MEET THE Staff
Kenneth Jones
Elder and lead Pastor
Stuart Saulters
Elder
Tony Johnson
Pastoral Assistant
Melissa Jones
Deaconness of Discipleship
Raphael Taylor
Worship Leader
Matthew Brown
Deacon of Finance
Laura Mendez
Redeemer Kids Leader
Kenneth Jones
Pastor Kenneth grew up to the Northeast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Edward, was a World War 2 and Korean War veteran. Advanced in years when Kenneth was born, Edward passed away when Kenneth was eight years old. He is thankful to God for his mother, Yoshiko, who is a passionate woman from Okinawa who demonstrates unconditional love and sacrifice. He attended the University of Maryland at College Park for undergrad and received his Bachelor’s in English and later a Masters degree in Education. Kenneth received his theological training through the Bible Training Center for Pastors, and is ordained as a pastor through the Times 12 Network.
The Spirit of God used Isaiah 61:1-2 to call Pastor Kenneth into ministry. It reads, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to the bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.” Because of this, Kenneth’s hopes for Redeemer City Church are that she would make the name of Jesus famous in our city and neighborhoods. And, he is inspired by stories of redemption, and seeing the power of God manifested in the lives of people.
He is a big time sports fan and loves the Maryland Terrapins! Outside of this, he enjoys watching the Miami Dolphins, playing golf, sight seeing, and spending time with friends.
He currently lives in Washington D.C with his wife Melissa.
Kenneth Jones
Stuart Saulters
Stuart was born and raised in Mississippi. He attended Mississippi State University and received a degree in Civil Engineering. Stuart and his wife Kacie met and were married in 2010 while living on the Alabama Gulf Coast. After time in Charlottesville, VA and Pittsburgh PA, they moved to Washington, D.C. and settled in the Brookland neighborhood in 2016. Stuart and Kacie call Brookland home, and love raising their two kids, Birdie and Jack, amongst parks and great neighbors.
Despite the frustrations of being a Mississippi State sports fan, Stuart tries to keep up with all things related to the Bulldogs. He also enjoys playing golf and swimming with his kids at Turkey Thicket Rec Center. Kacie and Stuart participate in various community groups such as the Brookland Neighborhood Civic Association, the Greater Brookland Garden Club, and the Washington Area Bicycle Association.
Stuart is privileged to serve Redeemer City Church as a lay elder. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” Stuart tries to uphold that message through his work with RCC’s budget and in utilizing the website, social media, and other means to share about the awesome work of God through RCC.
As a child growing up, Stuart’s mom always taught God’s sovereignty by quoting various verses from Psalm 139. The constant refrain of God’s providence is now a daily reminder for Stuart. God is faithful to all Christians, even when we face challenges in this life. Stuart strives every day to remember the promise of eternal life we have as Christians and because of that, to live a life that honors God.
Stuart’s prayer is to progress Redeemer City Church’s mission to be a family that makes disciples of Jesus, starting in Brookland, and then, beyond.
Stuart Saulters
Tony Johnson
Tony grew up in Howard County Maryland. He was raised by his father, Tony Johnson Sr. and mother Doris Johnson. He currently lives in Brookland D.C. with his wife Olivia Johnson. Tony enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and hosting social events. He attended Frostburg State University where he received a B.S. in Psychology and Liberty University where he received a Master of Divinity. He is currently a PhD candidate in Liberty’s Bible Exposition program.
Tony was raised in a Christian household but strayed from the Lord at an early age. However, in 2011 God met Tony at a college ministry and began to convict him of his sin. In 2014 Tony surrendered His life to Jesus and began to follow Him. In 2016, while serving in a Young Adult group, God formed a passion in Tony for teaching and shepherding. Later in 2019, God called Tony to the preaching ministry. Since then, Tony has made it his mission to grow as a leader and teacher within the body of Christ. He has served at various churches and Christian-non profit organizations since 2016 and in pastoral ministry since 2021. Tony currently serves as a Pastoral Assistant at Redeemer City Church where he oversees certain discipleship ministries under the leadership of the Elders.
Tony Johnson
Melissa Jones
Melissa was born and raised in South Dakota, where she grew up in a Christian family and came to faith in Christ as a child. She has found that through the highs and lows of life, Jesus is always faithful, always true, and always worthy. She has lived in various parts of the country pursuing degrees in English (University of South Dakota and University of Nevada, Reno) and Library Science (Indiana University Bloomington).
She currently serves as the Deacon of Discipleship at Redeemer. Her hope is that through discipleship we will see the people of Redeemer City Church fall more deeply in love with Christ and be transformed more and more into his image as they grow in their knowledge of him and his word. She is encouraged by the picture that Ephesians 2:1-10 paints both of the gospel and of the transformative work of God in the life of the believer.
Melissa loves reading good books, writing, traveling to encounter new cultures, and cooking. She currently lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, Kenneth.
Melissa Jones
Matthew Brown
Matthew Brown
Raphael Taylor
Raphael was born in Maine on a decommissioned Air Force base called Loring AFB. He is married to his beautiful Devyn and has a son, Akeem. Raphael loves creating, playing and listening to music, watching football and movies, along with snowboarding.
Raphael studied music at McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) in undergrad. He has a Masters in business with an emphasis in quality systems management and performance improvement. He has been involved with several music ministries since being in undergrad. He is most passionate about setting an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit through praise and worship.
His current role is to curate worship music for Redeemer City Church’s Sunday and special gatherings as necessary. Raphael is excited to slowly build the worship team over the next year, according to God’s will and plan.
Raphael Taylor
Laura Mendez
Laura was born and raised in Richmond, VA. She grew up attending church with her family and accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior at a young age. Laura and her husband, Juan Francisco, live in Maryland with their children, Hannah (5) and Evan (2.5). The Mendez family is all bilingual, and they regularly use both Spanish and English in their home. As a family, they love exploring local parks, lakes, hikes, and farms together on the weekends. During the week, Laura homeschools her children and does occasional babysitting.
Laura has a degree in Art Education and has also taught English overseas in Spain. She has always worked with children in some capacity, whether it be in children’s ministry, nannying, teaching, or as a mother. Laura is passionate about raising up the next generation for Christ.
Laura has many fond memories of growing up in church, including Sunday school, Wednesday night kids clubs, and youth group. Most importantly, these experiences instilled in her the importance of studying Scripture to know God and guide our lives, and a love for the Church. She participated in several short term mission trips to El Salvador and Peru as a young adult.
Laura currently serves as Redeemer Kids Leader. She aims to keep the Biblical foundation central in the lessons, songs, games, and activities for our children’s ministry, which starts at age 2. She recently established a Youth Bible Study, where preteens and teens study a book of the Bible together chapter by chapter, with age appropriate discussion questions.
Laura Mendez
