Leadership

Pastors & Staff

Jonathan Lee

Lead Pastor

The Lord called the family and I to Rome Community Bible church September 2020. We are native to Southern California where I was an associate pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship for 14 years.

I love being able to shepherd God's flock as Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. I also love reading, spending time as a family, and anything that gets us active. I maintain a blog at pastorjonlee.com. 

Mike Barksdale

Associate Pastor

I grew up in a loving home where Jesus and the church were central. I came to trust in Jesus for my salvation from sin at the age of 8, but it was following the death of my father when I was 19 that I had a shift in my faith. I had always loved being at church, but now God began to stir in me a love for the church and a desire to serve in a new way. My faith came alive and I began to serve in youth ministry. I pursued full time youth ministry following the completion of my degree in Biblical Literature from Northwest University.

I have lived most of my life in western Washington, with Bellingham being the place I have been the longest. I moved here with my wife Rachell in 2008 to begin serving as the Youth Pastor at RCBC. Our three kids were all born in Bellingham. This is home for us.

I love sports. I enjoy playing them, watching them, and coaching them. I am a diehard Mariners fan. I love music as well, playing guitar and finding new music to listen to. I love my wife, my kids, and my family a lot. But most of all, I love God. My life changed the day I realized how much He loved me and now I simply try to live my life by responding in love back to Him the best way I know how. I am enjoying the journey and I’m getting to do it with a great bunch of students and families here at Rome Community Bible Church.

Brett Johnson

Worship Leader

I have been attending Rome my entire life, and I love being able to serve the Lord through leading our musical worship each week. My wife Natalie and I are blessed to be part of such an amazing church body.

I am very involved in our community as a teacher at Harmony Elementary, and a coach at Mt. Baker High School. Natalie and I love working around our property, spending time with our daughter, and being able to enjoy our beautiful home together.

Kylee Mae

Bookkeeper

The Lord brought me and my 3 kids to Rome in late 2020.  I’ve had family ties to Rome my whole life, so it feels like home here.  I am so extremely thankful for the church family God has blessed us with here at Rome.  This tight knit community… family…. has been such a blessing and they have ministered to us in so many ways!  

Jesus has been my Savior since I was a little girl.  He has been by my side helping me through this life here on Earth and has taken me through so much that has brought me closer and closer to Him.  He never left my side even when I tried to live life my own way for awhile.  I am here because of Him and am so extremely grateful for His grace and mercy and sacrifice on the cross for me…. for us all!  I am blessed to serve and be a member of the staff here at Rome and am continually blessed by what God has in store for us and am encouraged to see His Work and His hand in all things around us.

I have 3 kids and life is busy and God is good!  I love hanging out with them, my friends, and family, and being involved in church!  I could go on and on, but to keep things brief…  I am a sinner, saved by Jesus!  I love Him with all that I am and pray that God uses me for His glory and to impact His Kingdom!

Sara Johnson

Secretary

I was born and raised in Whatcom County, and I began attending Rome in my late elementary school years. I attended youth group at RCBC in middle and high school and left for college in Eastern Washington. After being called back to Bellingham, I finished my degree in elementary education and reconnected with Rome Community Bible Church.

The tight-knit community at Rome is so impressionable. I love being involved at the church, and I am so thankful that my children get to grow up in such a loving church community. I strive to serve God however He seeks fit, and I aim to raise my children in ways pleasing to Him.  

I love baking, do-it-yourself projects, being outside, and spending time with my husband, Derek, and our two children.

Jamie Tikhonov

Media Coordinator

I have been attending Rome since I was born. I came to faith in Jesus at a young age, and I have continued to grow in this over the years. I have loved being able to serve the Lord alongside this body of believers by using the gifts He has given me to further His kingdom.

I am a wife and mother of two, which keeps me busy most of the time.  I also work part time at Skagit Valley Hospital as a physical therapist assistant. When I manage to find some free time, I enjoy gardening, crafting, and home renovations.

Micki Rinas

Rome Kids Coordinator

I have been a part of the RCBC family since the summer of 2009. Through the years I have volunteered in children's ministry in several different roles. I have taught Sunday School, and I helped lead Rock Zone (midweek children's ministry) in the past. I currently plan the weekly lessons for Rome Kids, find volunteers, and teach the Bible lesson during one service on Sunday mornings. Teaching and children’s ministry has been a passion of mine since I first started volunteering thirty years ago as a teenager.

I was raised in a Christian family. I accepted Jesus’s gift of forgiveness and became a member of God’s family sometime when I was young. I remember attending a children’s show, and I went forward after the show to commit to following God for the rest of my life and accept His gift of salvation. I was later baptized (late teens/early twenties) by my grandpa on the same night as some of my siblings.

I am a single mom of two daughters. Leah attends Seattle Pacific University and will be graduating with her bachelor’s degree this June. Hannah attends the University of Washington and will graduate in a year or so. I am at a point in my life where I am not sure what the next direction is and am seeking God’s guidance to follow His plan for this next chapter in my life.