Pastor
Having grown up in Xenia, Ohio and recently moving here in 2018, Jeffrey now has the wonderful privilege to lead the music ministry here at Forrest Hills. His goal is to focus on the content of the songs and on the genuine praise and worship that music can give to God. Outside of church, Jeffrey’s biggest goal in life is to provide for his family and to live in such a way that lays down a foundation for future generations to follow. There are few thing that motivate him more than the thought of taking care of and investing in the people that are closest to him. Jeffrey likes to spend his free time with close friends and often relaxes through recreational cycling or simply getting outdoors and unplugging from the city. There are few places He would rather spend his time than at a campsite on a lake.
Tom is originally from Illinois, just north of Chicago (Go Bears and Cubs!) He lived in Alabama for several years and, after a brief time living back in Illinois, he’s lived in the DC area since about 2009. His favorite thing about living in the DC area is the proximity to so many interesting places to visit. His least favorite thing is the cost of living!
His role at Forest Hills Baptist Church, along with his wife Melissa Harrod, is to coordinate outreach activities. This means planning our community outreach efforts for the church’s mid-week small groups.
For fun, he enjoys reading – mainly fiction and books on Roman and Greek history. He also enjoys listening to podcasts of many types. In terms of travel, he’d really like to visit the Mediterranean – Rome, Greece, Israel, Egypt, and North Africa.
Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, Melissa spent much of her life there, loving the city as well as the rolling green hills of Pennsylvania. She has also lived in Los Angeles and Chicago. Now she is a recent transplant to the D.C. area, and loves how diverse the greater metro area is. This diversity, along with the warm, Christ-centered community is one of the things that drew her to Forest Hills. In her role with Community Outreach, Melissa partners with her husband Tom to find opportunities for the church not only to connect with the community at large, but also to serve others, wherever there are needs. She enjoys any baking, traveling domestically and internationally, exploring cities that are new to her, practicing yoga, connecting with people from different cultures, and checking out new restaurants.
Milton was born outside of New Orleans and and moved to Rockville when he was 6, thus becoming a “Rockvillain” at an early age. Milton came to know the Lord a few years after college and joined Forest Hills Baptist Church in 2015. FHBC has been a true blessing to Milton and his young family – the staff and members have been immensely helpful as Milton and Linda have seen their family increase with three little ones in the recent years. FHBC has also helped Milton better understand his relationship with the Lord and what he desires from Milton. At FHBC, Milton has the privilege of serving on the Missions team and enjoys getting to know the various members on a personal level.
Outside of church, Milton is a serial hobbyist, diving headfirst into hobby after hobby (often to his wife’s chagrin). From photography to sports to cooking to traveling and most recently cycling, Milton enjoys the challenge of learning the various facets of a new hobby and mastering the intricacies of that new interest.
Linda grew up in Tempe, Arizona and moved to the Washington Metropolitan Area in 2002. Linda lives in Rockville with her husband, Milton, and three young children. Forest Hills has been a tremendous blessing to her family and it has been exciting to see her kids grow and learn about the Bible. Linda loves being a part of the Pre-school and Missions Ministries and it is such a joy to watch the young children sing joyfully and hear lessons from the Bible. Linda enjoys baking desserts and trying new pastry shops as well as traveling with the family.