About
West Valley Church in Yakima, Washington

Mike grew up in Oregon in an unchurched home, becoming a Christian at 17. While pursuing a career in law enforcement, he was called into ministry. Mike was a youth pastor for 15 years and has been a lead pastor since 1998. He's served in SoCal, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, and been in Yakima since 2010. Mike met Shelly while in College and they married in 1986. They have three adult married boys who have given them two granddaughters. Two boys are in medical professions, and one is a pastor. Shelly is a CTE/Career Pathways Coordinator, coordinating multiple school districts and industries in Washington. When he's not reading and writing, he might be exercising, skiing, camping, or visiting his kids.

Roger moved to Yakima in 2017 after having spent the first 48 years of his life in the Kansas City area. Following graduation from high school, he attended MidAmerica Nazarene University where he earned a BA in Music Education and an MA in Education. He met is wife, Joy, while a student at MNU. Roger worked as a public school music teacher for ten years before answering a full-time call to ministry in 2000. From 2001 to 2023, he faithfully led as Worship Pastor and currently serves as the Congregational Care Pastor at West Valley Church. Roger is an ordained deacon in the Church of the Nazarene and is also a certified Grief Recovery Specialist. Roger and Joy have been married since 1992, and together they have three adult children, Camdanh, Emma and Kaleigh. They also have a wonderful son-in-law, Voun. In his free time, Roger enjoys traveling, gardening, kayaking, and hiking.

Div joined the West Valley staff in 2023. Before moving to Yakima, Div served as the youth and young adult pastor in St. Charles, Missouri. Div attended MidAmerica Nazarene University. Div and Ella met at MidAmerica, and got married in the spring of 2022. They have a daughter named Norah. Div loves to hang out with his family and listen to a good podcast. He also loves to host students and young adults at his home. Div is passionate about doing life with people and helping them find their place in God's story.

Music has been part of Israel’s life since he was a kid growing up in Kansas City, where his love for worship first began. In 2023, he and his wife moved to Yakima, where he joined the staff at West Valley Church as Worship Pastor. He loves helping people connect with God through song and creativity and is especially passionate about leading bilingual worship—seeing the church family sing together in both English and Spanish is one of his favorite things. Israel is currently studying through the Course of Study program at Northwest Nazarene University, working toward ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. When he’s not leading worship, you’ll probably find him making music, spending time with his amazing wife (and soon, their baby!), or enjoying a good movie.

Casey has been the Children's Pastor at WVC since 2012. He was born and raised in Yakima, attending school in East Valley before leaving for college. He graduated Northwest Nazarene University with a BA in Religion and an MA in Christian Education. He has been in Children's Ministry since 2005. He and his wife Alyssa have four amazing children Leo, Justice, Jordan, and Judah. Casey loves sports, traveling, smoking meat, eating out and coffee.

Melissa started working for WVC in 2009 as our part-time bookkeeper. However her position quickly grew to become our Business Administrator and after receiving a call into ministry she has transitioned into our Executive Pastor. She was born and raised in Yakima, where she attended Davis until her family moved to the West side of the state at the end of her Junior year. It was then that she met her high school sweetheart and now husband, Bruce. They got married right out of high school and moved back to the Yakima Valley. They have been married about 30 years and have two adult children. Melissa loves camping, reading/audiobooks, traveling and spending time with her family.

David moved to Yakima in 2018 and joined West Valley Church the following summer. David was born and raised in southern Oklahoma where he met his wife, Amber. David attended Oklahoma State University and received his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering. David worked as a structural engineer for several years. David has two children, Caroline and Maxwell. During their formative years, David was called to place his career on hold to be a stay-at-home dad. Once the children were older, David was able to restart his career and was working as an engineer when the Facilities Manager position became available. David has been married to his wife Amber for 25 years. David enjoys snowboarding, drumming, board games, painting, and reading.

Lois started working at WVC in 1993 as a church secretary. In 1999 she transitioned to be the pastor’s secretary and is currently the Executive Secretary who supports the Lead Pastor. Lois was born and raised in Yakima and then graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1969. Before coming to WVC she worked at Yakima Valley College as a Fiscal Technician for over 18 years. She has one adult daughter, Traci. She loves being a part of the WVC family. She also enjoys playing games, doing crafts, and watching cooking contest shows and movies.

Linda grew up in Spokane, WA. She attended Spokane Community College and Washington State University pursuing her childhood dream to become a police officer. When she turned 21 years old, she was hired by the Yakima Police Department and fulfilled her longtime dream/ career, retiring as a Lieutenant after 35 years of service. Linda has been a member of West Valley Church since 2013 and has worked as the Office Manager since February 2025. She is trying to figure out how to slow down and adjust to a more leisurely pace of life. She has one son, a daughter-in-law, and a charcoal lab named Diesel. In Linda’s spare time she enjoys outdoor activities, gardening, travel, and is learning to play the bagpipes.