Breanna N.

Breanna has been attending Pearl Church since 2015 after moving to Portland following graduate school to begin her career in the medical field. Soon after arriving, she found Pearl Church and met her husband, Dan. Together, they enjoy cooking, going on runs, working on home projects, and keeping up with their two young children.

After many years attending Chuck and Harriet Tsen's home group, Breanna is excited to now co-lead the group. She is thankful for the Tsens' continued generosity in hosting. In this home group, you'll find delicious snacks, lively children, and thoughtful conversation while exploring how God meets us in the everyday rhythms of parenthood and community.

Bob & Mari Taylor

Bob and Mari have been attending Pearl Church since January 2023. Mari worked as a church administrator at an ELCA - Lutheran church in Vancouver for over 29 years. Bob was on worship teams at mainline and evangelical churches. When Mari left her job in December 2022, they searched for an “us” church that both supports their spiritual growth and offers a mix of liturgical and contemporary worship. It was important that this new home be LGBTQ+ affirming to support their diverse extended family.

Bob and Mari both work remotely (often in their PJs!), Bob as a Cybersecurity software engineer, and Mari in medical billing data entry, part-time. Bob enjoys working outside on their five-acre property in Washougal, and Mari is an avid gardener, hoping to grow a 2 1/2 pound tomato. Her record was 2 lb 2 3/4 ounces in 2025. Besides gardening, Bob and Mari love exploring the PNW, cuddling with their Labski “Riley,” and enjoying their four adult children and four grandkids. They are home winemakers, dabble in brewing, and love cooking. They hope to foster a weekly home group that supports one another, encourages deep conversation, and creates a community of inclusion where all feel safe to share their life journeys.

Cheri & Dan Gilbert

Cheri and Dan have been married since 1983, and have two grown daughters and one grandson. Dan is a CPA specializing in business valuations and forensic accounting and is passionate about whiskey and wine. Cheri is a retired general contractor who helps run their business, volunteers, and is passionate about cooking. Both Dan and Cheri have had a strong faith since they were young and have a heart to show Jesus' love to their community. They've been at Pearl since 2014 and have been involved in many ministries over the years. The Gilbert home group is all about connection, lively conversation, laughter, snacks and wine.

Jen & Keith Johnson

Pearl became home for the Johnson family during the pandemic when gatherings were still online only. In the midst of the challenges of that season their daughter found Pearl Youth, and soon this special community felt like the right fit at the right time for the whole family. With hopes of continuing to grow in relationships with other Pearl folks, they are grateful for the opportunity to host a virtual home group space. Both from the northwest, Keith and Jen got engaged at Silver Falls State Park, married in central Washington in 1999, moved to Portland in 2002, and all four of their kids were born here. They still don’t enjoy concerts, eat sushi, or drink coffee, but they did finally give in and get a dog. As a family, the Johnsons love the typical amazing outdoor adventures of PNW life, and equally love hanging out in their own backyard.

Harriet & Chuck Tsen

Harriet and Chuck have been at Pearl Church since 2009, after moving to Portland from Madison, Wisconsin. They love supporting community and fostering space to deepen our connection with each other and with God. They enjoy the outdoors, gardening, and travel; but their main activity nowadays is trying to keep up with their two elementary-aged kids. Chuck and Harriet are excited to host a home group in Northwest Portland this fall with Zach as the leader!

Katelyn Melz & Jason Davis

Katelyn and Jason have been attending Pearl since 2023 after moving to Portland from Boston. They moved here for the love of trees and a slower life pace than Boston had to offer. They live in NE Portland with their dog, Buckley. Katelyn works at a local nonprofit and Jason is a manger for a local solar company. They are your typical Portlanders—typically found wearing flannel and enjoying the outdoors and a good cup of coffee. They have lived in and traveled between Christian communities. Although their faith views and values from that time have changed, they have the similar hope to create a welcoming space, where people can feel seen and heard, grow together by digging deep in a real, honest, and nonjudgmental way, and sharing yummy food and the little and big joys of life together.

Martin & Kristi French

Martin and Kristi French have attended Pearl Church since 2020. They have spent the past 40 years together juggling creative practice, parenting, teaching, adventuring, and learning to follow the way of Jesus. Martin is an illustrator (martinfrench.com) and the Chair of Illustration at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). Kristi is an educator specializing in ESOL and a volunteer advocate for Portland's immigrant and refugee communities. This home group seeks to engage in the beautiful and creative wildness of our life journeys.

Megan and Kevin E.M.

Kevin and Megan met in 2013 as college students, and coincidentally, both majored (at separate schools) in philosophy. They got married in 2016. After many years of being members and leaders in a Free Methodist church community, they were asking hard questions about the church doctrines they had grown up with. When they relocated to Portland post-pandemic, they were looking for a Christian community that was truly inclusive and affirming, with room for doubt and deep reflection. They knew Pearl Church was the right place to keep asking questions and growing, and have been part of the church community since 2022.

Today, they live in a little old house in NE Portland with their terrier mix Lewis, and enjoy hiking, backpacking, cooking and eating great food, and as much travel as they can fit into their busy lives. They both work remotely in technology, with Kevin in product operations and Megan focused on marketing strategy.

They hope to create a welcoming space in their home group for thoughtful conversations and insightful moments that lead to growth, but also plenty of shared meals, snacks, and frivolity.

Mike Roth

Mike is passionate about providing sacred space to safely belong, question, tear down, and rebuild a way of being Christian that actually aligns with the loving way of Jesus. Some of Mike’s values are storytelling, intellectual honesty, and nonviolent theology. He believes these values contribute to an engaging community that thoughtfully nurtures our wholeness as human beings. Mike and his partner, Jen, were both born in beloved Portland. They married in 1997 and have three teenage/adult children. Besides spending time with his family and dear friends, Mike enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring the great Northwest.

Pronouns: he, him, his

Pam & Wayne Harrel

Wayne and Pam Harrel are native Portlanders and Pearlites since 2020. They met the first day of college, married just after graduation, and have two sons (and daughters-in-law) and one granddaughter, who loves coming to Pearl. Wayne is a writer, sculptor, and lifelong creative. Pam is an ESL and Spanish teacher, now retired, with time to quilt, garden, and read. They love to travel, both locally and abroad, bake lots of pies and cookies in their SW Portland home, and host gatherings with others to share stories about our journey with God through this beautiful and challenging life.