Leadership

Elders

Jonathan Davis

Jonathan (JD) lives in Jacksonville, NC with his wife, Jennifer, and five kids Cody, Keegan, Kale, Chloe, and Kinsley. JD has been serving in the Pillar network since it began in 2005.

The Davis family has had the privilege of being a part of five church plants since that time, three of them from their inception. They have a desire and passion to see the gospel spread through church planting efforts all over the world.  In May of 2019, JD began the transition from full-time vocational work to full-time pastor of Pillar Church Jacksonville.  JD has a passion for pastoral ministry, leadership development, and various discipleship ministries. 

Brian O'Day

Brian lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Kelli, and five children: Dani, Trey, Nate, and Ameena. Brian served for nearly 10 years as an active duty Marine that included deployments to fifteen countries including Iraq and Afghanistan. While stationed in Quantico, VA in 2010 and attending Pillar Church in Dumfries, Brian was called to plant Pillar Church Jacksonville. Pillar Jax began in Brian and Kelli’s home on January 6, 2013. In May of 2019, Brian began a transition from full-time pastoring with Pillar Jax to the role of Executive Director of The Praetorian Project. Brian holds a Masters of Divinity in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a passion for preaching God’s Word, discipling men, foster care/adoption, and counseling marriages. 

Eddie Benjamin

Eddie and Mariko live in a suburb north of Jacksonville and have been married for 24 years.

Together they lead and host the East Jacksonville Community Group and the Young Adult Group.  Eddie is in charge of Pillar Jacksonville Audio/Visual ministry and leads a team of volunteers who manage the soundboard and slides for Sunday worship services. He and Mariko oversee support for our members who happen to be single mothers and widows. Mariko assists with communication with our Japanese members and between the local Japanese Ministry Action Group (MAG) and the church. 

Eddie and Mariko also served as part of the core planting team for the Pillar Topsail church in 2020. Both Eddie and Mariko are faithful members and feel blessed to serve at Pillar Jacksonville.

Deacons

Andy and Kristen Miller

Andy and Kristen live in Hubert, NC. They have been married for 17 years and have three kids – Grace, Faith and Zac.

Andy and Kristen met when they were children. Andy’s family was pursuing missionary work in NYC, and Kristen’s grandparents were members of the missionary board at their mutual church. Andy and Kristen grew up together as members of North Jersey HomeSchool Association (NJHSA). After high school, Andy joined the Marines and Kristen continued work as a nanny. They started dating shortly after Andy graduated boot camp.

After 20 years of service in the Marine Corps, Andy retired and is pursuing work in banking management. Kristen spent the last 24 years as a nanny/caregiver. Their family has a love for the outdoors, board games and music, and each family member plays at least one instrument.

Both of them have a strong desire to serve the Lord by any means possible, and are humbled and eager to serve their church family at Pillar Jax.    They enjoy serving in the music ministry and children’s ministry, as well as leading a community group in their home.

Daniel, Leslie, and Noah Snyder

Daniel and Leslie live in Jacksonville, NC and have two children, Megan and Noah. Daniel is a retired Marine with 28 years of active-duty service and now enjoys remodeling and managing rental properties. Leslie is a registered nurse and homeschooling Mom of 12 years. They both serve in various ministries for youth including Trail Life USA and STOA Homeschool Speech and Debate.

Daniel and Leslie serve as Deacons of Building and Grounds, and their son Noah serves as one of the worship leaders for Pillar’s music ministry

Vinnie and Tara Curley

Vinnie and Tara live in Richlands, NC. They met during college and were married in 2014. They have four children & a baby due in June 2023.

The Curleys have been attending Pillar Jax since 2017. Vinnie serves as one of the worship leaders & enjoys the role immensely. Together, Vinnie and Tara also serve as deacons at Pillar Jax. They work to ensure that various supplies are stocked in the buildings for events and services throughout the week. They also host the Richlands community group and the local Camp Lejeune OCF group in their home during the week. 

They have become passionate about serving the Lord with an open home, and they rejoice in every opportunity to make their home and the church’s spaces a welcoming and comfortable place for people to gather in the Lord’s name.

James and Kendra Armstrong

James and Kendra live in Richlands, NC. While high school sweethearts James enlisted in the Marine Corps and over the last 16 years of marriage Kendra has followed wherever the Corps sent them. They have three kids – Aiden, Leo, and Isaac.

James is now retired from the Marine Corps with almost 17 years of service and is pursuing training in rightly dividing the Word of God and being a biblical leader. Kendra is a homemaker, homeschools the boys, and tends to their homestead. The whole family enjoys being outside, being creative, working hard, and enjoying God’s creation.

The Armstrong’s have been attending Pillar Jax since 2021 and have been serving in numerous areas as a family. Together they serve the church by leading the cleaning team, in various hospitality positions, and enjoy being the hands and feet of Jesus serving wherever there is a need to be filled. They have a heart for seeing the gospel spread to other military areas and are committed to joining with the Praetorian Project Church Plant that is headed to Washington State in the near future.

ELDERS

Jonathan Davis

Jonathan (JD) lives in Jacksonville, NC with his wife, Jennifer, and five kids Cody, Keegan, Kale, Chloe, and Kinsley. JD has been serving in the Pillar network since it began in 2005.

The Davis family has had the privilege of being a part of five church plants since that time, three of them from their inception. They have a desire and passion to see the gospel spread through church planting efforts all over the world.  In May of 2019, JD began the transition from full-time vocational work to full-time pastor of Pillar Church Jacksonville.  JD has a passion for pastoral ministry, leadership development, and various discipleship ministries. 

Brian O'Day

Brian lives in Jacksonville with his wife, Kelli, and five children: Dani, Kristlyn, Trey, Nate, and Ameena. Brian served for nearly 10 years as an active duty Marine that included deployments to fifteen countries including Iraq and Afghanistan. While stationed in Quantico, VA in 2010 and attending Pillar Church in Dumfries, Brian was called to plant Pillar Church Jacksonville. Pillar Jax began in Brian and Kelli’s home on January 6, 2013. In May of 2019, Brian began a transition from full-time pastoring with Pillar Jax to the role of Executive Director of The Praetorian Project. Brian holds a Masters of Divinity in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a passion for preaching God’s Word, discipling men, foster care/adoption, and counseling marriages. 

Eddie Benjamin

Eddie and Mariko live in a suburb north of Jacksonville and have been married for 24 years.

Together they lead and host the East Jacksonville Community Group and the Young Adult Group.  Eddie is in charge of Pillar Jacksonville Audio/Visual ministry and leads a team of volunteers who manage the soundboard and slides for Sunday worship services. He and Mariko oversee support for our members who happen to be single mothers and widows. Mariko assists with communication with our Japanese members and between the local Japanese Ministry Action Group (MAG) and the church. 

Eddie and Mariko also served as part of the core planting team for the Pillar Topsail church in 2020. Both Eddie and Mariko are faithful members and feel blessed to serve at Pillar Jacksonville.

Caleb Glaser

Caleb lives in Jacksonville, NC with his wife, Hannah, and two sons, Samuel and Raymond. Originally from Oregon, Caleb is an active-duty Marine who has been stationed in NC for over two years. Caleb and his family worshiped at Pillar Church of Dumfries in Virginia prior to moving to Jacksonville. Currently, Caleb and Hannah are serving in the Youth Group, as well as hosting a community group. Caleb has a passion for seeing others grow in their faith through the power of the Word and discipleship like he experienced through the leadership and mentoring in the Pillar Church network. 

DEACONS

Andy and Kristen Miller

Andy and Kristen live in Hubert, NC. They have been married for 17 years and have three kids – Grace, Faith and Zac.

Andy and Kristen met when they were children. Andy’s family was pursuing missionary work in NYC, and Kristen’s grandparents were members of the missionary board at their mutual church. Andy and Kristen grew up together as members of North Jersey HomeSchool Association (NJHSA). After high school, Andy joined the Marines and Kristen continued work as a nanny. They started dating shortly after Andy graduated boot camp.

After 20 years of service in the Marine Corps, Andy retired and is pursuing work in banking management. Kristen spent the last 24 years as a nanny/caregiver. Their family has a love for the outdoors, board games and music, and each family member plays at least one instrument.

Both of them have a strong desire to serve the Lord by any means possible, and are humbled and eager to serve their church family at Pillar Jax.    They enjoy serving in the music ministry and children’s ministry, as well as leading a community group in their home.

Daniel, Leslie, and Noah Snyder

Daniel and Leslie live in Jacksonville, NC and have two children, Megan and Noah. Daniel is a retired Marine with 28 years of active-duty service and now enjoys remodeling and managing rental properties. Leslie is a registered nurse and homeschooling Mom of 12 years. They both serve in various ministries for youth including Trail Life USA and STOA Homeschool Speech and Debate.

Daniel and Leslie serve as Deacons of Building and Grounds, and their son Noah serves as one of the worship leaders for Pillar’s music ministry

Vinnie and Tara Curley

Vinnie and Tara live in Richlands, NC. They met during college and were married in 2014. They have four children & a baby due in June 2023.

The Curleys have been attending Pillar Jax since 2017. Vinnie serves as one of the worship leaders & enjoys the role immensely. Together, Vinnie and Tara also serve as deacons at Pillar Jax. They work to ensure that various supplies are stocked in the buildings for events and services throughout the week. They also host the Richlands community group and the local Camp Lejeune OCF group in their home during the week. 

They have become passionate about serving the Lord with an open home, and they rejoice in every opportunity to make their home and the church’s spaces a welcoming and comfortable place for people to gather in the Lord’s name.

Tim and Mary Henry

Tim and Mary moved to Jacksonville from the Midwest and joined Pillar Jacksonville in 2021 after several years of visiting the area and the church regularly while their son was stationed at Camp LeJeune. They have been married since 1996 and have one adult son.

Mary coordinates a hosting/hospitality ministry with the help of numerous gifted and enthusiastic partners in the church. Tim is a long-time “do-it-yourselfer” with some background in finance, audio/visual tech and volunteer coordination. Together, Tim and Mary believe that membership in and service to a healthy, local church is important for all believers. Serving as Deacons is an honor and a privilege.