Steve Williams (Senior Pastor)

Family & Ministry:
Steve and Connie were married in 1982 after meeting and dating while attending Northwest University. They moved to Medical Lake upon graduation and served as Youth Pastors at Lake City Assembly from October 1982 until April 1983. They moved to Corvallis, Oregon and served at Kings Circle Assembly, under Pastor Bob & Ramona Griffin. Steve served as Director of Student Ministries and for a short time as Chi Alpha Director for Oregon State University. Go Beav's!

In 1988, they accepted an invitation to serve Pastor Jerry & Linda Beebe and the congregation of Wenatchee First Assembly as Associate Pastors. Both Katelyn and Brendan were born in Wenatchee. Pastor Steve and family arrived in Spokane in August of 1998 and continue to serve New Life today.

Katelyn is in Junior year after working again this summer at a Christian Camp in the Gig Harbor/Silverdale area. She now works at NWU in Kirkland, WA with an eye towards media and business communications.  

Brendan graduated from University High School last spring and is now in his freshmen year at Northwest University. He is playing drums both school and at his home church in Seattle. He is excited to be pursuing a degree in business with an emphasis on the music/recording business program.

Education:
Steve, and older brother Mike, grew up in an Air Force family. Their father retired as a Lt Col. after actively flying from WW II thru Vietnam. Their mother, Twila Harrington, graduated from Sacred Heart Medical School in Spokane and was active in the nursing field until 1995. After Lt. Col. Williams retired in 1969 from the USAF, they settled in his parents' wonderful hometown of Lewiston, Idaho. Steve is a proud 1976 graduate of LHS. He then attended LCSC a short time until choosing to study at Northwest College (now NWU) in 1977. He graduated in 1982 with a B.A. in Biblical Studies and minors in Youth Ministry, Christian Education and an emphasis in History.

Connie's parents, Ron & June Reems, brought her to Central Washington where she attended school in East Wenatchee. They then went through a series of moves -- Mt. Aire, Iowa; Grants Pass, OR; and Medical Lake, WA -- before returning to Wenatchee and Eastmont High School. She graduated in 1975. She then received her A.A. degree from Northwest College (now NWU) in 1978. Connie later worked in the college administration offices and for the State of Washington. Her last assignment was with the Dept. of Licensing. She is heavily involved in music as a keyboardist and vocalist!

Krista Whye (Director of Children's Ministries)

Family:
Krista is the youngest child of Daniel and Peggy Whye. Her father is retired Air Force, who currently works for Spokane Falls Cummunity College. Krista's mother was a stay-at-home mom who just started her first business, "Peggy's Pin Cushin". Her oldest brother, Benjamin Whye, is a career Marine and a new father. Ben and his wife Tasha welcomed their daughter into the world this last fall. Her sister, Patty Averill, has been married to Sean Averill for four years and is the proud mother of three:  two girls, Sydnee and Emma, and one boy, Jareck.

Being raised in the military gave Krista a well-rounded childhood. She was born in Ellensburg, WA but was only there long enough for her father to finish his last quarter at Central Washington University before moving to Tennessee. This started a long list of relocations that happen in the military. When She was 12, her father retired and moved the family back to Washington State to be closer to other family. After living in Yakima for seven years, God threw her a curveball and moved her to Spokane in less than a week. It was one of the best moves of her life. March 17th will be her two-year anniversity in Spokane.

Education:
After graduating from Eisenhower High School in 2002, Krista enrolled in Vision School of Ministry (VSM), a three-year internship program at Stone Church in Yakima. While at VSM, she was able to be involved in every form of ministry possible, from teaching and preaching in Kids Ministry to cleaning the bathrooms. Some were more fun than others! Krista also completed correspondent courses through Berean School of the Bible, a program run by the Assembly of God to provide long-distance education for individuals who desire to be ministers. She is currently in the process of becoming a credified minister.

Ministry:
Krista has been involved in ministry since birth. Her father and mother were Royal Ranger commanders for twenty-five years, so it's no surprise that her heart is toward children.

When she was ten years old, Krista was praying to God for direction in life and what she would do for the rest of her life. She fell asleep and had a dream about ministry. Instantly awake, she knew that God had called her to ministry, and wasn't happy about it. It wasn't untill three years later at a summer camp when God grabbed her heart and changed her life that she accepted the call God had placed on her. Since that day, she has been involved in many areas of ministry, focusing mainly on Children's Ministry. She was a core leader in Kids W.O.R.L.D. at Stone Church for five years. While at Stone church, Krista pioneered two outreach children's ministries in Yakima:  Jamstreet, a sidewalk Sunday School where every week a team of people would go out into the neighborhoods around Yakima and teach kids about God; and a bus ministry. After God's fast relocation to Spokane, Krista got involved as a core leader at Spokane First Assembly for a little over a year. That's where she was waiting for God to open the next door of her life...which turned out to be New Life Assembly, where she has been serving since the beginning of 2009.

Aaron & Cassandra Denn (Student Ministries Pastors)

Family:
Aaron is the second oldest of Kenn and Kathi Denn, who are going on their 28th year of marriage! Aaron has three other siblings. His older sister, Anya Piper, is married and has four kids. Anya and her husband, Aaron Piper, are Youth Pastors in Pennsylvania. Aaron also has a younger sister, Ashley, who is studying Business at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, WA. Aaron's younger brother, Andrew, is in his junior year of High School.

Being the second oldest, Aaron has grown close to his siblings and family, becoming stronger and better friends as time moves forward. His family has been a wonderful support and encouragement through his journey in becoming the Student Ministries Pastor at New Life Assembly.

Education:
Aaron graduated from Northwest University located in Kirkland, WA with a BA in Youth MInistry. He Graduated from Northwest University in December 2007, all the while participating and taking on levels of leadership which would further his expertise in ministry and fuel his passion for a lost generation. He has taken many classes that have developed his brain, his spirit, and his heart to further develop his education and passion for ministry.

Ministry:
Since Aaron was 16, his heart was developed with a longing and a passion to shepherd and disciple a young generation. As he continued through high school, the heart and passion that was deep within him only grew more. He began interning during this time, and was the right-hand man of the youth pastor, Derrick Hatke. Derrick began to take and mold and mentor Aaron's young passionate heart to understand discipline, commitment, and the call of God on his life for the youth. As he continued to grow up, the call of God only became more clear, and He continued paricipating in ministry from that age to the present.

While away at College, he participated in on-campus small groups and in the student-led prayer and worship service "Pursuit", until his junior year. During his senior year, he became the leader of that very same ministry and helped foster and create a deeper intimacy in worship on campus.

During this same time in college, he participated in several churches' youth ministries, looking for the best fit and greatest opportunity for personal growth. He landed at Valley Christian Assembly in Fall City, WA, located about thirty minutes southeast of Kirkland. He became an intern under the Youth Pastor, Greg Knott, and helped model and mentor the young people into a deep and authentic relationship with Jesus Christ. He stayed at Valley Christian Assembly for two years before graduating and then joining the staff of New Life Assembly here in the Spokane Valley.

His heart is to build this generation into a powerful generation of leaders that will go on to lead the Generations! He is excited to be on staff and have the chance of a lifetime to begin raising up this young generation and equipping them for their divine purpose through authentic and relevant biblical models, teachings, worship and prayer times.