OUR STAFF
OUR STAFF
RYAN LOKKESMOE
LEAD PASTOR
Ryan Lokkesmoe [pronounced lox-mō] grew up in Carrollton, Texas where he met his wife Ashley at their church youth group. They were married in 2006, and then lived for five years in Boston and Denver while Ryan was in grad school. They have two kids, Luke and Nora.
Ryan earned his PhD in New Testament at the University of Denver, and his Master’s degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He teaches as an adjunct professor at The Bible Seminary, and is the author of several books:
Paul and His Team: What the Early Church Can Teach Us About Leadership and Influence (Moody Publishers)
16 Bible Studies for Your Small Group (Bethany House Publishers)
Small Groups Made Easy (Bethany House Publishers)
Blurry: Bringing Clarity to the Bible (CLC Publications)
Finding Onesimus: Recovering the Story of a First-Century Fugitive Slave (PhD dissertation, University of Denver).
Ryan is a musician, and he loves to read (especially history, theology, and classic literature). More than anything, he enjoys spending time with his family. Also naps.
JENNY JONES
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
Jenny believes Houston is the best city on the planet and that is why she has never left! She met her husband, Chad, and added four children to their family all while living in this great city. Before starting her role as a pastor at Real Hope, Jenny served in full time ministry since 2005.
She earned her BA in Christianity and Political Science from Houston Baptist University and her Master’s in Applied Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute. She has guest posted on various ministry and leadership blogs and authored Too Blessed to Say Yes (CLC Publications).
Jenny also serves as the Director of The Cheru Challenge, an event she founded in partnership with World Vision that organizes functional fitness communities to use their fitness to raise funds and awareness for the millions of kids across the globe without access to clean water.
In her not-so-free time, she enjoys doing CrossFit and binge-watching Netflix – generally not both at the same time, although that would be awesome! Finally, she hopes that despite reading this bio you will still give Real Hope Community Church a visit!
CALEB PETTICREW
WORSHIP PASTOR
Caleb and his wife Becka are both born and raised Houstonians. His passion for music and songwriting began at age four, and he’s been playing in various bands and music ministries across town since he was a preteen. Caleb and Becka met serving on a worship team together and they’ve been married since 2018.
Caleb graduated from the College of Biblical Studies with a minor in pastoral ministry. It's his desire at Real Hope to encourage people to delight in the knowledge of God, and freely worship in spirit and truth that comes from a gospel-centered faith and love for God.
Lightning round: Caleb is also a huge fan of concerts, museums, monster movies, forests, Nintendo, being at home, cheeseburgers, learning to play as many instruments as possible, food from around the world, and especially enjoying all of the above together with Becka.
BRUCE SAMPSON
NEXTGEN PASTOR
Bruce Sampson is a Houston born Texan graduating from Georgia at the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelors of Fine Arts. While living in the charming south of Savannah, his pursuit for an animation career led him to becoming a coach in CrossFit. Now his excitement for fitness and storytelling in the arts has evolved into coaching others through the grand story of Jesus, transforming their lives from the inside out.
Some things you might not know about Bruce is that he loves trying new restaurants, staying in and watching movies with friends, and given the right circumstances, will show off some breakdance moves from his high school days!
LUIS MARRERO
PASTOR OF REAL HOPE ESPAÑOL
Luis Jose Marrero Ramos grew up in Camuy, Puerto Rico where he was fortunate to be raised in a Christian home. While in Puerto Rico, he dedicated his free time to serve in various church related areas such as missions, sound engineering, and university youth director. He served in the US ARMY from 2013-2017 as an Aviation Operation Specialist. In 2017 he moved to Houston Texas after living in Europe for 3 years. As a community focused person, he wants to share God’s love with everyone.
Luis earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Houston Baptist University and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Christian Leadership. Luis produces a podcast called Theology Today where he discusses theological relevance. In 2020 he was a graduate teacher assistant to two undergrad classes in the Christianity Department at HBU.
In his free time, Luis likes to spend his time reading, playing board games, and hunting.