Our Leadership
Called To Lead
The highest leaders of our church must exhibit the following qualities (abbreviated from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1): Respected by the congregation for selfless and continued service. Faithful as a spouse and parent and is known to be respected by his family. Kind and hospitable toward others. Experienced and successful in exhibiting Christ in life. Knowledgeable in the Word of God and willing and able to teach it to others. Respected outside the church by the community for integrity in life.
Here at the church of Christ in Falls Church, our leaders are chosen by the members of this church based on the qualifications listed above. The highest level of leadership in the church of Christ is occupied by “Elders,” also known in Scripture as “Bishops” and “Shepherds.” These men are responsible for guiding the spiritual lives of all members of this congregation. It is their first and foremost responsibility. The task of leading our ministries falls to our deacons, who are deepening committed to serving the Lord and caring for the members of His church.
Elders
Bill Kincaid
Bill has attended the Falls Church congregation since early childhood, and has served as an Elder since 1998. A lifetime enthusiast of congregational singing, Bill is passionate about preserving the church’s musical heritage. He and his wife Mary Ann have two sons and five grandchildren. Bill is retired from a career in the Federal Government. Mary Ann served for many years as church secretary at Falls Church, following previous employment in public schools, psychiatric hospital care, and print journalism. Their interests include choral music and animal rescue.
Oliver McDaniel
Oliver is a rare bird, born and raised in Washington, D.C. He serves as an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the U.S. Dept. of Justice. His wife, Janice, who hails from Alabama is retired as a Senior Assistant Attorney General from the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and currently serves as a policy analyst for the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. The two were added to the church in 1985. They have two adult children, Catherine and Andrew. Oliver has served as an Elder since 2010. Both have been and remain active as teachers in our Bible School. Both also work closely with the Family Life and Greeter Ministries.
Hal Swetnam
The Swetnam family has been worshiping with the Falls Church congregation since 2006. Hal served as a deacon for a number of years, focusing on youth education and local outreach efforts, and then became an elder in 2018. He and his wife, Lisa, met at the Arlington church of Christ and were married in 1991. They have one adult son, Sam, who loves traveling just as much as his parents. Lisa grew up in Italy, and Hal spent many early years in England and Singapore. Lisa is a realtor, and Hal is an executive with a Mid-Atlantic branding firm.
Joseph Tucker
Joseph hails from Stanton, Tennessee. He married Calanthia in 1967, whom he met at Tennessee State University, and they have worshiped with the Falls Church congregation since 1968. They have two adult daughters, LaCanas Tucker and Tahirah Elliott. Tahirah and her husband, Travis, have two children, Arabelle and Caius Elliott. Joseph has served in the worship ministry for many years, and has supervised the education ministry. He owns a printing business and Calanthia serves as Chairman of the Board of the Apple Federal Credit Union.
Habtu Zemech
Habtu was born into a Muslim family and reared in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was baptised at 18 and became very active in the Church, later becoming the preacher for the Addis Ababa congregation. After earning a degree in Bible and Missions in Kenya, he returned to Ethiopia and trained a number of preachers who currently work there. Habtu is the founder of “My Neighbors,” a nonprofit focused on improving the lives of underprivileged and destitute children in Ethiopia. He and his wife, Meaza, were married in 1994. They have three grown children: two sons and a daughter.
Deacons
Roberto Alvarez
Roberto is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala. A deacon since 1984, Roberto has worked with the Church supporting the Spanish Ministry in the Metropolitan area, focusing on the growth of the Iglesia de Cristo in Falls Church. He and his wife, Blanca, have a daughter, a stepson, and two grandsons. Roberto is an HVAC facility supervisor.
Swaroop Dharmavaram
Swaroop is originally from India and moved to the United States for work as an IT professional. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications engineering. He is married to Suneetha and they have two young children, Aadarsh Paul and Avisha Paul. Prior to becoming a member of the Lord’s church, he attended a denominational church. It was through the efforts of Indian missionaries from the Manassas Church of Christ that he and his family were added to the Lord’s Church.
Ignacio Espinoza
Born in San Vicente, El Salvador, Ignacio moved to this country in 1992. He and his wife, Sandra, met in middle school there. Both are very active in the Iglesia de Cristo at Falls Church — Ignacio as a leader of the benevolence ministry and Sandra as a teacher. He works as a plate maker for a local printing firm. They have three children, Priscilla, Ariana, and Isaias.
Joshua McKay
Joshua grew up in Mt. Vernon, Texas and went to Texas A&M before joining the US Navy. While at A&M, he attended A&M Church of Christ, where he met and married Allison. They have three children, Grace, Benjamin, and Abigail, all in college. Joshua is transitioning out of the US Navy after 28 years and will be embarking on a second career in the area. Of note, Joshua was a deacon at Falls Church previously, from 2010 to 2015. With the exception of two years they spent in Norfolk, VA, the McKays have been members at Falls Church since 2007.
Milton Mendez
Milton is originally from El Salvador. He has been a member of the Church of Christ for 12 years. Milton and his wife Erika met in El Salvador and were married in 2018. In 2021 they immigrated to the US and became members of our congregation. Their daughter is 7 months old. Milton currently works in construction.
Anthony Parker
Anthony (Tony) was born and raised in Nashville, TN. He was baptized as a teenager and has been actively involved in ministry ever since. After a 20 year career in the military, Tony landed here at the Falls Church congregation. He serves in worship service activities, benevolence, greeting, the recent ministry search team, and the Story of Redemption where he has worked for the last two years with the people in Vietnam. He met Erica (and Taylor) while a member at the Beltway congregation and later married Erica. Tony has been with AT&T for the last 14 years as a Contractor Special Security Manager.
Saul Reyes
Saul Reyes is a member of the Iglesia de Cristo. He was born and brought up in the town of Carolina, in the department (state) of San Miguel, El Salvador. He works for CORT Furniture Rental, where he refinishes furniture. His wife Guadalupe also is from El Salvador, but she grew up in San Vicente. They met at church and have been married for ten years. He has three daughters, Dinora, Mariela, and Margarita, and two sons, Jose and Luis.
Wilfredo Reyes
Wilfredo is part of the Iglesia de Cristo and was installed as a deacon in 2013. He was born in Carolina, San Miguel, El Salvador. After coming to this country, he met and married his wife, Saira whom he met here at church. The couple has three daughters, Carmen, Jessica, and Nelly. Wilfredo also has a son who lives in El Salvador. He works as a driver for SuiteAmerica.
Joshua Stults
Josh grew up in many places, but most important were the years spent in Huntsville, AL where he met his wife Leah. They have three children Ella, Tallula, and Angus and have been members at Falls Church since 2018. Joshua holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. He received his M.S. and Ph.D in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, OH. He retired from active duty in the US Air Force in 2023, and currently works in the non-traditional defense industry.
Justin Taylor
Justin was raised in Mississippi and moved to Arlington, Virginia in 1992 where he became a member of the Arlington Church of Christ. At Arlington, he served as a deacon for several years and later became an elder. He co-led mission trips to Ensenada, Mexico and El Salvador building homes for members and renovating/constructing church buildings. He met his wife Robin in Baltimore, MD and they have an adult son, Jared. Justin works as a Senior ProjectManager for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Winchester, VA, leading design and construction of DoD facilities and infrastructure for UAE, Jordan and Bahrain. Justin serves as a board member for Rainbow Christian Services.
Kevin Thie
Kevin has been a deacon since 2002. He grew up in this area, and he and his wife, Janet, met at Northeastern Christian College. They have been married 24 years, and have a son and a daughter. Kevin’s area of responsibility is Grounds, and he is an active board member for Camp WaMaVa. Kevin works for the Life Insurance Association for the Army and Air Force.
John Waterston
Born in Ann Arbor, MI, John grew up in Dallas, TX. A graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, he holds a B. S. in Electrical Engineering. He also holds an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. A former submarine officer, John now works within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He and his wife Casey met in high school. They have three sons, Hank, Will, and Sam.
Ministers
Jordan Arnold
Jordan joined FCCOC in 2024 after moving to the DMV from the High Plains of Oklahoma. Before that, he and his wife, Natalie, spent seven marvelous years in Slovakia, where their two daughters were born. An alumnus of Harding University and Oklahoma Christian, Jordan brings a rich blend of narrative theology to his preaching. His messages are thoughtfully crafted, drawing inspiration from diverse literary and cultural influences to connect timeless truths with everyday life.