Marc Lucenius, Lead Pastor
marcl@938.church

Marc grew up in South Jersey, near the Pine Barrens. His dad sold beer and his mom ran the Miss Burlington County Scholarship Pageant. He was confirmed in the church of his family’s heritage but never went back. God became real to him when he was in college at the University of Delaware. He knew he wanted to talk to people about Jesus, but didn’t know how. He received a Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary, then later completed a Doctor of Ministry from Biblical Theological Seminary. All while serving for sixteen years for two special churches, Church of the Saviour in Wayne, and Willowdale Chapel in Kennett Square. Each of them is a partner in planting 938 church. 

Marc and Kathleen met in college, were married and off to seminary for a life of adventure in ministry together. Along the way, they became parents to Kelsey, Hannah, and Samuel who are the coolest kids in the world.  Kathleen is from DC and though she is still quite sentimental about the Redskins, has joined Marc in devotion to Philly sports. “We love our teams and love to talk about our teams just like we love our kids and love to talk about our kids.” 

Planting a church has been in their hearts for twenty years. Marc describes his particular calling in life to give himself to a vision to “repopulate our region with new, Biblical, healthy loving churches. We love the local church and we believe it is the best hope in this world to demonstrate the love of Christ.”

Rachel Short, Pastor of Community Life
rachels@938.church

Rachel grew up in Rockwall, Texas, a community thirty miles northeast of Dallas. Raised in a loving Christian home, she prayed with her mom to receive Christ and was baptized as a little girl. In eighth grade, she made the switch from a private Christian school to a public school, a decision that greatly deepened her faith. Rachel went to college at the University of Texas at Austin where she studied corporate communications and business. She was heavily involved in serving and leading on-campus ministries through her local church and had always prayed about going into vocational ministry. But, God had different plans initially.
 
When Rachel graduated college, she worked at the global public relations agency, Burson-Marsteller. She was then awarded the opportunity to attend an academic fellowship program at the John Jay Institute in Philadelphia. Following the John Jay Fellowship, Rachel took a job in West Chester, Pennsylvania, at American Philanthropic, a consulting firm that provides fundraising services to nonprofits.

At the beginning of 2017, God called Rachel into church planting at 938 Church to help connect people to the person and mission of Jesus. Not only does Rachel love the Scriptures, but she also loves helping people discover hope and healing through Christian counseling. Rachel has a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Messiah University. In addition to pastoring, Rachel works as a therapist at The Peacemaker Center, a faith-based practice in Chester County.

Zach Bennett, Pastoral Resident & Creative Arts Director.
zachb@938.church

Zach grew up in southern Michigan in the suburbs of Detroit and lived there until he left for college.  Being from around Ann Arbor, he is a die-hard Michigan Wolverines fan, and is unashamed to show it.  He grew up in the church, surrounded by a large, loving family, but during his teenage years decided that faith was not for him. Sports were his passion throughout his childhood up through college, where most of his time was spent playing either hockey, soccer or baseball.  He went off to college in Tennessee on a baseball scholarship, and it was there that he was reinvigorated in his faith.  He studied theology at a liberal arts Christian university, and then got a Master’s of Divinity with a focus on theology after that.   

Upon graduating from seminary, he moved to Pennsylvania and married his best friend.  He worked in a church in southern Pennsylvania for a couple of years, and has found his way to 938 church.  He also teaches online at the seminary where he received his degree. 

Zach loves sports and is fairly competitive (or very competitive, depending on who you ask), and lives for Saturdays in the fall and college football.  Music is a large part of Zach’s life, and he enjoys playing multiple instruments.

JC Garges, Next Generation Ministry
johng@938.church

JC grew up in Pottstown, PA as an only child to John and Kate Garges.  As a student at Pottsgrove High School, JC ran cross country and spent many weekends in the Poconos at their family cabin. JC also loved going to church and youth group and soon found ministry as a calling and career path.  Following this calling led JC to Eastern University to study Youth Ministry and Psychology, and later, to Villanova University to earn a Master’s degree in Ministry and Theology.

After graduating from Villanova in 2022, JC married Sarah who is a middle school teacher at Dock Mennonite Academy in Souderton. Sarah is also a member of the worship team as a singer and guitar player.  Currently, they live in Collegeville with Sarah’s parents.

JC joined the 938 team part-time to help with Next Generation Ministries while he attends Fuller Seminary online to earn a Master’s of Divinity. When JC is not working or in school, he loves to run, play guitar, listen to podcasts, and read.

Allison Thompson, Communications Assistant
allisont@938.church

Allison grew up in Springfield, PA, and attended public schools from first to twelfth grade. Growing up, Allison participated in musicals at a local church up until high school. Since the age of 14, she has spent most of her time working in restaurants, cooking, cleaning, and engaging with customers. This is where her love for the community began.

She now attends West Chester University, where she accepted Christ during her freshman year when a group of missionaries visited campus. After making that decision, she began to search for a church, and that’s when she found 938! Allison has a love for capturing the community and has made her way onto our team as the communication assistant.

When Allison is not in the office, you can find her walking, studying, or hanging out with friends and family. The campus ministry, Cru, is a huge part of Allison’s faith journey. There, she helps lead the media and community team.