Our Staff
Pat Hilkey | Lead Pastor
Being the Lead Pastor at Evangel has been a dream come true. I love pastoring people (God’s flock), and I love being a servant in Western New York. I started in Buffalo 1986-1990 as a youth pastor and was blessed when Evangel invited me to come back to the area in 2006. God wired me to be a pastor which I love doing. I’ve been married to Heather since 1988, and she is from the area. Being in Buffalo is where we call home. May God do great things in this whole area. If I can help you in your journey in any way, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. I have one last thing to say and that is “Go Bills! Go Sabres! Go Bisons!” I love our area and all that it offers, and I’m truly expecting a great future. May God bless and keep each of you.
Jordan Hilkey | Youth Pastor
I have the privilege of serving the students of Evangel. I have been in ministry for 3 years now, and have been married to the love of my life Holly since 2013. God has blessed us with two wonderful children in Chase and Paige. I am passionate about creating a community of believers who daily follow Jesus & compel others to do the same. Our goal is to create lasting followers of Jesus and be there for every step of their journey. As a native of Western New York, it is so great to be home and be in the community I grew up in. We hope we get a chance to spend some time with your student in the near future!
Claire Thompson | Children's Pastor
I have been serving as Children’s Pastor at Evangel for two years now. I have a deep love for our church and the people of this community. I grew up at this church! When I was little, my sisters and I would come to Evangel every week with our parents and watch the Bible come alive at Kids Church. From a young age, I knew that God was calling me to reach children with the incredible love of Jesus, and I dreamed of one day being a Children’s Pastor here. I graduated from Bible College at Liberty University and spent several summers doing internships at Evangel for the youth and children’s ministries. I served as children’s pastor at The Tabernacle in Orchard Park for six years, and now God has brought me back home to Evangel! I am passionate about reaching the lost in creative ways and leading families into the Presence of Jesus. Our Glow Kids Ministry team is constantly creating new and exciting ways to minister to the kids of Western New York, so come check us out!
Mary O'Connor | Office Manager
I am the Office Manager / Church Secretary, having worked at Evangel for thirteen years. I started as a volunteer in the church office while I was a stay-at-home mom, answering phones and stuffing bulletins. It has grown into a full-time dream job. I love being of service to my church and its people, and I find great enjoyment and fulfillment working here. I have been married to my husband Tom for 40 years; we have two adult sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law and baby granddaughter. I am the Missions Committee Co-chair, a Women’s Circle Leader, and am on the prayer chain and Connections/Care Ministry teams. I have a BS in Elementary Education. I love to read, work in my garden, and visit our grandbaby and her family in Tacoma, WA.
Todd Wambsganss | Facilities Manager
As Facilities Manager, I’ve overseen the maintenance of the church, office building, and parsonage since 2015. This includes painting, construction, renovations, and working together with Pastor Claire to make and set up Kids Camp stage and props. I schedule monthly work days with volunteers for outdoor clearing of dead trees and brush, and schedule contractors for parking lot sealing, church vans, heating, cooling, snow plowing, lawn care, and more.
Roger Nixon | Custodian
As full-time custodian since 1996, I take care of the cleaning of the church and office buildings, as well as outdoor
snow-blowing, shoveling, and salting of the walkways in the winter. I strip and wax floors, set up and take down room set-ups for ministry and church events, and shop for cleaning supplies and paper products related to cleaning.
