We are in the process of appointing new elders at North River. We invite all of our members to be part of this process. What can you do to help the process?
- Get to know the candidates (see bios below)
- Pray & Fast
- Study it out
- Read the New Testament passages on elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7 & Titus 1:5-9)
- See lesson on biblical eldership by the North River Elders
- See additional attached resources below
- If you have any feedback about the candidates, contact elders@nrcoc.com
Bryan Hawkins
Bryan Hawkins was baptized in Phoenix, AZ in March of 1982. He has been a disciple for 41 years. Dana was baptized in Colorado and has been a disciple for 44 years. After meeting in the Campus Ministry in Colorado, they got married and moved to Chicago where they were interns for the church there. After a year, they worked full-time jobs and stayed another 6 years before moving to Atlanta.
During their time here in Atlanta, they have served as Bible Talk and Family Group leaders, Shepherds for the Young Marrieds, and as Foster Parents for the state of Georgia and HOPE, worldwide. Bryan has been an accountant for the past 37 years and currently serves on the North River Security Team. Dana worked in television and radio before becoming a full-time foster mother. Together, they share 4 children: Briana 33, Travis 31, Elijah 20, and Kiara 20. They have been married for 37 years. “God has moved in incredible ways during our journey, allowing many hardships to deepen our faith. We believe these have served well in helping us to love others more deeply.”
Abe DeLeon
Abe is a native of the Philippines but spent most of his life in New York/New Jersey. Shortly after earning his MBA from Manhattan College in Riverdale NY, Abe met his wife, Ana who he has been happily married to for 34 years. They have 2 children, Adam who is 28 and Amanda, 26. Abe has over thirty-five years of Financial Services and Fortune 500 industry experience in Technology Risk, Audit and Cyber Security. He is presently employed with Truist Financial as a Technology Risk/Cyber Security executive and is part of the team overseeing Technology/Cyber Security Compliance company wide.
Abe and Ana have been disciples for 33 years and were both converted in Manhattan, NY. They have been members of North River for 8 years and currently serve as campus shepherds in the Alpha Omega campus ministry. He is passionate about investing in the next generation and thus welcomes every opportunity to mentor young men, especially campus brothers, as they find their footing in the corporate world.
Jeff Reese
In 1988, Jeff Reese witnessed his parents’ radical changes after their baptisms. When his own marriage fell apart, he turned to his parents for answers and began studying the Bible. He was baptized in 1991 in Nashville, TN. Ashley was baptized in 1988 as a college student. They have been married for 30 years. They have 1 adult daughter from Jeff’s previous marriage, 2 adult children together, 2 sons-in-law and 2 grandsons. They served in full-time ministry for 10 years in Nashville, Memphis and Atlanta. They now own and operate a small business, Budget Blinds of West Cobb.
Jeff and Ashley became members of North River in 2010 and are grateful for the ways their family has been blessed by the Youth & Family, Campus and Married ministries through the years. They currently lead a Family Group and co-lead the East Cobb/Sandy Springs Community with the Adkins. They have a special heart for young-married & empty-nest families, as well as the Tuesday Ladies Bible Study.
Stephen Adkins
Stephen Adkins was baptized in 1981, at 18 years old, as a freshman in college, in the Boston Church of Christ. While doing his Bachelors and Masters degree studies at MIT, he served as a campus leader for five years. In 1986, he moved to Johannesburg, South Africa with a team of disciples to plant a new, successfully multi-racial congregation in that city. He served in leading both the Teen Ministry and then the Singles Ministry. In 1991, Stephen moved to Washington DC to pursue an MBA at Georgetown University, where he met and married his wife Susan. They moved to Atlanta in 1993, and they have served in many ways in the Atlanta Church of Christ and then the North River Church of Christ since its inception.
Stephen and Susan have three grown children: Mary Alice, who is married to Grant Hicks; Paul; and Christine, who is engaged to be married to Cameron O'Day. Stephen and Susan co-lead the East Cobb/Sandy Springs Community and a Young Families Family Group within it. Stephen is a member of the NR Leadership Group and the NR Board, a Deacon, a Co-Leader of the Media Team, and the North River Representative to the Africa Missions Association. He is a passionate advocate for marriages, families, small groups, and the best kind of discipling.
Dr. Kevin Broyles
Kevin became a disciple in 1979 in Tallahassee, FL. He and Noelle were married in 1986 in Gainesville, FL. They are blessed with two daughters and sons-in-law: Candice & Louie Soffner and Brianne & Nick Shoff, and a 2-year-old granddaughter, Mari Shoff. (Brie and Nick lead the Youth & Family Ministry at North River.) Kevin currently works as a lead Urgent Care Physician within the Wellstar Health System. Noelle is a former pediatric nurse who is passionate about volunteering with social initiatives that serve the poor.
Kevin and Noelle were Overseas Missions Deacons for the Triangle Church in North Carolina for several years working with East Africa, especially Kenya. During that time, they created the Kenya Kids child sponsorship program. Kevin retired early from teaching, practicing and administration at Duke University and the family moved to La Paz, Bolivia where they served with HOPE worldwide for 8 years. They moved back to the States and here to Atlanta in 2019. They continue to be very involved with the work of HOPE worldwide in Bolivia. Locally they serve as co-directors of North River's HOPE worldwide Chapter and as KSU Campus Ministry Shepherds. Kevin facilitates Men’s Integrity Groups, as well as volunteers with the North River Medical Team.
