Irwyn Ince, Pastor
Irwyn Ince is the senior pastor of City of Hope Church. Irwyn and his wife Kim moved to Maryland from Brooklyn, NY in 1995, and have been residents of Columbia since 1997. In 1995 he professed faith in Jesus Christ at New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
Irwyn was an engineer by profession when the Lord called him to pastoral ministry in 2000. He began his seminary studies at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) that fall. In 2002 he and his family joined Mount Zion Covenant Church (PCA) in Bowie, MD. Irwyn served as a pastoral intern at Mount Zion as he completed his Master’s degree. In 2006 Irwyn graduated from RTS and left his full time employment as a project engineering manager with Motorola to become the pastor of Mount Zion. In February 2007 Mount Zion merged with New Town Church in Columbia, MD to form City of Hope.
Irwyn strives to live the gospel in all areas of life. He enjoys spending time with his family, being active in the community, and is a CrossFit enthusiast. He and Kim have four children, Jelani, Nabil, Zakiya, and Jeremiah.
Martin Gallagher, Ruling Elder
Martin, his wife Laurie, and their son, Hugh, live in Arnold, MD. Before coming to City of Hope, they were members of Broadneck EP Church and Annapolis EP Church. Their ministry concerns tend toward family ministries, encouraging men, women and children to be reconciled through the love and grace of Christ. Martin writes scripture-based music, and enjoys spending time with his family. They are currently in the middle of simultaneously reading at least 15 books, all of which are interesting and worth finishing sometime in the next decade.
Martin works as a Senior Software Engineer in the Columbia area, and Laurie teaches for the Annapolis Classical Tutorial Service. Hugh (12), has yet to determine the course of his life and career, but is considering remaining 12 for the rest of his life.
David Horrocks, Ruling Elder
David and Amy Horrocks live in Ellicott City, where they are raising six children. They have attended City of Hope, and before that, Mt. Zion Presbyterian since 2002, when they moved to Maryland from Philadelphia. Married in 1991, David and Amy are both graduates of the University of Pennsylvania, where they met as members of the Tenth Presbyterian college union.
David holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and is a Senior Vice President with Erickson Retirement Communities. The whole family is involved in Christian Athletic Association sports leagues, where David coaches soccer and baseball.
Tom Miller, Ruling Elder
Tom and his wife, Alyson, live in Laurel, MD. Tom teaches math at Laurel High School and Alyson spends her days raising their beautiful little girl Arianna, who was born last April. After growing up in Illinois, Tom attended the University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering and a Masters of Arts in Education. He met Alyson during his junior year of college and proposed to her nearly four years later. In their fifth year of marriage, they enjoy watching Arianna scoot around the house, reading, playing card/board games, and travelling during their long summer vacations.Tom has been involved with City of Hope Church (and its predecessor, Mt Zion) since 1999, his sophomore year of college. He currently teaches youth Sunday School and helps lead a Community Care Small Group.
After growing up in Illinois, Tom attended the University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering and a Masters of Arts in Education. He met Alyson during his junior year of college and proposed to her nearly four years later. In their third year of marriage, they most enjoy reading, playing card/board games, and travelling during their long summer vacations.
Tom has been involved with City of Hope Church (and its predecessor, Mt Zion) since 1999, his sophomore year of college. He currently teaches youth Sunday School and helps lead a Community Care Small Group.
Mark Samuel, Pastoral Intern
Mark and Laura Samuel met through their involvement with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Maryland. While in school, they both began attending a Mount Zion Covenant Church and became members. Shortly after graduating, Mark and Laura were married and started leading the church’s youth ministry together. Mark also began his seminary education, taking the first steps toward discerning a possible calling to full time pastoral ministry. Now at City of Hope Church, Mark and Laura continue to co-lead the youth ministry (Youth Explosion) with Ronny Wahba and Tiffany Hogan. Mark is also serving as a pastoral intern.
Mark currently works as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill, and Laura teaches fifth grade at Forcey Christian Academy. Both enjoy the outdoors–camping, biking, and hiking. Mark is fond of reading fiction, and enjoys an occasional game of Settlers of Catan (a board game). Laura is an avid scrapbooker and enjoys spending time with children.
Frank Cruzata, Pastoral Intern
Frank lives with his wife in Gaithersburg, MD. He works as a Program Administrator in the Montgomery County area. He is a U.S. Navy veteran. A graduate of Southern Illinois University,Frank has been taking courses toward a Masters of Divinity Degree at Virginia Union University in order to fulfill the requirements for chaplaincy in the U.S. Armed Services.
Frank’s passion lies in addressing the concerns of Latino and African-American communities from a distinctly reformed theological perspective. He currently serves in City of Hope’s Prison Ministry as well as in directing prayer during Adult Bible Study.