River Oaks Community Church
Staff & Leaders

Patrick Bowerman
Associate Pastor

I feel blessed to be able to serve as an associate pastor at River Oaks Community Church. God called me and saved me at the age of sixteen, and since then He has been conforming me to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). He has blessed me with a great family that lives in the Maryville area, and I am married to my wonderful wife Katherine, who tirelessly serves alongside me in ministering to our students. I have a great love for God and His word, and I am committed to expositionally teaching through the books of the Bible with our students. It is my goal to proclaim Jesus Christ (and His Gospel) so that He will save the lost and grow believers in their faith. The desire of my heart (and student ministries as a whole) is to “present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28), and this is the end to which we toil day and night. Patrick is a graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in Pastoral Studies (2007).

Art Cash
Associate Pastor

Metry Hutchison
Children's Ministry Coordinator

Originally from New Orleans, my college career began in education, with a desire to teach middle school kids. While working my way through college, I diverted from the education field and started what turned into twenty years in the restaurant business. The best part of this diversion was meeting my amazing husband, Jeff. The transfer of our company’s home office in 1999 brought us to Maryville. As our search for a church home began, two friends, independently of each other, invited us to attend the same church! Well, we visited and haven’t looked back! God showed us a church family that fiercely loves Him and loves each other. That’s when the Lord brought me back to His path and to my passion for middle school kids by serving as a youth leader. Many years and a ton of pre-teens later, my love for this age group has only gotten stronger. While volunteering with the middle school group and as a Sunday school teacher, the Lord opened another door and I accepted the position as Children’s Ministry Coordinator. Each day I feel blessed to be able to come to a job where I can truly do work to glorify Him by serving the littlest members of His flock! They have encouraged, taught and inspired me in more ways than I could ever have imagined. And oh how they keep you feeling young! What a great God we serve that knows our heart and designs our path. Praise Him!

Katherine Bowerman
Secretary

I’m an Alabama girl at heart, and I grew up in a Christian home where my parents first shared the Gospel with me. God redeemed me and adopted me into his family when I was twelve, and ever since He has been simply amazing me with His love and faithfulness. I was indeed an enemy of God, but He showed me mercy so that “Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). In God’s perfect provision, He brought me to River Oaks in 2001 when I was a freshman at Maryville College. Over the years, God has used this church to grow me in my love for the Lord, my commitment to His Word, and my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2007, God led me to join the staff at River Oaks as the secretary. I love where God has planted me, because He has used this position to grow me in my gifts, for His glory, and He allows me to take great joy in what I do for His kingdom. He has gifted me in administration so that I can support the church and our pastors, and He has blessed me by allowing me to spend a lot of time talking and praying with our congregation. God has also given me a passion for youth ministry, and so I spend most of my “spare” time serving with my incredible husband, Patrick, in our student ministries. I love our students, and I am so thankful to be a part of their lives! Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen! (1 Timothy 1:17).

Chris Kawa

I am daily astonished at the grace of God freely offered to us in Jesus Christ. What good news! Seeing lives transformed by the beauty and power of the gospel is the passion of my heart. It is a privilege beyond measure to pour out my life in service to our Lord by co-laboring alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus at River Oaks. Christi and I were married in 1995 and together enjoy the thrill and challenge of pointing our children (Savannah, Max, Jack, Sam, Luke, and Ben) to Jesus. Chris has a B.A. in Psychology from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management. Prior to joining the staff at River Oaks, he worked for 9 years in the bottled water industry and served as an elder at Lakeland Church in Gurnee, Ill.