OUR STAFF
Lonnie & Carolyn Parton
Lead Pastors
Lonnie and Carolyn moved to Council Bluffs in 1986 to pastor Victory Fellowship. They are proud parents of three adult children, Nathan, married to Rebekah, Emily married to Brandon Baker and Benjamin. With five grandchildren, family is a great joy to Lonnie and Carolyn.
Since moving to Council Bluffs, Lonnie and Carolyn have been involved in city reaching efforts. Those efforts started with bringing unity among a fragmented Church in the city. This started with a weekly pastor’s prayer gathering that continues to this day. From these times of seeking the Lord together came city repentance services where we witnessed the healing of congregations that had been split. These were important times in order for us to witness what God has for us.The call that God gave to Lonnie and Carolyn was a vision to be a congregation that equips the saints for the work of the ministry. From this early call Victory has worked to restore each person’s unique contribution to the body of Christ and the community around us. The current building that Victory occupies was built for the express purpose of the development and use of the gifts God has given to people in the Church community.
Early in their time in Council Bluffs, Lonnie and Carolyn saw a need for more opportunities for Christian Education in the city. In 2002, Victory Christian School was birth. VCS grew for ten years and at that time, merged with another Christian School in the city. Today, Heartland Christian School is the result of that merger. Carolyn recently retired from 30 years of teaching and serving as principal.
Missions also became a big focus for Lonnie and Carolyn. Carolyn led the very first mission trip from VFC to Haiti. Other trips and partnerships were built with leaders in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Kenya. On the first visit to a refugee camp on the border of Sudan and Ethiopia they knew that this would not be the last. They also knew that more could be done to aid and assist the most vulnerable among these people.
In 2022 Father’s House International was founded. Its purpose was to provide a “home” to orphans who had none. As this mission has grown with the help of its sponsors FHI has become an important part of the community in Gambela, Ethiopia.
Lonnie and Carolyn are ordained with MorningStar Ministries in Fort Mill, SC. Lonnie has two earned degrees in theology, Certifications in Counseling, Coaching, and English As A Second Language with an English Endorsement.
Lonnie and Carolyn enjoy traveling, fishing, reading, and relaxing at their home in Mills County, Iowa, especially when the grandchildren are there.
Brennon & Caroline Hobbs Youth Director
Teresa is the administrator of Victory Fellowship Church and has been on staff since 1999 helping to oversee the finances. She also serves on the board at Heartland Christian School where she has been the finance director since it began in 2002. She has been married to her high school sweetheart (Jim), and they have three children. Jim and Teresa have served in various capacities at the church and are currently serving on the leadership team and host a life group. Teresa is involved in missions and helps with the finances of Fathers House International. Her main hobbies include travel and hiking.
Teresa Nichols Administrator
Caroline and I have been working with youth groups for nearly a decade and have seen countless young lives come to Christ. We aim to provide a safe place for teens to have fun and grow together while falling in love with Jesus.
Brian and his wife Nycole have been attending Victory Fellowship Church for over 20 years and he has been involved in several different ministries during that time. Currently he leads the Prayer Team, serves on the leadership team, and is the trustee for the church finances. He loves praying for people and exposing the love of Jesus to them. He loves anything that pushes him to live life to the fullest.
Brian Chirhart Prayer Leader
Adrianna has been attending Victory Fellowship for 10+ years and considers Victory to be her 2nd home. She graduated from Heartland Christian School in 2017 and joined Father's House for her first mission trip that year. She has been to our Gambella, Ethiopia location on 3 separate trips and has a passion for the mission field. Her goal is to reach all people with the love of Jesus, but especially "the strangers in the land".
Lev. 19:33-34
Adrianna Trail Missions Liaison
Caroline has been the KidzConnect Director since 2019. In 2014 she married her husband; Brennon and they have three children together. Her heart and passion is to help lead and guide children as they develop a deep and meaningful relationship with Jesus. The staff in KidzConnect strive to make the service fun and energetic for the kids all while showing them the importance of God and His Word.
Caroline Hobbs KidzConnect Director
Brennon is the Worship Director here at Victory Fellowship Church. He has been working in ministry for most of his life and has learned a lot along the way. His passion is being able to dive into worship with everyone and sink into the presence of God. Brennon also works with his wife, Caroline, in the KidzConnect area where he assists her with whatever she needs. They moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 2018 and they have three children.
Brennon Hobbs Worship Director
Judy is the Women’s Ministry Leader. She has been doing ministry work for over 25 years. her experience varies from teaching, mentoring and counseling on many levels. She has a passion for seeing personal ascent into the intimacies that God intends for our individual and corporate journeys.
