Haley Kirkpatrick, M|C Kids Coordinator
Haley grew up in a Christian family and attended church from infancy, but truly began a relationship with the Lord as a teenager. As someone who grew up in a wonderful children's ministry setting, Haley is passionate about instilling biblical truths from a young age in a fun, exciting way. Born and raised in Alabama, Haley made the big move to NYC in February 2021 with her husband Justin, and their precious daughter, Emma. Haley works as a family nurse practitioner in the Brooklyn area.
Nate Jones, Worship Pastor
Nate serves as an elder and Worship Pastor at Mission City Church and is humbled by the opportunity to bring heartfelt music and leadership to the congregation. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, he followed a path that led him to New York in the summer of 2019, initially driven by his work in the technology industry. However, it was through his service at Mission City that his purpose shifted towards a commitment and desire to serve and lead worship in the church.
From a young age, Nate's passion for music was nurtured by his father, a lifelong worship pastor. Despite never envisioning it as more than a personal enjoyment, the chance to lead worship at Mission City became a humbling reality for Nate. Alongside his management role in the technology industry, he has developed an interest in technology, leadership, and business, which further enriches his understanding of his faith.
In 2020, Nate married his (stunning!) wife, Xenia, and together they established their home in Brooklyn, NY. They find joy in sharing moments with their friends and family, often taking leisurely walks around Park Slope.
Nate embraces his calling to create an encouraging worship environment at Mission City. He and his wife Xenia and excited to continue to walk in the calling of the Lord as he directs their paths of church leadership and service.
Xenia Jones, Communications Coordinator
For Xenia, being a member of Mission City is an answer to prayer. In 2019 she prayed that the Lord would use her to serve in an urban church plant; within one year she was living in Brooklyn with her husband Nate and faithfully serving at M|C. After living in the city for 3 years, she can confidently say that she would rather live nowhere else and do life with no other community than the one she has found at Mission City. Xenia loves serving as the Communications Coordinator which gives her the space to dream and flex her creative muscles outside of her day-to-day job as an accountant. She considers herself a pop-culture girlie and loves talking all things celeb news & gossip!
Junior Tavarez, Technical Director
Junior grew up on Long Island and has lived there most of his life. He came to know the Lord with the help of a friend who brought him to Mission City. He now serves on the production team and finds purpose and joy in sharing the good news with others.
Ann Marie Chapman, Operations Coordinator
Akron, Ohio is the birthplace of two celebrated icons: Lebron James and Ann Marie Chapman. She is very humble and super funny. Ann Marie grew up in the church, witnessing her parents and grandparents serve faithfully in their congregation year after year, and she credits them for the way that she has grown. In 2017, she moved to New York to attend The King's College where she received her B.A. in Media, Culture, and the Arts and a minor in Theology. Ann Marie is now creating an NYC dogsitting empire in her free time and lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Harrison.
Garrett Raburn, Lead Pastor
After rediscovering his faith in college, Garrett began full-time service to the local church in 2012. For six years he worked with Watermark Community Church’s young adult’s ministry called The Porch, a weekly gathering of thousands of 20s and 30s in Dallas-Fort Worth with extension sites around the country. Garrett holds doctoral and master’s degrees in Christian education from accredited seminaries. He and Gabi married in 2016 and moved to New York City in 2019 to start Mission City Church. They have one daughter. Garrett also serves as a member of Mission City’s elder team.
Stephanie Newsome, Women’s Director
Stephanie, despite growing up in the church, was captured by the Lord’s affection in college where she began a personal relationship with Jesus. She married her long-time crush (like 3-years-long time), Preston Newsome, and together they moved to South Carolina where she completed law school. Team Newsome continued to follow the Lord’s leading and their dreams moved them to NYC in 2021. Stephanie and Preston thrive in the slightly aggressive hustle culture of New York and are foster parents to their perfect daughter who they are completely obsessed with. You can find Stephanie drinking coffee, running around the city (literally), watching The Office, and compulsively reading rom-coms. Oh, and she has a 110-pound German Shepherd hound, Henry, who is still loved despite almost not being included in this bio.