in a large family and was raised attending church, but it wasn’t until the age of about 14 that he realized he had to decide to follow Jesus for himself. He was then baptized soon after and has been faithfully serving the Lord since.
Matthieu began attending Park Hill Church in January 2018 with his wife of now 13 years. As an Elder, he is passionate about seeing people of all backgrounds and ages be transformed into Christ’s likeness through worship, scripture, serving, and living in true community. He longs to see the current generation follow Jesus with everything they have and to be a light that shines throughout the city of San Diego.
Matthieu works as a chemistry professor and department chair at Point Loma Nazarene University. When he isn’t working, he enjoys playing guitar, cooking for others, and having deep conversations around the dinner table. He also loves to learn and understand why things work the way they do. For fun, he enjoys playing basketball and volleyball as well as surfing.
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Elder
Evan & Sandy Wickham
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Evan and Sandy met and started dating in high school. They got married when they were both 19 and now have five kids– four boys and one girl. Since their 20s, they have shared a vision for planting a church in San Diego together and would often walk the streets of North Park praying for God to move in the city. Eventually, God called them to Portland to be trained as church planters for four years.
In 2017, they moved back to their hometown of San Diego to plant Park Hill Church. In addition to leading and shepherding Park Hill pastorally, Evan and Sandy serve as elders leading and guiding the church as co-equal partners.
Evan received his M.Div. from Western Seminary in Portland, OR, and Sandy completed a Bible and Theology cohort, also at Western Seminary. Evan and Sandy have developed important weekly family rhythms over the years–their Thursday date nights are non-negotiable, and every Friday is their Sabbath. Their family loves hiking together and they are all proud owners of a Greek tortoise and a golden doodle.
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EldersStaff
Arielle Dortch
PASTOR OF KIDS-
Arielle moved from St. Petersburg, FL to San Diego in 2019 to join the leadership team at Park Hill. She attributes her move across the country to God’s kindness and faithfulness as it wasn’t something she could have planned for, but she’s extremely grateful to be a part of what God is doing at Park Hill.
Arielle comes from a large family of seven kids and feels privileged to have grown up in the church and to have been introduced to Jesus at a young age. As she has grown in her relationship with God over the years, she has marveled at scripture where God brings himself "low" for the sake of reaching the lost and vulnerable.
As the Pastor of Kids, Arielle considers every Sunday an opportunity to see children as God sees them – to bring them to the front, give them a seat of honor and teach the truth in a way they understand. Her role not only consists of managing Sunday morning kids ministry operations, but she also provides overall vision for shepherding the children of Park Hill in Christlikeness in partnership with their families.
In her spare time, Arielle loves to simply relax. She will tell you she’s at her best when she’s in a chair, on a couch, or in a hammock. Also, people often ask how to pronounce her name. It's Air-ee-L – and since she was born before The Little Mermaid entered the scene, the mermaid copied her.
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Jacob Fisher
Pastor of Teams-
Jacob remembers coming to know Jesus at a very young age and since then, he has continually followed Jesus and served the church in various capacities. He was a part of the small team that moved to San Diego from Portland to plant Park Hill in 2017 and has been an integral part of the team ever since.
As the Pastor of Teams, he coordinates and oversees the volunteer teams who serve the church on Sunday mornings and is committed to shepherding our volunteers pastorally. He loves connecting with people and seeing them live into what they are being called to by Jesus.
Jacob is also the Pastor of Alpha and facilitates this course twice a year.
When he’s not working he enjoys working with his hands - he is quite crafty and loves building and fixing things. He also enjoys coffee, music, and spending time with his wife, Wheeler.
Jacob has a Master of Applied Biblical Leadership from Western Seminary.
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Nate Heflin
AUDIO / VISUAL DIRECTOR-
Nate Heflin grew up in the High Desert with his parents and two older sisters. As a church kid, he grew up loving Jesus, and he feels very blessed by his roots in the church. After high school, Nate worked on the production team at Hillsong LA while attending Citrus College’s Theater Tech program. After earning his certification, he worked for an LA-based production company and served on staff as the AV Director at a church plant.
Like it was for many people, 2020 was a trying year for Nate. In the midst of unexpected loss, Nate was introduced to Park Hill through the church podcast. He began attending PH virtually as everything went online, and when in-person gatherings started back up, he began driving down to Park Hill and volunteering on the production team.
Nate now serves as the A/V Director overseeing all A/V needs for services and events and he loves serving alongside the amazing team of people that have become family. He also leads a team of volunteers on Sunday mornings and is passionate about helping those interested in serving the church get involved.
Nate holds a BA in Business Administration, and, outside of his role at church, he works as a Project Manager at a cyber-security company. Nate loves Star Wars, enjoys basketball, playing music, and hanging out with the people he loves. You can catch him boondocking in an RV this spring, hanging out with his soon-to-be-wife, Aly, and talking theology over Settlers of Catan.
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Nicolette Herrera
park hill kids admin-
Nicolette was born and raised here in San Diego, growing up in the Chula Vista area. She attended Church every week with her family and made the decision to give her life to Christ in middle school. In high school and college, during a time of asking bigger life questions, Nicolette put God on the backburner, but He was continually faithful to draw her back through her community, her work, and her marriage.
Nicolette met her husband Weston in college, and they briefly moved to Arizona where she finished her undergraduate studies before they returned to San Diego. When they got back here in the summer of 2017 they started attending Park Hill, and Nicolette quickly became an integral member of the Kids Team.
Throughout her life, Nicolette has always worked with kids, and seeing their childlike faith that so often comes in tandem with questions, meltdowns, and copious joy brings her closer to God every Sunday. Just as the Father loves them through it all, she strives to reflect that same love through her role at Park Hill.
In her spare time, you will probably find Nicolette dancing! You might even be lucky enough to catch her in a flash mob around the city. She also loves exploring the city with her husband to find new places to eat and taking their dog, Tori, to the beach or on walks!
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Teddy & Mel MacKay
park hill youth coordinators-
Teddy and Melanie both grew up in California—Teddy in Orange County and Mel in the Central Coast. They met and fell for each other while working at a Summer Camp where they spent years hanging out and playing with the youth and striving to always point them to Jesus.
Investing in teens and walking with them while they walk with Jesus is one of their greatest joys in life, so it was an easy choice to volunteer and step in to the role of Park Hill Youth coordinators! If you come around on a Tuesday night, you can find them running around in all sorts of shenanigans or having deep conversations with youth about following Jesus every day.
Teddy teaches English at High Tech High Mesa, and Mel taught math there before taking time off to raise their daughter, Winona. They love family outings, sunset walks with their dog, camping, making tasty food, and playing board games with friends!
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Aleah Pursley
PASTOR OF COMMUNITY FORMATION-
Aleah grew up knowing the love of Jesus, and some of her earliest memories include growing in passion for him through faithful parents. Throughout her life, God has continued to reveal himself in new ways, and she feels each new season brings a deeper calling toward following Christ.
Aleah met her husband, Matthew, in college, and after getting married, they began praying toward Church planting. In 2017, God gave them the opportunity to move to San Diego from Oregon to help plant Park Hill Church. They moved to the city with their two sons and have since welcomed a daughter and a Bernese Mountain Dog to the family.
Aleah oversees the development of community life at Park Hill and provides vision for practicing the way of Jesus together in community. She is passionate about seeing the transforming power of the Holy Spirit move through Jesus-centered relationships and watching the ordinary become the miraculous through everyday community-centered life.
She is also an M.Div. student and considers herself both a 90s hip hop enthusiast and amateur beach walker.
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Matthew Pursley
EXECUTIVE PASTOR-
Matthew was introduced to Jesus at an early age through his parents and their church in Oregon. In college, he met his wife, Aleah. Then, in 2010, while serving as a youth pastor in Washington State, God began calling Matthew to plant a church in San Diego.
His prayers and dreams for San Diego became more focused as his experiences and opportunities broadened in the following years. Matthew met Evan in Portland through a mutual friend and began talking and praying about church planting.
In 2017, Matthew and Aleah, along with their two boys, packed up and moved to San Diego to help plant Park Hill Church. As the Executive Pastor, Matthew oversees the staff at Park Hill, providing leadership and vision for the functional activities of the church. He is passionate to see the power of the Spirit transform lives as the church becomes a place of belonging for anyone seeking to follow Jesus.
Since moving to San Diego, Matthew and Aleah have introduced a baby girl into their family. Matthew enjoys working on projects with his hands, reading, listening to music, running, and adventuring through the great outdoors. Matthew has an MA in Historical Theology from Westminster Seminary California.
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Evan Wickham
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Evan is originally from San Diego and grew up in a Jesus-following home. He is thankful for parents who led by example and whose integrity equipped him to navigate seasons of doubt and growth. His journey of coming to know Jesus has been less about breakthrough and more about process, and through Spirit-led community, he has continued to experience God's love for him throughout his life.
Evan's family moved to Orange County when he was young, then back to San Diego when he was a teenager. Soon after their return, he met his wife, Sandy, at school. They got married young and now have five kids – four boys and a girl. In 2017, after spending four years in Portland earning his M.Div. from Western Seminary and training for church planting alongside Sandy, Evan moved back to San Diego to plant Park Hill Church.
As Lead Pastor, Evan teaches and provides overall vision and direction for Park Hill in partnership with Sandy, Co-Lead Pastor. He is passionate about leading the church out of his marriage with Sandy as co-equal partners for God's glory in the church – whether that’s leading a moment of worship together or developing a sermon series together behind the scenes.
In his free time, you might find him hiking up one of Mission Trails' five peaks, backpacking with friends, or picking up a good sci-fi novel. He also enjoys songwriting and creating music – he has released four albums full of worship songs written over the course of his ministry life as a worship leader.
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LEAD PASTOR
Sandy Wickham
CO-LEAD PASTOR -
Sandy was born and raised in San Diego and has always had a deep love for Jesus and the church. She and her husband, Evan, were high school sweethearts and have spent many years serving the church together in different capacities. They have five kids, ranging from elementary school age to adult.
In 2017, Sandy and Evan moved back to San Diego from Portland with their family to plant Park Hill Church together with a small team. As Co-Lead Pastor, Sandy provides overall vision and direction for Park Hill in partnership with her husband and Lead Pastor, Evan. She is most passionate about curating a space for beautiful things to happen by leading the church in engaging in prayer, communion, and worship.
When she’s not working, she loves to travel with her husband and immerse herself in diverse worship experiences and church cultures. She also has a keen eye for interior design and believes beauty and order are reflections of God's good character in the world.
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Eli Wood
Executive Assistant to Lead Pastors-
Eli grew up in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania in a Christian home and was introduced to Jesus at a young age, but he grew deeper in his faith in middle school making it his own. After high school, Eli attended the US Naval Academy before commissioning as a Surface Warfare Officer in 2018. After various duty stations in DC, San Diego, and Japan, and a deployment throughout Asia, Eli completed his naval service and returned to San Diego.
Eli was introduced to Park Hill through a close friend, and he immediately felt it was a breath of fresh air, reviving his love of Christ and healing past wounds through the power of community. In 2022, he officially joined the team to support the needs of the lead pastors.
As the Executive Assistant to Lead Pastor, Evan Wickham, and Co-Lead Pastor, Sandy Wickham, Eli coordinates logistics between the staff as they collaborate to lead the church faithfully. He enjoys working closely with Evan and Sandy to help make their dreams and visions for Park Hill a reality.
When he’s not working with the team at Park Hill, he spends time acting on both stage and screen. He works for a regional theatre company (San Diego Musical Theatre) as their Marketing and PR Director and has appeared in several professional productions in San Diego. Eli is also a proud owner of an English Mastiff Pitbull named Marmaduke.
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Jason & Tinika Wyatt
MARRIAGE & FAMILY PASTORS-
Jason and Tinika Wyatt serve as PHC’s Marriage and Family Pastors. They met in church as teenagers and were good friends for several years before dating. Their friendship blossomed into a lasting relationship and marriage that has surpassed 26 years. They have four adult children who live in different parts of the country for work and school.
Both Jason and Tinika consider themselves “church kids.” Jason was a pastor’s son and started following Christ as a child. Tinika was also raised in the church and committed her life to Jesus at a very young age. In her early years, God revealed himself as her Father and the church became her family.
After Tinika met Evan Wickham at a multi-ethnic worship conference in Nashville, TN, she and Jason decided to visit Park Hill in 2017 before its official launch. They both strongly felt called to Park Hill's vision and have been a part of the church family ever since.
As Marriage & Family Pastors, Jason and Tinika provide pastoral care to families, those considering marriage, and married couples. They are passionate about helping people better reflect God’s image by strengthening relationships between God and one another. They strive to provide tools that are based in Scripture and life experience to build healthy families and marriages. They also work to bridge generational, ethnic, and cultural relational gaps in the body of Christ through their life and worship.
Both Jason and Tinika work full-time in healthcare. For leisure, Jason enjoys fishing and coaching youth track and field. He’s a certified official and occasionally competes as a master’s athlete. In addition to working full time, Tinika is a singer, songwriter, and children's book author. She is also a mentor to several women and a Marriage and Family Therapy graduate student. While not embedded church planters, the Wyatts are planning to one day open a community center that will be a safe haven for youth and families, which they feel will be a beautiful extension of the church.
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