Will is a native Texan with a background in both campus and church ministry. In 2010, God called him to round up some friends to plant a church in Central Austin together. His teaching and leadership is driven by a growing hope that the gospel really does change everything. He attended Stephen F. Austin State University and Covenant Theological Seminary. Will and his wife Debbie have two boys, Ethan and Holden.
Todd Stewman
After serving 19 years in campus ministry, Todd helped plant Providence Church in 2010 and has been one of our pastors ever since. He is captivated by the idea of growing a gospel-centered church in Austin that will plant churches, multiply disciples of Jesus, and extend God’s kingdom in our city and the world. Todd graduated from the University of Texas at Austin (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (M.A.), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min). He and his wife Amy have three daughters.
Kendal Haug
After earning degrees from the University of Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary, and 2-and-a-half years in Omaha working on staff at Coram Deo Church, Kendal moved back to his hometown of Austin to help Will and Debbie plant Providence Church. His leadership is driven by a desire to see people holistically formed in their worship of God, as they come to treasure Jesus above all things.
He enjoys spending as much time as possible building things with his hands, and he believes that vinyl is often the best way to listen to an album. Kendal and his wife Ashley have two daughters, Ruby and Frances, and a son, Hank.
Ophelia Chafigoulline
Ophelia graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Marketing and History. She has worn various hats including technical recruiter, college student minister, full-time mom, and personal wardrobe stylist. She loves meeting new people, discovering their unique gifts and personalities, and enfolding them into our Providence community. Ophelia has been married to Marat for 14 years and they have two young boys. You will usually find Ophelia spending time with her family outside (baseball diamond, soccer field, swimming pool), working out at the gym, or connecting with friends over good food and drink.
Jordan Hurst
After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Jordan spent time as a worship leader, songwriter, and manager at a guitar company spanning from Fayetteville to India to Denver. He is passionate about connecting the people of God to the mission of His kingdom through worship and missions. Jordan also loves his hometown of Austin, so if you need recommendations on a good cup of coffee or a delicious taco, he’s your guy. Jordan and his wife Darby have two sons, Asher and Jude.
Lucy Walker
Lucy served on College Young Life Staff at the University of Texas for 7 years. She enjoyed her time there ministering to students, working alongside her team, and seeing the Kingdom of God expand at UT. She is passionate about people growing in their faith and enjoys connecting people to the body of Christ. Lucy and her husband Dillon love checking out the latest new restaurants, hearing live music, and being outdoors.
Haley Byrnes
Haley moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas in 2004 and has lived here ever since. She joined Providence with her husband, Matt, when Providence was one year old. Since then they have had three girls: Susie, Addie and Emily. Haley sees the children at Providence as an important part of our church family. With her masters in human services, she is excited to use her training and experience to support the families of Providence as we raise our children in the gospel.
Stephen Smith
Stephen grew up in southeast Texas, moved to Mississippi for college, and moved back to study counseling at the University of Texas. While in grad school, Stephen began hearing and believing the Gospel for the first time in his life through the ministry of Providence Church. He loves to see people working together and using their gifts to serve, meet needs, and build up the church. He has taught middle school for six years, including special education. He and his wife, Laura, have two children, Charley and Jonah.
John Scharbach
John grew up in Chicago, studied classics in Santa Fe, and moved to Austin in 2008 to study law. He and his wife Chelsea have been members at Providence since 2013. He decided to explore ministry because he is passionate about seeing God transform people through His Word. John serves our church (and the rest of our staff team) in the areas of Gospel Communities, equipping, Recovery, and overall content development. John graduated from St. John College (B.A.), the University of Texas School of Law (J.D.), and is currently studying computer science at Georgia Tech (M.S.).
Claire Uliana
Claire worked in operations management for 6 years and is now enjoying the opportunity to serve the pastoral staff and church body by “getting stuff done”. She is passionate about serving and caring for people through details and logistics. Originally from Houston, Claire moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas and has not been able to leave this wonderful city since! She and her husband David enjoy spending time outdoors and trying new foods around Austin.