Ministry Board

Greg Bean - Elder

I was born and raised in Seattle, where much of my family still lives. I began to follow Jesus at age 7, inviting Jesus into my heart after hearing a clear gospel message from the teachers and worship leaders in Children’s Church. After High School, went to Oregon State University where I studied Chemical and Environmental Engineering.

While in Corvallis, I met Karla in a College & Career Fellowship group and we were married in 1986. Work opportunities then led us to Olympia for three years, to Everett for two years, and finally to Longview, where we have lived since 1993. We have one daughter, Heather, who graduated from Seattle Pacific University and now lives in the Bay Area, where she will be studying School Counseling at University of San Francisco.

In our free time, we like traveling, hiking, skiing or snow shoeing, spending time in the garden, and entertaining our cat Luna. We also enjoy quiet days reading, spy movies, and binging on TV series.

We have been at East Hills for about 13 years. We appreciate that our church is a place where people can be honest and real, and that in that honesty, they can experience real change by the power of Jesus. We also appreciate that we are part of a bigger CMA family with sound core beliefs and Godly leaders focused on sharing the gospel of Jesus here at home and internationally.

I serve on the Ministry Board as an Elder because I want to do my part to see East Hills continue in our mission of reaching and changing people with the good news of Jesus.

The best way to contact me is usually by email with the button below.

April Van Hamme - Ministry Board

I grew up in Spokane, Washington, where I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior when I was 5 as a result of a wonderful Sunday school teacher. After high school, I followed the Lord’s leading to attend Prairie Bible Institute in Alberta, Canada, where I received a Bible/Missions degree.

While serving at a Child Evangelism summer camp in California, I met my husband Wayne.  We moved to Longview where Wayne attended college and received his B.S. degree in nursing. The Lord blessed us with three children, Heather, Joel, and Katie, who have in turn blessed us with 7 amazing grandchildren. We will be married 50 years this year.

We both worked with Child Evangelism Fellowship, serving on the Board and teaching Good News Clubs, 5 Day Clubs, and After School clubs for 40 years. It has been my great joy to teach Bible studies for women for 50 years in the Longview area. I returned to school when our children were in college to obtain a B.S. degree in Psychology from Warner Pacific University.

It was a pleasure to teach Art and Bible at Three Rivers Christian School for 15 years.

We enjoy antiquing, traveling, reading, and socializing with friends, but most of all being with our grandchildren.

We have been at East Hills Alliance for about 8 years. We find the fellowship here to be like being with family.

I serve on the Ministry board because I love to serve Jesus along with His Body and encourage and enable the pastoral staff.  God is at work in our Body and I love watching Him do amazing works in and through the lives of His people.

Willie Kilde - Elder

I was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1943 and lived with my grandparents until I was 5. My father was a WWII vet. On Christmas in 1948 my dad and his new wife took me to live with them in San Francisco. I had a brother born on my birthday in 1949 – not the present I was looking for. We moved around a lot - 5 schools in 3 different states in just the first year. When my father and step mom divorced, I continued to live with her and my brother. In 1957 I moved back to Kalama to live with my aunt, her husband and their 5 kids. I graduated from Kalama High School in 1961.

In 1962 I moved to Santa Cruz California and worked for Sylvania Electronics. In 1965 I moved back to Kalama and went to work at R-W Paper on the Weyerhaeuser mill site. I spent 43 years with Weyerhaeuser working in many positions, finishing up as a mill site Safety Manager. After retiring in 2008, I went back to work in 2010 and worked off and on as a consultant for Weyerhaeuser engineering services for 6 years.

I have 4 children Betty, Suzette, Kris, and Kasey. Also 5 grandkids and two great-grandkids.

In 1983 I married the love of my life, Judy. We spend quite a bit of time in central Oregon swimming and fly fishing. We enjoy traveling and have taken many trips to Hawaii and several cross-country trips. There is always time to go to the beach for a day or two.

In 1990, I made Jesus the lord of my life. I had some great Christian mentors, including my mother in-law, Dorothy. I was blessed to be able to lead or be involved with several different ministries over the years. Judy and I continue to look for opportunities to serve.

Mary Ann Whittaker - Ministry Board

I am married to Brad and we have a blended family of two girls, Emilie Whittaker and Katherine Alleman, and a son, Collin Whittaker. Our kids are all in their 20's; Emilie is currently a culinary specialist in the Navy on deployment, Katherine, a photographer and barista, and her husband, security specialist, live in Vancouver, and Collin is a real estate agent in our firm. When we aren't chasing our kids or our parents, who all live in Longview, we are engaged in running four real estate offices in Longview, Long Beach, and Centralia, WA, and our newest endeavor in Kihei, Maui, Hawaii (Realty ONE Group Pacifica). I also continue to sell real estate, and love using my 30+ years from my years in education to teach, counsel, develop relationships, and do life with our agents and clients.

I was raised in a Christian home and have been so blessed by that leading. I believe we are always working on our testimonies, gathering stones from the rivers of our lives to build monuments of remembrance in how our God is constantly faithful (even when it doesn't feel like He is near). One of my greatest joys is worshiping through prayer and praise with the vehicle of music; I love participating on our music worship team, reading scripture, and having a continual conversation with Holy Spirit (working hard on the "listening" part). One of my favorite verses (I have many) says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29: 11

What a joy it is to love and serve East Hills Alliance Church! Thank you for the privilege of doing so! You can email me with the button below:

Jerry Wilson - Ministry Board

I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and was blessed with a loving Christian home. We went to church every week, often multiple times a week, volunteering for various events and janitorial work and my mom was the church secretary. Add to that classes, worship services, camps, and youth groups - the church lifestyle was very normal and familiar. I knew that Jesus was real, and that He loved me. But I didn't build a relationship with Him until marrying my wife and starting our family.

Bobbi and I met during high school and married in 1981 while attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. We both began our teaching careers here in the Longview/ Kelso area. I taught elementary physical education for 40 years, most of it in Kelso, with the exception of 7 years in the Seattle area. We both retired in 2022. We have a son, Nick, who lives in Salem, Oregon with his wife Ariel and their 2 children. Nick and Ariel are both in I.T. at Salem Hospital. Our daughter, Caity, currently lives with her husband Scott in San Diego, California. She has been working in a law firm on a lawyer apprenticeship program, and Scott just got accepted into medical school back east.

Bobbi and I started attending East Hills over 20 years ago after being invited by a close friend, and it has been a blessing. We both love the warmth and feeling of family here, and seeing the power of Jesus at work changing lives through love and prayer. We've thoroughly enjoyed participating in this family through the worship team, drama, VBS, and various committees, classes and missions.

Now that I have a little more time, I'm looking forward to being more active playing tennis and pickle-ball, walking, biking, and traveling. I also enjoy art, watching movies, board games, and, well, simply spending time with others over coffee. I am excited to serve on the Ministry Board and watch Jesus at work! Feel free to email me with the button below:

Wayne Wrzesinski - Elder

I love Jesus, my wife, my kids, and having fun.

I've been married to Nicole for 18 years and we have two kiddos. Our daughter, Annabelle, is 16 and our son, Josiah, is 13.  Some things that we enjoy doing as a family are playing Lego bricks, riding bikes, and eating ice cream while watching Disney+.

Prior to having the privilege to serve in ministry vocationally, I served in the US Navy, was an electrician for the Union Pacific Railroad, and worked as a corrections officer in the Cowlitz County Jail.

I enjoy hiking trails and enjoying the outdoors, as long as I’m close enough to civilization to feel safe. I try and share parts of my life weekly on Youtube, you can watch a few vlogs HERE.

Thanks for taking some time to check our church and who we are, you can send me a message using the button below.