phil Harman

Phil serves as the Lead Pastor at Blue River Community Church. His primary responsibilities are providing overall leadership to the church and preaching. Over the last decade or so, his ministry work includes time as a pastor, worship leader, youth leader, and technical producer for churches all through Indiana. 

Phil has been married to the love of his life, and the most amazing woman in the world, Ashley, since 2015, and they became parents to their daughter, Charley, in 2020 and their second daughter, Rian, in 2023. Phil earned his Master of Divinity from Wesley Seminary.

A.J. Austin - President

A.J. Austin and his wife MK are excited to be part of the Blue River Community Church’s mission. A.J. serves as the President for the Church Council of Blue River Community Church. After over a decade of ministry at Epworth Forest Conference Center AJ is pursuing God’s new call on his life to become an EMT. AJ and MK are excited to see what God has in store for this community through the service of Blue River Community Church.

Kim Parker - Secretary

Kim Parker is the Secretary of the Church Council. Kim is 38 years old and has been married to Adam for the last 17 years. She and Adam have two teenage daughters, Allison and Madison. They are also in their second year hosting a foreign exchange student, Anaïs from France joins them this school year. Kim works as an RN full time at PRMC, and has been a nurse for 16 years but started as a CNA 22 years ago. Kim enjoys spending time with her family camping, traveling and attending dance competitions.

Blake McCoy - Treasurer

Blake McCoy is the Treasurer of Blue River Community Church. Born and raised in Columbia City, Blake is a Junior at Columbia City High School. He participates in Track & Field, BPA (Business Professionals of America), and NHS (National Honor Society). On Sunday mornings, you can find Blake assisting with setup and running video for worship services. He enjoys the authentic worship of Blue River Community Church and is eager to be a leader in this role.

Melissa Vazquez - Outreach

Melissa Vazquez is passionate about serving others and living out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors. She continues to look for meaningful ways to connect with and help meet the needs of those in the community. She currently participates in the Wellbeing Alliance through the Whitley County Community Foundation, focusing on mental health advocacy and action for youth and seniors within our area.

She has been married to her husband, Josh for 20 years, and together they are blessed with three wonderful children. Melissa holds an Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene and currently works as a bookkeeper for a niche accounting and financial planning firm that serves dental practice owners.

Outside of work and ministry, she is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction, and she has a deep passion for gardening. She is currently pursuing her Master Gardener certification and enjoys growing both her garden and her knowledge whenever she can.