Our Staff
You may contact any of these individuals through the church office at 704-225-0161 or by emailing info@redeemerweb.com.
Dean Faulkner, Lead Pastor
After pursuing a career as an electrical engineer at a Fortune 500 company, God called Dean to enter the pastorate to preach and teach the gospel of grace. Dean has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, MA, and is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. In 2001, Dean was called to plant Church of the Redeemer, and he has been amazed to see what the Lord has done in and through Church of the Redeemer ever since.
Dean is married to Elizabeth and has two children, Bethany and Mitch, who are full of life. Dean loves to play golf and enjoys fishing with his son. He loves a good meal and conversation about Christ, culture, and what it means to follow God in our time.
David Yoran, Assistant Pastor
David was born and raised in North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill. In college, David majored in Communications, was involved in ministry with Young Life, and, most importantly, met his wife-to-be, Celia. In 2003, David and Celia were married and moved to Winston-Salem to do youth ministry in their local church. After moving to Massachusetts for 2 years to attend seminary at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, David and Celia moved to Charlotte, where he became involved with Church of the Redeemer as a youth intern and director. The Yorans have one child, Isaac.
In January 2008, David graduated from Gordon-Conwell with his Master of Divinity, and in February 2008, David was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. David now serves as the Assistant Pastor of Youth and Community Care here at Church of the Redeemer.
Ernesto Fernandez, Hispanic Pastor
Ernesto was born in Cuba, where he spent his early childhood before his family left the country on one of the final "Freedom Flights." He lived for several years in Puerto Rico before his family settled permanently in Atlanta, GA, where he met his wife-to-be, Awara. Ernesto and Awara were married in 1989, and they have two daughters, Kathryn and Amanda. They have been at Church of the Redeemer since 2002. After earning his Master's Degree in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, NC, in 2004, Ernesto accepted the call to be a church planter within the Presbyterian Church in America.
In June 2008, Ernesto was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He now serves as the pastor of Iglesia del Redentor, a mission church that held it’s first regular Sunday morning worship service in September 2007. Ernesto and his family are very blessed to be working among Hispanics in Union County.
Sandy Lawson, Administrative Director
Sandy has worked in Christian ministry for 24 years in various capacities. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Trinity University and a Master’s degree in Library Science from the University of Texas at Austin. She has been the Administrator at Church of the Redeemer since 2002, when the church first began meeting at Sun Valley High School.
Sandy has been married to her husband, J.D., since 1969, and they have two adult sons. In addition to her gifts of administration and service, Sandy and J.D. share the gift of hospitality. Their home is open to singles, day and night, and they have provided dinner to many young men and women on Wednesday evenings for the past 11 years. Sandy serves on the Women in Ministry team, teaches a Bible study, and mentors young women. Her hobbies include reading, walking, and travel.
Cheryl Brown, Financial Assistant
Cheryl Brown grew up in beautiful upstate New York and went to school at SUNY Institute of Technology, where she majored in Business Administration and Accounting. She is married to Tim and has three grown sons, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and three awesome grandchildren. They moved to North Carolina in the fall of 2000 after the children started migrating south, taking their only grandson with them. Tim and Cheryl came to Church of the Redeemer in the summer of 2003 and knew this was where God would have them serve. Cheryl has been our Financial Assistant since 2004.
When Cheryl is not working or tending to husband, home, and family, she loves to read, garden, spend time at the beach, and spend time with friends. Most of all, she loves to play with her grandchildren, especially at the beach.
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Jeff Gunderson, Worship Co-Director
Jeff has been one of Church of the Redeemer’s part-time music directors since January 2007. He has been a worship leader in various settings for nearly 20 years. Originally from New Jersey, Jeff graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
Jeff has been married to Cheryl for 25 years, and they have two grown children. In their spare time, Jeff and Cheryl enjoy cooking, gardening, and walking together.
Dane Hazlegrove, Worship Co-Director
Dane is our other part-time music director. He is a gifted guitarist and experienced band member. He has been serving on worship teams in various roles for over 20 years.
Originally from Virginia, Dane has been married to Debbie for 33 years. They have three grown children. Dane and Debbie have been at Church of the Redeemer since the beginning. Dane spends his spare time reading, enjoying sports, and doing anything that involves music.
Donna Harris, Redeemer Kids Lead Director
Donna grew up in Columbus, GA, and moved to Pensacola, FL in her senior year of high school. There she met her future husband, Don, at a church youth group. They have now been married for 34 years and have two grown children, Leslie (married to Mike) and Andrew.
Moving every three or four years has given Donna the opportunity to be a part of a number of churches in the Presbyterian Church in America. She has been involved in children’s ministry leadership in seven of these churches. Her passion is to mentor and encourage others to be involved in a dynamic ministry to children to reach the hearts and minds of the next generation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Donna considers it an incredible delight and humble privilege to be involved in the lives of families through ministry to children.
Donna became the part-time Lead Director of Redeemer Kids in the summer of 2008. She and her husband, Don (who is also an elder at Church of the Redeemer), also work with their daughter in a family-owned business. In her spare time, Donna thoroughly enjoys running, working out, reading, and boating with her family.
Tina Martin, Redeemer Kids KidVenture! Director
Tina was born and raised in Monroe, NC, and graduated from a local Christian school. Tina has been married to John for 27 years and has two daughters, Jessica and Hanna, and one grandson.
Tina has been involved with children and children’s ministry her entire life and ran an in-home daycare for five years. Tina’s passion for children’s ministry comes from her personal testimony. As a child, her family was introduced to Christ through the persistence of her four-year-old brother asking his parents to take him to church to learn more about Jesus. God used the diligence of a little child to bring an entire family to Christ.
Tina has served as an assistant in the Children’s Ministry here at Church of the Redeemer since July 2006. She has always had a great love for children and enjoys seeing their enthusiasm when learning about God’s love for them.
