Senior Pastor
Rev. Tom Harris (he/him/his)
Rev. Tom Harris has served as Govans’ Senior Pastor since 2006. He has a strong commitment to biblically-based social justice advocacy. He believes every person is a child of God and the overwhelming testimony of the Bible calls us to dismantle oppression and injustice as a society and in our individual lives. Tom graduated from Clemson University and San Francisco Theological Seminary. He served churches in Michigan and South Carolina before landing in Maryland. He has been vegan since 2016…
Minister for Racial Justice & Multicultural Engagement | Music Director
Min. Lea Gilmore (she/her/hers)
Minister Lea has a long history of social justice activism and music performance. Named by Essence Magazine as one of “25 Women Shaping the World,” Lea is a past winner of the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award (the “Grammys of the Blues”) for her historical work on women’s contributions to that music. Lea is the recipient of the 2016 Golden Formstone Award from Baltimore’s Creative Alliance for her efforts with community arts and commitment to social justice. She…
Music Director
Marie Herrington (she/her/hers)
Ms. Herrington has a Bachelor’s degree in vocal and organ music from the Peabody Conservatory and has experience as an organist and cantor at numerous churches of various denominations in the area. She is a member of the American Guild of Organists and is an accomplished composer, arranger, and performer of music in diverse styles including jazz, gospel, classical, rock, baroque, and modern. She has experience conducting a variety of musical ensembles, including youth and women’s choirs and symphony orchestra,…
Director, Preschool
Pam Ferguson (she/her/hers)
Interim Christian Education Coordinator
Missy Smith
Missy holds an Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Loyola University of Maryland and a Master of Arts Certificate in Instructional Systems Development from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her certificates in the Pedagogy of Online Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching provide a unique skill set for the demands of 21st century classrooms and conversations. Her undergraduate degree is in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is the Founder of Universe Consulting and Design LLC, and partners with organizations…
Office Manager
Andy Wilson (he/him/his)
Andy has been a member of Govans since 2010 and on the staff since 2018. He works behind the scenes, handling administrative tasks like coordinating our online worship services, preparing our email communications, editing our monthly newsletter, and whatever else might come up. He loves Govans for its commitment to social justice and its acceptance of different points of view. In his free time, he enjoys playing music, cooking, and being outdoors and spending time with his wife, Jane and…
Bookkeeper
Rufus Ingram (he/him)
Rufus Ingram, CPA, MBA, joined our staff in November 2022. His primary responsibilities are to manage the financial activities of the Church and support the finance committee in carrying out their mission. Rufus is also the owner and operator of a CPA firm and the president of a non-profit organization. Hisbackground is a great fit to our organization. Rufus was born and has lived his entire life in Baltimore. In his free time he enjoys swimming, bicycling and nurturing his…
Rental Manager
Myra Brosius (she/her/hers)
Myra Brosius, our part-time rental manager since 2020, is also a member of Govans and joined around the year 2000. In her position, she meets with people interested in renting our facilities for a range of activities from baby showers to weddings and drafts agreements to make sure everything goes smoothly. Myra enjoys getting to know potential tenants, welcoming them to our campus and sharing with them a little about Govans. She loves Govans for the warm community of people, its…
Sexton
Sylvia Usher (she/her/hers)
Soprano Section Leader
Jocelyn Taylor (she/her/hers)
Jocelyn leads the soprano section of Govans choir during worship and rehearsals. The Govans choir sings during the joint 10:00 am service (first Sunday of the month) and during the 11:00 am service (every other Sunday).
Alto Section Leader
Nerissa Paglinauan (she/her/hers)
Nerissa Paglinauan (pronounced ne-REE-sa pag-lee-NOW-an) holds Bachelor’s degrees in music and child development from Tufts University where she received the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Department of Music. She has sung with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society since 2005, and previously was a member of the Cathedral Choral Society in Washington, DC for five years. Nerissa is trained in both piano and voice, and has been a church musician since the mid-’90s, beginning in high school as a cantor for…
Tenor Section Leader
David Willerup (he/him/his)
David Willerup is a father of three, and grandfather of two, a singer, a woodworker, a cyclist, and a really bad fisherman. He’s been singing in churches since he was a toddler with his first unofficial solo blowing directly into the microphone when the Sunday School sang “This Little Light of Mine.” Besides singing in multiple choirs and performing in multiple collegiate musicals, he’s been a worship leader and soloist for four different churches over the last 27 years with…