Oversight Team members ensure that we are cultivating our rhythms according to our values. They also oversee our practices, bylaws, budget, lead pastor, and HR-related issues.
Ben Conachan
Ben has been at Pearl Church since 2015, and on staff since 2018. After studying philosophy and serving as Pastor of Spiritual Formation at First Baptist Church, San Luis Obispo for 13 years, Ben moved to the Northwest and completed his M.Div at Portland Seminary. His desire is to journey alongside people and help them discover their unique, creative partnership with God for good in the world. A special passion is helping LGBT people of faith navigate the integration of faith and sexuality/gender identity. Ben is the co-author of Good Dirt, a devotional series introducing families to the Christian calendar; he and his husband, Gary, met at Pearl and were married in 2022.
Pronouns: he, him, his
Cheri Gilbert
Cheri has been at Pearl Church since 2014. She has served in many volunteer positions throughout the years. These run the gamut from home group leader and helping run the food pantry to hosting whiskey tasting nights. With her love of cooking and passion for people, Pearl’s common table and showing divine love to the community is a perfect fit. Cheri and her husband Dan have two grown daughters and a grandson.
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Leah Griffin
Leah has been attending Pearl Church since 2017 with her wife Heather. They have a daughter, Karson, who can frequently be found forcing adults to read her books, asking for more snacks at Pearl’s kids’ gatherings, or announcing she has to go potty to the entire congregation during the sermon. Over the years, Leah has enjoyed building community at Pearl by attending a home group and connecting events, and they are a regular fill-in when help is needed with the kids on Sundays. Outside of church or work, you’ll usually find Leah rooting for the Portland Thorns, watching women's sports, playing dodgeball with Dodgeball PDX, or chasing around Karson and their dog, Rowan.
Pronouns: she/they, her/them, hers/their
Mike Roth
Mike is passionate about exploring the good—for today’s context and culture—in scripture, the gospel, and Christian life. Some of Mike’s values are storytelling, intellectual honesty, and non-violent/non-dominion theology. He believes that 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 children. Besides spending time with his family and dear friends, Mike enjoys reading, hiking, and exploring the great Northwest.
Pronouns: he, him, his
Tym Andrews
Tym has been attending Pearl church since 2017 and is passionate about building community, creating spaces of inclusion, and serving all people. He enjoys singing on the worship team, attending events for the queer folks at Pearl, and co-leading a home group with his husband, Drew, who he met at Pearl. Tym stays busy by singing in a local choir, taking ballet classes, baking at home, and exploring the many vegan food options in Portland. Drew and Tym live in NE Portland with their pug, Fish, and their orange tabby, Beans.
Pronouns: he, him, his
Valinda Harlan
Valinda came to Pearl in 2018, saw it as a spiritual community that she could evolve with, became a member, and then a home group leader. Originally from Venice, California, Valinda is glad she migrated to the PNW and gets to experience seasons for the first time. She has been married to Paul for over 30 years, and they have four adult children and two grandchildren. Valinda has a private practice in Vancouver as a mental health counselor, teaches at Clark College, and is working toward her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. She is passionate about healthy relationships: with self, others, and The Divine.
Pronouns: she, her, hers