Who We Are - North County Project

What’s in a Logo?

When we launched NCP in 2015, I sat down with designer Anthony Carillo.
He asked me to tell him my vision for NCP and to share a bit of my own journey in ministry. So I
did. He soon came back with the logo we use today.
Anthony wanted to capture something of our years of church planting in Guatemala which
inform so many aspects of our ministry (hence the “mountain”). He also wanted to
communicate our focus on North Orange County (the logo also suggests a needle pointing
north). Because so much of our understanding of disciple-making revolves around spiritual
formation and journeying together he incorporated the image of a labyrinth—an ancient church
practice for devotion and spiritual growth. We loved it. In a wonderfully simple image, Anthony
told our story.

I also like to think our logo not only points north but more importantly, points to Jesus.

Alan Amavisca

Mission Director

Alan has served in a variety of ministry roles over the past 40 years. These roles include missionary church planter, mentor, mission pastor, church elder, and mission director. He enjoys sharing Jesus cross-culturally and investing in young, emerging leaders. He loves books, surfing, spoiling grandkids and, above all, his wife Barbara. " I love doing ministry across barriers, whether generational, economic or cultural/linguistic; I believe that Jesus has given us a ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:20)"

Barbara Amavisca

Missionary

Barbara, MFT, has been a missionary with her husband Alan in Guatemala, and now serves as a co-leader in the LAB and partner in North County Project. She loves gardening, baking bread, and spending time with her 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren.

Nick Ward

Missionary, Intern Director, Content Creator

Nick has the privilege of being Jamie's husband, Isabella's father, and a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. He has served in several different evangelistic and discipleship capacities in the last five years. He is currently stoked to be a new father, and excited about engaging in the Great Commission here in Orange County. He loves sharing the gospel, equipping others to share God's Word, and eating dessert. Psalm 119:103

Jamie Ward

Missionary, Editor, Social Media

Jamie is a committed disciple of Jesus, the wife of Nick, and the mother of Isabella. Jamie enjoys engaging in the Great Commission, sharing her faith, and capturing people's stories through writing. She also enjoys serving others through hospitality and loves seeing people become all they are in Jesus Christ. She loves going out on dates with her hubs, eating Italian food, and exploring the world.

Ken Schemmer

Missionary

Ken has been a Care Pastor at Friends Church, Yorba Linda for over 19 years and is working as a Hospice Chaplain for Premium Hospice and the Director of Bereavement for With Hope Foundation. Ken has Doctorate of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and also received a Masters of Divinity and Masters of Arts in Christian Education. Ken and Pam have been married for over 26 years and have three children. Kenny is their oldest son, Ryan, and Abigail, is their youngest and only daughter, she passed away from brain cancer at the age of 17 years in 2016. Ken loves to sharing faith and equipping the church to disciple others. (Eph. 4:11-12)

Kristen Shepherd

Disciple-Making Intern

Kristen is devoted to following Jesus. She is the wife of Daniel and mother of Hezekiah. Kristen has been and is continually in awe of God (Ex. 34:6-7) and loves seeing others find life abundantly in Jesus. She is brought joy through reading and dialoguing about the Bible, serving in the field of Speech-Language Pathology, and testifying of God's faithfulness. She also thoroughly enjoys walking and going to sleep early.

Daniel Shepherd

Disciple-Making Intern

Daniel is beyond grateful to have his amazing wife, Kristen, and adorable son, Hezekiah. He loves learning new things and being challenged to grow. Not much excites him more than learning how we can live out the Kingdom of God here and now, and inspiring others to do the same. He currently works full-time in digital advertising and loves all things related to working out, dancing, basketball and fantasy football.

Tiffany Yi

Disciple-Making Intern

Tiffany is a “prodigal daughter” and now a fervent servant and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. She is a real estate agent with big dreams of making a positive impact on her community, the lost, and the hurting. Tiffany experiences the most joy serving on mission trips having already done so in Arizona, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Russia, and South Korea. Tiff is passionate about the gospel and introducing it to others through creative means. She loves her family, her friends, the human experience, and most of all, her Father in Heaven.

Ron Patel

Disciple-Making Intern

Ron is a born-again disciple of Jesus who is defined by his Saviour's love. He is a Business Analyst and Trader that aspires to serve the Kingdom full-time in various capacities, such as shepherding and cult ministry. He enjoys theology, literature, novels, poems, history, and film. There is no greater joy in life for him than spreading the gospel and showing the love of Jesus Christ to everyone around him.

Lee Sward

Administrator

Lee has served in the corporate world where he developed organizational and project management skills over a forty plus year career. He loves that he gets to use his experience to serve and help advance the kingdom as he works in North County Project and in community with other believes. Lee enjoys gardening and sees NCP as a type of garden, one where the soil is rich for disciple making. " I, as one of the gardeners tends to the needs in the garden. While I have no formal ministry training, I want to be open and available to any and all opportunities the Lord brings before me. I do this knowing that the Holy Spirit provides me all I need to do this work, sharing the “Good News” by word and deed in all circumstance. " 1 Timothy 1:12

Jim Sando

Strategy Consultant

Jim Sando has served in multiple managerial roles for the past 40 years, where he focused on organizational growth and sophistication. In his last corporate position, he was the CEO of a $40M enterprise with 650 employees. Subsequently, he co-founded Strategic Results Group LLC, a firm established to assist business leaders transform their businesses into what they were intended to be and allow these leaders to be free to develop healthier personal lives and grow into the men and women God called them to be.