John Marra
Lead Pastor
John is the founding and lead pastor for Living Hope. He's married to Pam, and they have three children Andrew (married to Shana), Abbey, and Alex. John and Pam also became first-time grandparents to Axel in 2020. John's passion is seeing people connect with God and live out his purpose for their lives. In his spare time he loves to do anything and everything with his family, catch big fish, hit a tennis ball, read news magazines, and explore small-town America.
pastorjohn@livinghopekc.org
Alyssa Johnson
Children's Pastor
Alyssa and her family began attending LH in 2017. She loves helping children, youth, and families learn about the life-changing Love of Jesus. Alyssa has been married to Luke since 2000. They have two awesome teenagers: Max & Abby. In her spare time, Alyssa loves gardening, music, reading, playing board games with her family and snuggling with Millie and Penny, the family dogs. Her favorite season is summer, because that's when Church Camp is... and Church Camp is the BEST!!
pastoralyssa@livinghopekc.org
Kory Gilmore
Youth Pastor & Worship Pastor
Kory grew up in Olathe and met his wife, Melanie, at MNU. They’ve been attending Living Hope since 2015 and have a cockapoo pup named Memphis. He and his wife welcomed their daughter, Haven, into the world in April, 2024. In his spare time he enjoys videography, snowboarding, board games, Chipotle, and watching Eagles football. Kory is passionate about creating a space where all feel welcomed and loved. Above all, his calling is to share with students the same love of Jesus that changed his life when he was their age.
pastorkory@livinghopekc.org
Sheri Kochendorfer
Pastor of Community Formation
Sheri grew up in Indiana, Brazil, and Olathe, KS. After graduating from MidAmerica Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary with degrees in Ministry and Intercultural Studies, she met and married Michael. Together they moved to Portland, Oregon, where Sheri served as an associate pastor for over 5 years at a church plant. They moved back to the KC area in 2019 to be closer to family and have been a part of Living Hope ever since. Sheri is passionate about loving people and journeying with them in their lives. She is always up for a cup of coffee, a hike, a board game, a video game, and being outside.
pastorsheri@livinghopekc.org
Matthew Marvin
Mental Health & Prayer Support Pastor
Matthew has been attending Living Hope since August of 2014. He graduated from MNU in the fall of 2019 with a degree in ministry. Matthew has lived experience in walking out his faith while being autistic and having Bipolar-2. Matthew is passionate about prayer, God’s people embodying the good news, and advancing God’s Kingdom! In his free time, Matthew enjoys watching Godzilla movies, reading books, and playing video games.
pastormatthew@livinghopekc.org
Ann Mason
Administrative Assistant
Ann joined our team in November of 2025. She previously spent 30+ years as a special educator in the public school setting. Following her retirement in August, she has recently reentered the education environment as a paraprofessional in the Blue Valley School District. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt, their 4 sons, and 2 grandchildren. Additionally, she is an animal enthusiast and enjoys her time volunteering with rescue groups. Ann is enjoying her time at Living Hope Church and the people she has had the opportunity to work with and meet.
ann@livinghopekc.org
Dani Cloud
Nursery Director
Dani is the Nursery Director and a stay-at-home mama to four kiddos. She longs to create a place where parents can drop off their littles knowing that they are safe AND loved. It's never too early to start planting the seeds of God's love.
Amanda Collins
Early Childhood Director
Amanda has taught everything from Preschool to 8th grade and is a mom to four wonderful children. She considers it a privilege to serve as the Early Childhood Director and loves being able to share Jesus with kiddos every Sunday.
Becky McGowen
Elementary Director
Becky and her husband, Derek, have three precious children: Maddie, Eleanor, and Barrett. Becky loves how God’s Word invites us to know Him more fully, and she wants to help kids develop a deep desire for more of Him and His Word. Some of her favorite things are being with family, browsing antique stores, baking, singing, and creating.
Tiffany Solum
Special Needs Director
Tiffany is married to Ben and they have two daughters, Tori and Elaina. As a special needs parent, Tiffany has a passion for making children's ministry accessible for every kid!