EVANGEL STAFF & BELIEFS
Evangel’s Mission Statement:
Helping People Take Their Next Step In Christ!
Evangel’s Vision Statement:
Connected to Christ and each other, strengthened to serve and to share!
Senior Pastor Randy Brunko
Associate Pastor – Youth/Family Ministry Jung Shin
Church Administrator Tim Nelson
Children’s Ministry Director Lynda Hawkins
Treasurer/Office Manager Laura Gilbert
Secretary Kayla Gilmore
Treasurer/Office Manager Laura Gilbert
Secretary Kayla Gilmore
Senior Pastor
Randy Brunko
Pastor Randy Brunko is in his 19th year of being Senior Pastor of Evangel after having served churches in Colorado Springs; Hayward, Wisconsin, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born in Red Wing, Minnesota, Randy grew up in Evergreen Park, Illinois. The son of a pastor, Randy is a graduate of Bethel College (1983) and Bethel Theological Seminary 1989 in St Paul, Minnesota. Pastor Randy and his wife Chris were married in 1990 and have three grown children and a daughter in law, Ashley, Brett, Mitchell and his wife Mackenzie.
Associate Pastor – Youth/Family Ministry/Worship
Junghoon Shin (Jung)
Hi friends! My name is Jung and I currently serve as an associate pastor.
I was born and raised in South Korea until I was 8 years old and then our family moved to South America to a small country called Suriname due to some unfortunate circumstances that happened to my parents. However, God used that transition to nurture our family and plant a seed of the gospel during my ten years in Suriname.
I moved to the United States in 2009 to attend Covenant College, located in Lookout Mountain Georgia. I recommitted my life in following and living for Christ during my college years and God was gracious in bringing many brothers and sisters in Christ to challenge and grow me during that time. After changing my major 3 times, I eventually graduated with a Spanish degree with a minor in youth ministry.
I met my wonderful and beautiful wife in college who also grew up overseas as a missionary kid in Honduras. Our hearts aligned in wanting to pursue missions and ministry together and at the young age of 19, she said yes to marrying me! (I was 24 years old yikes!). If you were to ask me who my hero is, without a doubt it is Cate Shin. We have three wonderful children- Sohee(6), Daesung(2), and Yoonsung(almost 1). They love playing with other kids, reading books, wrestling, and playing outside.
In 2015, we moved north of Chicago area so I could pursue my masters degree in preaching and teaching at a seminary called Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Our time there affirmed God’s calling on our lives- loving people and teaching and communicating God’s Word to people from all nations! After finishing my degree there, we moved to Youngstown in 2017 and I started to serve on staff at Evangel. Currently, my role consists of leading worship on Sundays, pastoring youth and young adults, and discipling people whenever I can! It’s been a humbling journey but our God is faithful and kind, always patient and gracious in the way He has corrected me and grown me. I love my church and I love what God is doing at Evangel. I also love meeting college students from all around the world. My love language is food, food, and food.Some of my favorite cuisines are- Peruvian, Surinamese, Chinese, Jamaican, Lebanese, and of course Korean(y’all gotta try some Korean bbq sometime)! In my free time, I
enjoy catching up on Marvel movies, watching & playing soccer/basketball, collecting figures, reading a good book on discipleship, & drinking matcha from my favorite coffee
shops.
Hope to meet you and talk in person if we haven’t yet!
In Christ,
Jung
I was born and raised in South Korea until I was 8 years old and then our family moved to South America to a small country called Suriname due to some unfortunate circumstances that happened to my parents. However, God used that transition to nurture our family and plant a seed of the gospel during my ten years in Suriname.
I moved to the United States in 2009 to attend Covenant College, located in Lookout Mountain Georgia. I recommitted my life in following and living for Christ during my college years and God was gracious in bringing many brothers and sisters in Christ to challenge and grow me during that time. After changing my major 3 times, I eventually graduated with a Spanish degree with a minor in youth ministry.
I met my wonderful and beautiful wife in college who also grew up overseas as a missionary kid in Honduras. Our hearts aligned in wanting to pursue missions and ministry together and at the young age of 19, she said yes to marrying me! (I was 24 years old yikes!). If you were to ask me who my hero is, without a doubt it is Cate Shin. We have three wonderful children- Sohee(6), Daesung(2), and Yoonsung(almost 1). They love playing with other kids, reading books, wrestling, and playing outside.
In 2015, we moved north of Chicago area so I could pursue my masters degree in preaching and teaching at a seminary called Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Our time there affirmed God’s calling on our lives- loving people and teaching and communicating God’s Word to people from all nations! After finishing my degree there, we moved to Youngstown in 2017 and I started to serve on staff at Evangel. Currently, my role consists of leading worship on Sundays, pastoring youth and young adults, and discipling people whenever I can! It’s been a humbling journey but our God is faithful and kind, always patient and gracious in the way He has corrected me and grown me. I love my church and I love what God is doing at Evangel. I also love meeting college students from all around the world. My love language is food, food, and food.Some of my favorite cuisines are- Peruvian, Surinamese, Chinese, Jamaican, Lebanese, and of course Korean(y’all gotta try some Korean bbq sometime)! In my free time, I
enjoy catching up on Marvel movies, watching & playing soccer/basketball, collecting figures, reading a good book on discipleship, & drinking matcha from my favorite coffee
shops.
Hope to meet you and talk in person if we haven’t yet!
In Christ,
Jung
Children’s Ministry Director
Lynda Hawkins
Lynda Hawkins has been working with children for many years, coordinating Vacation Bible School and other children’s event, even before coming on staff here at Evangel. She is a pre-school teacher here in Boardman and also has four children of her own — Erin, Rachel, Megan & Jacob. Lynda grew up attending Evangel and she and her husband, Kevin, have attended EBC for most of their married life.
Church Administrator
Tim Nelson
Tim has been a member of Evangel since 1998, when he and his family moved to Poland, OH. While attending Evangel Tim has served on the Deacon Board and the Leadership, Stewardship, and Trustee Teams. Tim has also been part of three amazing short-term missions trips with others from Evangel to work alongside some of our church supported missionaries. After retiring from a 36-year career in Healthcare Administration, Tim is living out his retirement dream working part time as Church Administrator. Tim and his wife Dorothy have three grown children and three beautiful grandchildren. When not at church, Tim enjoys running, his other seasonal part time job with the Cleveland Indians, and trips to South Carolina to visit those grandchildren.