Meet the EP Ministry Staff

Rev. James L. Harvey III

Senior Pastor

Pastor HarveyIn May of 2005 EPC called Pastor Harvey to serve as Senior Pastor of EPC Newark. As the Senior Pastor at EPC Pastor Harvey is the primary teaching pastor, the head of staff and the moderator of the Session (governing board of elders). Prior to serving at EPC, he was a campus minister at his alma mater, Princeton University (B.A. 1995, History and Russian Studies). Pastor Harvey completed his seminary education at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS (M.Div. 2002). He has done additional graduate coursework at Princeton Theological Seminary in Early Church History and New Testament Studies (2002-2004).

Pastor Harvey came to faith in Christ as a teenager in Columbia, SC. He married Melody Johnson—the second most significant event in his life!—on December 20, 1996. In 1998 after spending four years in the marketplace, Jay was called to vocational ministry. The burden to spend more time in ministry and the encouragement of their local church led the family to leave an otherwise fruitful and enjoyable life in Charlotte, NC. Following his seminary work, the Harveys went to Princeton, NJ with a view toward ministering to the University, first with Princeton Presbyterian Church and later with the Christian Union.

Jay and Melody have four children and live in Newark.

Rev. Joshua M. Knott

Assistant Pastor

Pastor KnottIn Feb of 2006, the session of EPC called Pastor Knott to serve as Assistant Pastor. He presently has oversight of Jr. & Sr. High Youth Groups, in addition to providing overight & guidance in Outreach, Missions and participating in regular teaching & preaching. Other current joys & responsibilities include EP webmaster, and practicing guitar with EP's contemporary Evening Worship Team.

Prior to serving at EPC, Joshua developed and co-taught a course called "Internet Evangelism" at Belhaven College with Dr. Paul Long Jr., wrestling with the application of apologetics & kingdom witness to (and through) the means of electronic media. During his time at Reformed Theological Seminary (M. Div., 2005) he served as Christian Education Intern Director at Providence Presbyterian Church in Clinton, MS., as well as a Zondervan contributing author (Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words), research assistant to Dr. Allen Curry, and freelance computer technician.

Joshua & his wife Erin both came to know the Lord at an early age, and praise God for their Christian families. Joshua felt the call to gospel ministry in junior high school, and was blessed to be mentored and discipled by godly men throughout Jr. & Sr. High. The path to gospel ministry took him to Grove City College, PA (B.A. Christian Thought & Ministries Auxilliary, 2002). Prior to his Senior year, he married his high school sweetheart, Erin (B.A. Linguistics, William & Mary, 2001).

Mrs. Debbie Freer

Children's Ministry Director

Debbie grew up here at EP and attended Wilmington Christian School from K-12. She served as high school band director and accompanist for choirs and ensembles while at WCS. Debbie graduated from Gordon College in 1994, as an AJ Scholar, with a B.S. in Music Education. She received double certification in both elementary and secondary education with an emphasis in piano and voice. While in college, Debbie was the music department’s librarian, student conductor of the college choir, student accompanist, member of the college choir and madrigal group and taught piano lessons in a community program. She was a guest soloist at Park Street Church in Boston, and helped run “Super Music Saturday?#65533; which was a Saturday morning music camp for the community children. In her sophomore year Debbie started teaching at a church music school in Candia, NH. After college Debbie moved to NH.

She continued working in Candia while taking on the larger role as administrator for the music school. Later, she had the privilege of teaching high school music appreciation and history, high school choir, flute choir, a flute/string ensemble(where she met Kevin), an elementary home school music class, and even a fife march for the high school camp, and chimes for children as young as 3! Debbie also had a studio of over 45 students taking piano, flute, and voice lessons both at this school and another Christian school in Bedford, NH.

After moving to Delaware, Deb began subbing as a music teacher at area schools. She has been involved with EP’s girl’s ensemble, seasonal events with solos and choir, was the evening service pianist for 6 years, accompanying special music, directing the wind ensemble, and now sings in Messenger. She is now in her 16th year of teaching private piano and flute lessons.

Mr. Tom Lewis

Coordinator of Congregational Care

Tom LewisTom Lewis graduated from Shelton College with a degree in History/Political Science. During the summer prior to his junior year Tom was called to faith. The Lord has continued to amaze him, with his love, kindness, and grace through the most difficult and bountiful times. He has had the priveledge to work as a teacher and principal in several christian schools. He worked in industry for a number of years before God called him back into full time Christian Ministry.

He has enjoyed working and mentoring the youth and watching them grow in Christ. Tom met his wife, Mary Beth at E.P. at a missions conference. Mary Beth works full time as a pediatric nurse in a school for chronically ill children. They are blessed with 5 grown children. Their last to leave the nest is Katie who is attending Lancaster Bible College. They have six beautiful grandchildren. They look forward to serving the Lord each day sharing the gospel,mentoring and praying for their neighbors,friends and aquaintences.

Mr. Benjamin Harding

Music Director

Benjamin Harding In addition to being a pianist, organist, and conductor, Benjamin has a passion for worship, the ministry of God's Word, and Christian discipleship. He comes to EP most recently from Grace Church in Hartford, CT, where he served as Youth Pastor and Worship Director. Benjamin is joined by his wife Marji and their two boys Karsten and Jonathan. He is also an avid sports fan (Phillies, Flyers, Eagles) and loves to play Ultimate Frisbee.

Benjamin was born and raised in Dipper Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada, a small fishing village on the Bay of Fundy. At an early age he studied piano with his grandmother Juanita Spragg and then finished the Associate Diploma with the Royal Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Carol O'Neil. While studying with Samuel Hsu at Philadelphia Biblical University, he completed Bachelor Degrees in Bible and piano performance. While he was at PBU, he studied conducting with Paul Jones, organ with Robert Carwithen and viola with Xiao-Fu Zhou. Benjamin has a Masters and Professional Studies Degrees in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Nina Svetlanova. He is currently a doctoral student at the University of Maryland in piano performance as a student of Bradford Gowen.

This past season he has collaborated with such artists as violinist, Anthea Kreston, and cellist, Kangho Lee. He has recently been seen in performances in Hartford, New York, Rochester, College Park and at the Karamoor Festival. He was formally on staff at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford as collaborative pianist and assisting in the conducting classes of Christopher Zimmerman. He is also a faculty member at the Csehy Summer School of Music where he met Marji.

Ms. Dot Griffin

Church Secretary

Dot Griffin

Mr. Jim Thomas

Graduate Student & International Fellowship

Jim ThomasJim & his wife Ande met in Denver, Colorado, on a blind date, Nov, 1963 while we were attending school at the US Air Force Academy and the University of Colorado. They were married at Ande’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois, on January 29, 1966, while Jim was attending graduate school at Purdue University. They then moved to Laredo, Texas where Jim received his flight training and then served as a Flight Instructor in T-38s. Their two children, Kirsti and William, were born in Laredo in 1968 and 1969, while Jim & Ande were informally adopted by the pastor’s family at First Presbyterian Church.

Soon after, Ande went to stay with her Mom in Springfield while Jim served in Vietnam as a Forward Air Controller in OV-10s and on staff with Headquarters 7th Air Force in Saigon. Upon returning to the US, they were stationed at Arnold Air Station, Tennessee, then the Air Force Academy, Colorado, and finally Dover AFB, Delaware, where Jim flew C-5s and they helped with the establishment of Grace PCA. Their children graduated from the University of Delaware while Jim attended Westminster Theological Seminary after retiring from the Air Force in 1985.

They now have a granddaughter Eleanor who lives with her mom & dad in Tacoma, WA, while their son Will lives with his wife in Nashville, TN.

Jim is still a student, taking a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language at UD. Ande oversees our house and all the students who stay or have stayed with us (over 60 by now).

In 1990, Jim and Ande were invited by Will Metzger to join InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UD in ministry to International Students. Grace PCA in Dover sent us as missionaries to UD for this purpose. We transferred our membership to Newark EPC in 1990 and Jim has served on Session as a Ruling Elder and with Heritage Presbytery as Moderator, while Ande has helped establish Community Bible Study in the area and has remained as an Area Director. Jim also serves as Chairman of the EPC Outreach Committee and has oversight of the EPC International Ministry. In 2006, Jim left InterVarsity Christian Fellowship to establish the Graduate & International Student Fellowship, a recognized graduate student organization of UD and a ministry of EPC.