Staff

Pastor Darren is a Bakersfield native and grew up at Olive Knolls. His experiences have led him to minister to people in the inner-cities of Orlando and Oklahoma City, as well as shepherding a church in Kaneohe, HI.  The Lord then brought his family back to Central California where he led the Church of the Nazarene in Tehachapi.  
Then in 2015, God brought him back to Bakersfield to serve in his home church, Olive Knolls.  Darren has a passion for teaching the word and discipleship……not to mention a strong cup of coffee and road cycling.  He is married to Julie and together, they have 6 children.  Darren’s vision for his life can be summed up in two words; Transformed Lives!

Gwendolyn Plaskett Wilcox has been a part of the music ministry at Olive Knolls since 1986.  She received her BA in Music Education from CSUB where she graduated with honors as well as wrote and composed the university’s fight song, “CSUB Victory.”  Her heart and priority is in leading people into an intimate experience with the Lord through worship. Gwen also feels called to mentor and equip musicians to be worship leaders.  Some of her favorite things to do are spending time with her husband, Dan and her family, songwriting, painting, and hanging out on the lake.

Brent comes to Olive Knolls with a over 25 years of ministry experience. He has served in a variety of roles including Youth Pastor, Family Life Pastor, Teaching Pastor, Children’s Pastor, and Church Planter. He grew up in Southern California and has his undergraduate degree from Point Loma Nazarene University as well as a Masters Degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He has a passion for students and watching the Holy Spirit transform lives as they grow in their relationship with Christ. Brent enjoys spending time with his wife Lori and three children. In his spare time he also enjoys golfing, graphic design, and cheering on the Dodgers, Rams, or Bruins!

Born and raised in Bakersfield, Moe Smith has called Olive Knolls his home for the last 32 years.  He considers this church family, as many of the men and women here have shaped his spiritual growth over the years. Moe attended Nazarene Bible College, where he felt the call to youth and young adult ministry. Prior to his position as Youth Pastor at Olive Knolls, he served as the College Pastor at our sister church, Ridgeview Church of the Nazarene. Moe married his best friend and partner, Tara, and they have three kids. Moe has a passion for all things outdoors and his ultimate goal in youth ministry is to lead and equip young people to live out their purpose and be victoriously united in Christ.

Debbie is grateful to serve the Lord’s children and their families. She has been part of the Olive Knolls Church family for most of 25 years. Her passion is to help our children, families, and others to know Jesus as their Savior, grow in intimate fellowship with Him, and learn His Word in relevant, fun ways that engage them in learning and life application. Debbie felt a call to full time ministry, first serving at Ridgeview Community Church as the children’s pastor for almost 2 years. She was called to return to Olive Knolls as Children’s Pastor in June, 2008. Debbie her husband Curt have been married for 15 years and have a blended family of five children and six grandchildren.

Theron has attended Olive Knolls Church for 46 years and served in staff since 1979 in many different capacities. He and his wife, Scherlie have been married 48 years and have 2 grown sons and 7 grandchildren. Theron oversees a broad spectrum of outreach and recovery ministries including: Celebrate Recovery, Helping Hands, Food Distribution, Good Neighbor Ministry, Nazarene Missions International, Community Outreach Events, Grief Share and Hope Center.

Donna Alsop and her husband, Richard have 4 grown children and have been attending Olive Knolls since 1992. She began her tenure here as a Bookkeeper for both the church and school in 1998. In 2001, she became the Church Receptionist, then moved to her next position as Communications Secretary. She is currently the Office Manager and has recently taken the leadership of Lifegroups. In addition, she facilitates a Ladies Bible Study in her home. Donna’s vision, is “God revealed,” and her mission is “to know God and make Him known.”

As the Facilities Manager, Richard oversees the team whose jobs are to make sure our church and school campus is safe and well maintained for our visitors, staff, and children. He and his staff also oversee special events ranging from 10 to over 600 people hosted on our campus by other local organizations. In addition to managing our facilities, Richard assumes the Human Resources roll. Richard and his wife, Tiffany and family have been part of the Olive Knolls family for over 19 years.

Tiffany has called Olive Knolls Church her home since 2014 and has been on staff almost 2 years. She and her husband Scott have a blended family of 5 and one grandson. Her passion is teaching children about Jesus while partnering with their parents and encouraging them as they teach and train their children at home throughout each week.

Paula has attended Olive Knolls Church for 22 years. During that time, she served as a lay youth leader for 10 years and worked in Children’s Ministry for the last 6 years. Paula and her husband Bruce are a blended family of six adult children and three grandchildren. Her many responsibilities as Administrative Assistant in Children’s Ministry are broad. Paula is blessed to be a part of the amazing team at Olive Knolls.