Staff and Leadership

Senior Pastor

Pastor Dave is the Founding and Senior Pastor of Alive Community Church. He preached his first sermon when he was a senior at Norwin High School in Irwin, PA in 1993; taught the Jr. High Sunday School class at his church during his freshman year of college, and began to serve as a youth pastor his junior year of college at Pitt-Greensburg. Prior to starting Alive, Pastor Dave served for 13 years in various youth ministry roles in Western PA; Durham, NC; and when he was a student at Asbury Theological Seminary near Lexington, KY.

With a passion to see people come fully alive in Jesus Christ, Pastor Dave loves to communicate the truth of God’s Word to people of all ages and backgrounds. Some people say he’s pretty funny when he does it, and many say that he’s pretty honest and vulnerable about doing it too. He loves seeing people worshipping Jesus with passion and seeing them embrace the joy and privilege of loving, serving, and telling others about Jesus.

Pastor Dave and his wife Jessie have lived near Saxonburg since 2001. They are incredibly blessed by their kids Anna, Isaac, and Andrew and their son-in-law Chris and one of their greatest joys in life is to see their kids walking faithfully with Jesus while they love and serve others wherever they’re at.

If you love hearing stories about fishing, hunting, and sports in your sermons, Alive might be the place for you. And you’ll probably hear some stories about Pastor Dave’s dysfunctional chocolate lab Rocky, too.

Nate - Worship Leader and Elder | Nicole - Women’s Ministry Coordinator and Deacon

Nate is the worship leader at Alive He has been leading worship since high school and has been involved in many music ministries in both high school and in college. Nate graduated from Geneva College in the spring of 2009 and has been leading worship at Alive since its start later that year.

Nicole coordinates our Women’s Ministry, leads our Hospitality Ministry, & coordinates fundraising for various mission projects.

Nate and Nicole live outside of Saxonburg with their two boys, Micah and Eli.

Youth Director and Elder
Andy is our Youth Director at Alive Community Church. Born and raised in Springdale, PA, Andy takes every opportunity to share the good news of the gospel. His life verse comes from Colossians 3:17: And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Andy represents the Lord in many capacities at Alive such as teaching Sunday School and playing guitar for the worship team. In his spare time, he is always on the move, Go Kart racing, sharpening his Tang Soo Do skills, skateboarding, and building race cars. Andy, his wife, Megan, and his son, Ryder, make their home in Sarver, PA.
Carmen - Elder | Chrissie - Alive Kids Director and Deacon

Carmen Shullo, serving Alive as an Elder and leader of the Men’s Ministry, and Chrissie Shullo, serving Alive as a Deacon and Director of Alive Kids Ministry, have been married since 2010. They share 3 wonderful sons, Carmen, Uriah, and Boaz. Outside of church, Carmen works in the automotive industry as a service manager, while his wife stays home to raise their boys. In their spare time, you might find Carmen pushing himself to new limits in the gym while Chrissie quietly crochets or reads. They serve God faithfully through prayer, encouragement, and open ears. Their family verse is 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 which encourages them to have courage when standing on Jesus and to always love people first.

Mark - Deacon | Shelly - Administrative Assistant and Deacon
Mark serves as a Deacon at Alive and uses his carpentry and remodeling skills to maintain the church building. Mark is passionate about purposefully living out the gospel and shares this excitement as a youth ministry leader. Mark’s joy is contagious and his love for Jesus Christ is seen through how he intentionally loves and serves others. Mark’s interests include studying God’s word, serving on mission teams, hunting, fishing, and golfing. His wife, Shelly, is a Deacon and our Administrative Assistant at Alive. Shelly serves on our hospitality team and shares in facilitating a small group with Mark. Her hobbies include baking, gardening, and walking. She finds great joy in shining God’s light by caring for others’ practical needs. Mark & Shelly are blessed with 3 children, Luke, Gabe, and Miranda and 2 grandchildren.
Deacon
Marsha serves Alive as a Deacon. She is Alive’s Prayer Chain Coordinator and hosts and leads one of Alive’s small groups. She is part of the church cleaning team, which brings her much joy. She is retired from Freeport Area School District, where she worked for 23 years as an Educational Assistant, mostly at the high school level. She and her husband have 2 sons and 5 grandchildren. She enjoys reading, beading, and baking. She has loved the Lord since she was a child and loves serving Him and continuing to grow in her faith.
Deacon
Angie Gillis, a member of Alive’s leadership team, is passionate about pursuing a daily walk with Jesus. She strives to live by the verse, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2. She supports Alive as a Deacon and a Nursery Servant. She is also active in women’s ministry and is always happy to encourage and pray for others. In her spare time, she loves reading, scrapbooking, and camping. Angie lives in South Butler with her husband, Jason, and their 3 sons, Dathan, Riley, and Owen.
Deacon

Laura has been walking with God for many years, and her salvation occurred because other people were obedient to speak small truths into her life, and God brought those to a full transformation. Her favorite verse is Gal 5:6b and is included in her email signature, “the only thing that matters is faith expressing itself through love.” Laura came to Alive in late 2021 and found a true home for herself and her sons whose special needs led them on a 3-year journey for their acceptance. As a Deacon she is also a co-leader of the Women’s Ministry as they seek to encourage women to gather and share their faith as well as talents. Laura is married to Ralph, and they are parents to David and his wife Sarah, Mark, and John.