LEADERSHIP

Pastor Chris Phillips is the Senior Pastor of River of Life Church, a thriving multi-generational, multicultural church in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Pastor Chris and his wife, Miriam, have a passion for military families and sponsor a military support group through the church that reaches hundreds of deployed servicemen and women every month.

Before coming to Jacksonville, Pastor Chris and Miriam spent four years as a missionaries in Brazil, South America, and continue to support several works in that country and around the world. Now, Pastor Chris has been in ministry for 30 years, and has a great passion for Jacksonville and the surrounding areas and providing pastoral leadership to River of Life Church.

Pastors Chris and Miriam have three grown children, Elise, Evan, and Erianna, two sons-in-law, Torre and Maurice, and a daughter-in-law, Brit, and five grandchildren, Rio, Arthur, Weston, Daisy, and Rowan.

Pastor Miriam Phillips is a dynamic speaker and teacher who delivers the Word of God in a practical way. She and her husband Chris pastor River of Life Church in Jacksonville, NC, a multi-cultural, non-denominational and charismatic church that is impacting that area mightily.

Having grown up on the mission field, Pastor Miriam has a passion for the nations and has traveled all over the world teaching and preaching the Gospel. As head of the Fearless Warrior Princess Women’s Ministry and the Prophetic Ministry at River of Life, Pastor Miriam also has a desire to see women rise up and fulfill the purpose God has for them.

Pastor Miriam enjoys Kentucky basketball, coffee, chocolate, traveling and spending time with her six grown children, Torre and Elise, Evan and Brit, Maurice and Erianna and her beautiful grandchildren, Rio, Arthur, Weston, Daisy, and Rowan.

Pastor Mason Phillips and his family came to Jacksonville because of the Marine Corps, where he served our country for four years before getting his Bachelor’s degree in IT.  He attended River of Life in its beginnings in the storefront, and has been on full-time staff at the church since 2006.

Pastor Mason wears several hats at River of Life.  Pastor Mason heads up all of the church IT, including podcasts and video, live streaming and Web site maintenance.  He is a tech guru and is always around to help the staff with various technical difficulties.  Pastor Mason is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and has coached many of the staff to use their strengths in the ministry.

Pastor Mason teaches spiritual development classes, including The Purple Book.  He also speaks approximately once a month at our weekly services, along with being an integral part of building the second location of River of Life Virginia.  Pastors Mason and Nanette took over as Lead Campus Pastors of the Virginia Campus in November 2020.

Pastor Mason and his wife, Nanette, have two beautiful children, Savannah and Derek.

Nanette is responsible for planning, organizing, managing, and coordinating various types of events and groups.  As an Interior Designer, she has a passion and gift for creating atmospheres. Pastors Mason and Nanette took as Lead Campus Pastors of the Virginia Campus in November 2020.

Pastor Jackie Hornage is the Children’s Minister here at River of Life.  Her father’s last duty station brought her to Jacksonville in the 1970s.  She graduated from Jacksonville High School and then attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she graduated with a Bachelors in Education.  Pastor Jackie came to River of Life in the storefront church in 1993 and began serving.  In 2000, she transitioned from an elementary school teacher to full-time staff.

Pastor Jackie’s passion is seeing children come to know Jesus, and she always says that children are the biggest mission field in the world.  The Children’s Ministry at the church is a vital aspect of what we do to build the Kingdom of God, and Pastor Jackie is integral in building this ministry.  Each year she overseers other programs for the children — Vacation Bible School, Camp Dixie, Back to School Bash, Boys Night Out and more.

Pastor Jackie also heads up several other ministries, including the Nursing Home Ministry and Greeter’s Ministry.  She is an overseer within Radiant Women and team leader in our Prophetic Ministry.

Pastor Jackie is also a master at organizing volunteers and getting people plugged into church.  She loves to spend time with her family, reading, walking on the beach and in worship.