Our Team

Pastors, Staff & Elders

Daniel Fender

Teaching Pastor - Staff Elder

Daniel has been serving as the primary teaching and preaching pastor for the last several years. When Jesus got ahold of his life, God gave him an insatiable appetite for the Word. He attended Multnomah University (M. Div.) and Western Seminary (Th. M.) while church planting and pastoring on the East side of Portland. He is passionate to see discipleship in the church body and for people to actively live out the Gospel with their friends, neighbors, and in their workplaces. He has been married to his wife Janine for over 18 years, they have 6 incredible kids!  He enjoys reading books, wearing flannel, raising chickens, growing vegetables, and keeping his beard healthy.

Mitch Lamotte

Evangelism & Missions Pastor - Staff Elder

Mitch came to the Lord in 1989 being set free from the bondage of drugs and alcohol.  In 2006, he came on staff as the evangelism and missions pastor at the church.  As a certified biblical counselor, he loves helping others overcome life-dominating sins, addictions, and other hindrances that keep people from experiencing the true joy which life in Christ provides. He has been married to his wife Kathy for nearly 40 years and they enjoy hiking, reading, and spending time with their family and friends.

Joel Lundy

Admin & Finance Pastor - Staff Elder

Joel has been serving on the pastoral staff at SW Hills for the past 17 years.  His areas of responsibility are administration, financial management, and facility maintenance. Joel sees his role at SW Hills to be one of supporting and facilitating all the ministries of the church in multiple ways. Joel and his wife, Cathy, came to SW Hills in 1995.  They have four grown children and ten grandchildren.  Joel graduated from Prairie Bible College in Alberta, Canada, spent 15 years in the financial services industry both as an investment broker and Founder/President of a software company before taking on his role at SW Hills. Prior to and during his years in college, Joel worked in his family’s nursery where he developed his love of flowers, a love he shares through his management of the church’s flower beds and hanging baskets. 

Jim Polensky 

Youth Pastor

Jim has been serving as the youth pastor at SW Hills for over 21 years. His goal is to equip and encourage youth to discover who they are in Christ and use their God-given gifts to serve. Jim’s other duties include leading worship and facilitating music and tech teams for Sunday mornings. Jim desires to follow Philippians 2:3-8 which focuses on having Christ’s humility as we serve others. He has been married to his wife Celeste for over 36 years and they have two adult children. Jim’s favorite things include: spending time with his family, missions, reading, teaching, skiing, and being with people.

Stephen Haley

Community Life Pastor

Stephen recently started serving as the Community Life Pastor at SW Hills. He grew up in Beaverton, went to Oregon State University, and majored in Finance while doing Army ROTC. Upon graduating, he served seven years as a Transportation and Logistics Officer until 2021 when he left active duty and began seminary in pursuit of becoming an Army chaplain. He loves seeing lives changed in the Army Reserves where he serves as a chaplain and connecting the people of SW Hills together.  Life in Christ is not a solo activity and we need each other as we continue growing as disciples of Christ as we are transformed by the power of the Gospel. He is married to his wife Emily and they have two children: Abigail and Eleanor. They enjoy being in God's creation by hiking, seeing waterfalls, visiting parks, and relaxing with friends and a good board game.

Sevrin Hamilton

Part Time Worship Leader 

Sevrin grew up with parents who loved Jesus and shared the Good News with him. After some rougher high school years, God captured Sevrin's heart and affections while he was backpacking through the Austrian Alps. Sevrin is committed to helping Christ's church worship God in spirit and in truth, with our songs on a Sunday being a reflection of a life that delights in King Jesus.  Sevrin joined SW Hills staff in 2022. Sevrin and his wife, Megan, have three children and desire their lives to be a reflection of the love of God found in Jesus Christ. They enjoy outdoor adventures, dancing in the kitchen, and a table surrounded by good friends.

Jodi Arnold

Church Secretary

Jodi is serving as the SW Hills Church secretary. She was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years to her three daughters, Grace, Faith, and Hope before becoming the church secretary. She volunteers with the youth and helps lead the Women’s Ministry where she loves seeing how God uses fellowship between others to prepare people for what God has for them. She has been married to her husband Joel for over 20 years and they enjoy opening their home to friends and linking people together.

Kathy Lamotte

Children's Ministry Director

Kathy currently serves as the Director of Children’s Ministry at SW Hills.  She enjoys seeing children memorize Scripture in AWANA and their lives changed as they understand God’s Word in Sunday School.  She has been married to Mitch for nearly 40 years and loved homeschooling her four sons and now spending time with her two grandchildren.  She appreciates seeing children’s joy in the Lord as they choose to follow Him. 

Trevor Combs

Elder

Trevor accepted Christ at a young age and has been at SW Hills since 6th grade!  Over the years he has seen the refining work of Christ in his life. He was blessed to have numerous pastors, missionaries, and godly influences that helped shape and develop him in his faith. He is a mechanical engineer, father of three sons and has enjoyed serving in children’s ministry over the years, especially in AWANA, with his wife Mandy (who also leads the homeschool Co-op).  He and his family enjoy hanging out with friends, reading books, outdoor activities (like camping, hiking, rafting, etc...), and playing all types of games including board games, video games, sports games, card games and more! 

Larry Elzinga 

Elder

Larry, a retired physician, and his wife of 46 years (Loni) are long serving members of Southwest Hills (1981).  They have four children and nine grandchildren.  Their passion is to help grandparents grow in their biblical role of having a greater spiritual impact on their families (Deut 4:9).  As such, they started GrandLife as a ministry to encourage and equip grandparents in being intentional at passing on their faith so that multiple generations follow Christ.  They have also served as Community Group leaders for several years. 

Kerry Francetich

Counseling Director & Elder

Kerry has attended SW Hills since 1984 and has served as a pastor since 1989. He directs the Biblical Counseling Ministry and the Care Ministries of the church where he loves seeing people practically love others with the Gospel. Kerry has a background in the electronics industry, an M. Div. from Western Seminary, is an ACBC certified biblical counselor, and has a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Faith Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. In counseling, he has enjoyed seeing the power of God's Word transform people's marriages, relationships, and life trajectory because of a right understanding and application of Scripture. Kerry and his wife Rosalie have four grown children and twelve grandchildren. 

Dave Klick

Elder

For 37 years, Dave was “religious but not saved“. But then God’s Word, through a Bible Study Fellowship class, convicted him of his sins, he committed his life to Jesus and his family then joined the SW Hills family in 1983. Immediately, they found like-minded believers. Dave and his wife Kay have focused on church unity in Christ through sharing their talents along with spiritual gifts of: faith, service, teaching, encouraging, leadership/administration along with multiple elder terms over the last 39 years. They are an enthusiastic music family that enjoys sports, reunions, travel, and organizing events for church, schools (Beaver Dave & Duck Kay married 56 years with two married daughters and a grandson at Biola). To God be the glory! 

Don Loper

Elder

Don was born in Florida and grew up in the church but did not know Christ as his Savior.  After serving in the military, he moved to Oregon and started his career at IBM. He got married to his wife Joyce, and 8 weeks after starting their life together, they also started a new life with Christ when they both were saved at the ages of 29 and 27. Don and Joyce have been attending SW Hills for the last 10 years. He enjoys leading a Community Group, serving as an elder, and is also a session leader with a local apologetics group (The Ambassadors Forum).  He and Joyce have 4 kids and 6 grandkids. He loves golfing, gardening with Joyce, and being in the great outdoors!

Dave Walter

Elder

As a child, Dave attended a Bible Church and asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior at age 9. He and his wife (Pam) began attending Southwest Hills in 2008 and became members soon after. He enjoys serving on the Worship Team and as a Community Group Leader. He was recently asked if he would serve as an Elder, and we have been blessed by his service since accepting! When he considers all that Christ has done for him, he is eager to serve Him. He and Pam have 3 children and 7 grandchildren.