Our Staff

Director of Children’s Ministry

Hi! My name is Annamarie and I was born and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland. My husband and I got married in May 2011 and started a family in 2014. Now in total we have 4 children. We call ourselves “The Dixon Six.” I graduated from Lancaster BIble College in 2014. My husband and I made the move  from our hometown to Southern Lancaster County in 2016. My children tell me that I have way too many house plants,  and when it’s a beautiful day outside with nothing to do, our family likes to take hikes with our dogs or get an adrenaline rush at an amusement park. My absolute favorite amusement park to visit is Disney World, but my family really enjoys a day spent at Hershey Park. Most people don’t know that I love Star Wars and secretly want to become a jedi, but now you know 🙂.  I have a deep passion to see children experience the freedom that Jesus gives. Dance is my favorite way to worship the Lord. My heart’s desire is to see families grow closer to each other as they grow closer to Jesus.

Executive Director

Trey Little serves as the Executive Director of Encounter Church, supporting church operations, providing financial management, and leading the administrative team. Trey has been attending Encounter with his wife, Danielle, since 2016. After spending a decade as a business leader in Lancaster County, Trey decided to get actively involved in ministry and join the Encounter Team in 2024. He wants to help further the vision of the church to see lives changed by encountering Jesus Christ, just as the Lord transformed his life through his relationship with Danielle, as well as the Encounter Church family years ago. Trey is also passionate about real estate and investing, financial oversight, writing, traveling, and entrepreneurship. In recent years, he has published multiple books, with more on the way, and started his own company with his wife and some close friends focusing on real estate and contracting. He loves spending the majority of his time with Danielle and their two daughters, Tirzah and Zarra, getting together with family, visiting new destinations in the US and abroad, attending church activities, and expanding on their homesteading in Strasburg, all while enjoying God’s creation.

Youth Director

Tim Ornelas is our Youth Director, as of January 2024! He completed a YWAM Discipleship Training School in New Zealand in 2017, where he met his wonderful wife, Natalie. After staffing for a year at the same YWAM base, he began serving at Gateway House of Prayer in Ephrata, PA, where he eventually became the assistant director. Nat served with Tim at Gateway and both of them share a deep passion to see the next generation wholeheartedly embrace the way of Jesus. Tim enjoys poetry, cooking ethnic food, watching football, studying early church history, and sabbath days. He also loves spending as much time as possible with his wonderful baby boy, Rowan, who brightens every day with laughter and squeals.

Worship Director

Hello there, my name is Travis Mast. I am currently working as the Worship Director at Encounter Church. Besides being involved in worship, I am a proud husband to my beautiful wife Gianna, and a father to my three energetic children named Matthan, Sasha, and Wesley. When I’m not at church, you might find me installing gutters for my family business, Mast Seamless Gutter. I love to take long walks on the beach and enjoy getting caught in the rain, but enough about me. If you happen to stop by on a Sunday, feel free to talk to me. I’d love to get to know you!

Director of Equipping

Derek Evans is the Director of Equipping at Encounter Church. He married his high school sweetheart Cait in 2009. They have two precious children; a daughter named Penelope, and a son named Elliott. Their family has been a part of the Encounter family since 2019. Derek was the Youth Group Director at their previous church, and graduated from the Global School of Supernatural Ministry in 2024. In addition to fulfilling this part-time role at Encounter, Derek also works full-time as a construction contractor. Derek came to know Jesus as his Savior at the age of 12. He was diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing a traumatic event in his twenties, but through a face-to-face encounter with the Lord in his early thirties, and with the support of the loving church family, he was completely healed of PTSD. He is passionate about seeing others healed and made whole in Christ, as well as encouraging and equipping others to walk in the fullness of the gifts God has instilled in them. Derek enjoys building forts and solving Boxcar Children mysteries with his kids, plus trout fishing and hunting white-tailed deer.

Office and Events Manager

Meet Kate, the Office and Events Manager at Encounter Church. She is a certified Interior Designer with a passion for transforming spaces into beautiful and functional environments. Her love for interior design goes beyond the designs— and she often enjoys rolling up her sleeves to tackle remodeling projects herself. An old soul at heart, Kate also loves crocheting, reading, painting, and solving puzzles. 

Her heart for Encounter is to create safe spaces where everyone can experience the warmth of family and connect with God in transformative ways. 

Sound & Technology

Marty serves as Director of Sound and Tech part time at Encounter Church. He is married to Sheryl and has two sons Joel and Micah. Having retired as a Network Administrator with a local school district several years ago, besides serving part time at Encounter Church he also spends his spare time as an occasional worship leader as well as a musician and songwriter.

Multimedia Lead

John grew up working in his family’s concrete business, went to Penn State for structural engineering and now works as a software developer at a local civil engineering firm. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Joanne, and three kids, hiking, disc golfing and serving others.

Accounting

My name is Kelsea Neely, I am the Bookkeeper at Encounter Church. I am originally from the area but I now live in Halifax with my husband and two daughters.  I worked in Accounting for several years until my oldest daughter was born. I now stay home with my daughters and homeschool my oldest. In my free time I enjoy gardening, cooking, and spending time outdoors with my family.

Office Assistant

My husband, Barry, and I grew up in the same church in Southern Lancaster County. We married in 1981 and now have five children and thirteen grandchildren. I am employed in a number of office positions in several local businesses. I enjoy gardening, a good book, and puzzles, but mostly enjoy time spent with my family.