Elders

Paul Babcock
Paul Babcock is a man who can truly testify to the saving power of God’s grace, because he has seen and lived through the darkness. Growing up in a non-Christian home where alcohol was frequently abused, Paul was already set to fall into a life fueled by alcohol and crime by the age of twelve. But in 1975, Paul’s mother took him to a service at Northwest Church, and something struck a chord in him. Soon after, he attended Woodlake Ranch Christian Camp where he begun grappling with his own feelings of shame and unworthiness. Put simply, he recalls that “it was made clear to me that there are two places in eternity...Heaven and Hell and Heaven is perfect. No sin may enter. Therefore, Hell was my only reasonable destination. UNLESS... God could love me so much that He would send His only Son to pay for all my sins...” Despite the shock of being presented with such absolutes, Paul was told that if he chose Christ and committed his life to Him, God could and would take care of the rest. He gave his life to Christ that June.

By no means has Paul’s transition been easy; he admits that, much like the apostle Paul, he is often torn between his sinful nature and the new nature God has infused within him. Yet, after all is said and done, Paul is truly a man after God’s own heart; it is his deepest desire to make the most of every opportunity until He comes again.

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Jim Jorgensen
James Richard Jorgensen, born in Madera, California in 1935, has undeniably lived a full life. Jim was brought up in the Catholic tradition, and actually met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Laura Mae Sordi while attending catechism classes. Jim went to CSU Fresno and graduated with a degree in Accounting, then served three years in the Air Force, stationed in places as far away as Osan, Korea! After his time in the Air Force he transitioned into a professional career working for a regional C.P.A. firm in Fresno, eventually establishing his own accounting firm in 1979. In the years that followed, Jim and Laura raised four daughters in Fresno and now enjoy fourteen grandchildren.

Both Jim and Laura left the Catholic religion to join family members at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, where they were very active in service and leadership. But, Jim and Laura heeded God’s call to move churches again, and have found their permanent home with New Harvest Church. Both are generous in heart and humble in spirit, relating that they are simply “grateful to God for the opportunity to continue serving.”

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Todd Myers
Todd Myers' walk with Christ has led him across the country, from humble beginnings in a small farming community in western New York. Todd's family did attend church at times, but no one in his family had a relationship with Jesus.

At the age of 20, Todd found himself in Fresno. In his barren apartment watching Billy Graham, Todd allowed himself to open up to the message of the Gospel. He then confessed his sins, asked for forgiveness and invited Jesus into his life. This encounter was the beginning of a rewarding and life long journey with Christ at the helm.

For Todd's family New Harvest Church has been a place of spiritual growth. Todd and his wife team teach Sunday School and Baptism Classes. Todd also is a part of the Missions Team, Men's Ministry and, having completed his first term as an Elder, is not a part of the Elders at Large team.

Todd and his wife Lisa have two children, Hannah and Blake. Todd's passion is making disciples; his desire is that believers mature into Christ's likeness, which leads to a deep, intimate relationship with their Lord and Savior.

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Teddy Papulias
Teddy Papulias is a man who is honest about his faith. He relates that, in 1976, when he first became a Christian, he was leading a life of hypocrisy. He studied the Bible, attended Church, and believed God’s word; yet his actions did not match up to these convictions. Teddy was “playing the part,” as he refers to it, claiming to be a Christ follower but in reality not allowing God to transform his heart.

Yet, while listening to Pastor Bufe Karraker preach about true service, not merely “taking up space in the pew” but really getting involved, something in Teddy’s heart switched on, and he began to put the pieces together. Teddy recounts this experience, explaining “Getting involved and serving leads to growth and change. That will lead to blessings and joy. This was a turning point; I was done wandering in the wilderness. Christ had been my Savior, now I made Him Lord.” From then on, church became a priority rather than an obligation, Bible studies an opportunity rather than a burden. Yet according to Teddy, something was still missing- serving as a functioning member of a church body. And so when Mitch announced his plans for New Harvest, Teddy was stunned, but knew immediately that he and his family would be joining Mitch in this transition. For Teddy, this was the perfect time to get involved. He has heeded God’s call, jumped in with both feet and never looked back. Teddy Papulias is living proof of the transformative power of a seeking heart, and an earnest desire to be a reflection of God’s unending grace and love.

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Doug Cords
Every endeavor Doug Cords embarks upon in life, he does with passion and zeal. A perfect illustration of this fervor and this commitment to the values he upholds can be seen in his relationship with his wife, Wendy. Married just four months after meeting Wendy, these two have been a dynamic duo, praying together daily, running a successful business together - all this on top of rearing three Christ-focused children!

Doug grew up in Fresno and began his university teaching career at Fresno State in 1969. He and Wendy managed Cords Lumber Company together for three decades, before retiring and liquidating the firm. The Cords' three children, Doug, Jr., Rob and Amy all went away to college and, through God's grace, returned to Fresno to settle. Each is happily married and Doug and Wendy have four grandchildren, to date.

Going forward, Doug took the year 2006 "off" from teaching, to fully devote his energies to the Elder Team of New Harvest Church. He will return to teaching half-time and, of course, will continue serving our church as an Elder-At-Large. He also serves as Secretary of the Rotary Club of Fig Garden, as a consultant to both profit and not-for-profit organizations, and on the California Raisin Marketing Board. He is as well the first "non-farmer" to serve, as Board Advisor, to Sun-Maid Growers of California. To Doug, each of these venues gives the opportunity to be Christ's representative in the marketplace.

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Brent King
A child from a home broken up at the age of 7 when his father left his mother for another woman, Brent knows better than most that “whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” After his father’s departure, Brent’s mother struggled to provide for her family of four, working multiple low-income jobs in order to help the family scrape by. Raised in a Christian home, these trials only deepened young Brent’s faith, and strengthened him in his relationship with Jesus Christ, whom young Brent accepted into his heart at age 8. But when his mother remarried in 1976, significantly lightening the family’s financial strain, Brent recalls that his faith began to deteriorate. He recalls that he began disrespecting his mother and stepfather

Upon graduation, Brent moved away to work on construction with his father, a step which laid the way for his introduction in 1985 to Beth, his future wife! She was a student at Fresno State and worked at a diner across the street from where Brent was constructing a motel; the two met, sparks flew, and they quickly entered into a relationship. It was not long after this time that Brent, having gained confidence in his contracting skills, began thinking about leaving his father’s business to pursue both an independent career and a marriage with Beth, but it was actually a verse in the Bible, Genesis 2:24 which stated that “a man shall leave his father and mother and join with his wife and the two shall become one.”

The two were married at Northwest Chapel in 1989, and began attending regularly soon after that. He credits Pastor Bufe Karraker’s emphasis on deepening faith through scripture study classes, however, as the motivation he needed to become more engaged with both God’s Word, and his church community.

Through his studies, Brent has learned the value and the impact of God’s call for us to give of ourselves: our time, our talent and our treasure. Brent reflects that he has been “blessed with a Christian wife, 3 daughters, a growing business with a great staff, and a cool church I am active in.” And in his forty years in this world, Brent has learned that though we may wander, we can never forget that Jesus loves us so much that he never loses faith in us, always longing for our return. And Brent has made it his business to remain home, safe in the loving arms of the one who made him.

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Ralph Olson
Among the fourth generation of children to be raised on the very same farm, Ralph Olson knows the value of good stewardship of God’s earth. As a child, Ralph attended church regularly and knew Jesus, but never truly connected with the idea of Christ as his personal savior. Throughout his later high school years and through on until college, Ralph describes himself feeling “far from God,” and rarely attended church. But in his final year of college, he met his soul mate and future wife, Linda Volny. They were married two years later, and the two began attending E V Free Church in Fresno, then transferred a few years later to Northwest Church when they moved to northwest Fresno.

They soon had their first child, a daughter named Mandy, born in 1987, and then Chelsie three years later. In November of 1994, Linda and Ralph were invited to attend a spiritual renewal weekend called Walk to Emmaus; it was that weekend that Ralph decided to rededicate his life to Christ. And since that event, Ralph has made it a priority in his life to serve on and lead different ministry teams and retreats.

Shortly after the death of Reverend Bufe Karraker, the Olsons felt led to plant themselves over at New Harvest Church- and there is no doubt in their minds that this church is where God has called them to be. Crediting Mitch Ribera’s leadership and mentoring in his life, Ralph believes he has learned how to serve in the church, and that God is teaching him to be a leader as well. Excited to be an integral part of such a vibrant and dynamic church, he feels both “humbled and honored to serve” alongside of his brothers and sisters in Christ at New Harvest, and looks to the future with a strong and sincere sense of hope.

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Mike Ribera
Mike Ribera is the oldest of three boys all born within 26 months of each other and by the time he was a teenager, his mother having remarried, he was the oldest child in a blended family of 9! He and two younger brothers grew up a trio of competitive athletes, so it is only fitting that Mike accepted Christ as his personal savior in the summer of 1973 at a basketball camp held at Westmont College. Mike recalls his interesting conversion experience here, recounting that a group called the Navigators came and “presented the gospel message in a simple manner using the plates, cups, and silverware as props to illustrate our separation from God because of our sin and how Jesus bridges that gap.” Mike and his brothers committed their lives to Jesus that very same week, and haven’t looked back since.

It was during those very same high school years that Mike also met Frances, the woman who would eventually become his wife. Mike believes that she is the greatest gift that God has blessed him with, relating that “to know Frances is to experience a godly woman who faithfully follows Jesus with all her might.” They have been blessed with two children as well, Michelle and Michael Nathan, and two grandchildren, Ella and Emme.

Mike and his family feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to serve at New Harvest- they have been here since day one, and are continually amazed by what God does and is doing through his faithful servants in this church community. Mike embarked upon his walk of faith with Christ many years ago, but his enthusiasm and his dedication have not waned, as evidenced by the fact that to this day, Mike still exclaims “It is truly an adventure to follow Jesus Christ!”

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Tom Larson
A successful businessman and family man, Tom credits his wife, Darlene, with the faithful persistence it took to bring him to his knees and to a personal relationship with Jesus.

Born the oldest of three brothers in Riverside, California, Tom married his high school sweetheart, Darlene, in 1969. Tom was 18 and Darlene was 17. Soon after, daughter Jamie was born, and that's when life really changed. Tom was attending college and working full time to provide for his young family, a difficult challenge, to say the least.

Not knowing anyone there, Tom packed up his family and moved to Fresno in 1972, where they eventually saw their family grow with the addition of son Kelly and daughter Jennifer. While Tom set about building a successful business, Darlene began attending church. Tom remembers dedicated she was, never giving up on getting Tom to attend church with her, especially after she accepted Jesus as her personal Savior.

There are always challenges in any business and, when those challenges came, Tom was usually devastated. He was very often stressed and soon became a workaholic. Looking back, Tom realizes that something was missing in his life… and that was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

On January 29, 1996, Darlene convinced Tom to see "Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames" at a local church. The vignettes presented that night really brought home the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus. It became clear to Tom that you didn't have to be a bad person to go to Hell and you could never be good enough on your own to get to Heaven. Romans 3:10 says "There is no one righteous, not even one." Jesus wants you to know him in a real and personal way. Nothing is more important than this simple fact; Jesus died so that I can live. That night, Tom accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, along with daughter, Jamie.

Tom and Darlene followed their children to New Harvest Church, and feel blessed to call this their church home. Tom is very active in Operation Timothy, loves serving on the Hospitality Team with Darlene and can hardly wait for his monthly service in the nursery. In 2005 Tom was asked to enter the Elder Shepherd training program, and became a Standing Elder in 2006.

The entire Larson family, Tom, Darlene, three children and six grandchildren look forward to the exciting future God has planned for our New Harvest Church family.

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Darol Lloyd
Darol was born in Arkansas and grew up on a cotton and soybean farm. He attended a Southern Baptist Church with his family and accepted Christ as his Savior at the age of fifteen.

After high school Darol attended the University of Arkansas for two years. He then went to California to visit his sister, whose husband was pastor of a church in Lynwood, California. There he met Mellie. A year later they were married and moved to San Luis Obispo, where Darol finished college at Cal Poly. Daughters Susan and Carolyn were born during these three and a half years.

After a brief two years as an agriculture teacher in the community of Caruthers, Darol felt led in another direction, and in December of 1961 he began a 37-year career in the agricultural chemical business with Wilbur Ellis Company. Daughter Number 3, Kristi, was born in 1962. The Lloyds bought a small grape vineyard in Biola in 1975 and enjoyed country living for twenty years.

Married now for 51 years, Darol and Mellie have five granddaughters and a great grandson. In recent years they have traveled and played quite a bit of golf. Darol has been a volunteer cook for Ronald McDonald House and Mellie has worked with the American Cancer Society, driving patients for various kinds of treatment. They were attending Northwest Church when Mitch was called to plant New Harvest Church. They felt God was leading them to become involved in this new ministry.

New Harvest Church has been a great blessing for the Lloyds. Darol believes that this season of life can be the very best time in his Christian walk. His mission in life is to shepherd his immediate and extended and NHC families by encouraging, serving, counseling, and sharing Christ with them.

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Larry Karagozian
Larry Karagozian asked Jesus into his life at a very early age at a neighborhood Bible study his parents were invited to attend. Though small children were asked to play in the back bedroom as the adults "looked through the Bible," both Larry and his sister somehow made their way to the front living room to be among the chatty adults. There they sat wide-eyed and focused on the many great stories of the Bible beautifully and passionately illustrated by a loving neighbor with a huge heart for God.

Larry continually thanks his wonderful parents for their positive and honest upbringing, always truly focusing on Christ as the foundation for life. He admits that it wasn't really until the completion of his college education that his true spiritual walk and investment in his faith began. It just so happened that it was at that time that he met Michelle, later to become his bride, that God convicted him to "drop his net, and follow Him" (Matthew 4:20).

During their wonderful courtship, Larry and Michelle got plugged into a small group of newly engaged/married couples at Northwest Church. This was definitely the hand of God at work. This dynamic group, led by Mitch Ribera, talked about real life issues and practical "take-aways" that always referenced back to the Bible in some way or another. Being obedient and making small steps of faith eventually led Larry and his family to New Harvest Church. Focusing on Christ and serving in the various ministries at New Harvest has become a blessing beyond riches and serves to reinforce their commitment to God before the eyes of their two young sons Luke and Seth. "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Christian Hunt
Christian was born in Fresno, California on June 13, 1973. Raised in a Christian home, he attended church regularly, and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior at a young age.

Christian is a graduate of Fresno State University, with a degree in Agricultural Business. About that time, he met his future wife, Jill Gaykian. They embarked on their spiritual journey as a couple by getting involved in the "Right Beginnings" class at Northwest Church, and were married in June, 1999. In 2001, we were blessed with the birth of our first son, Ryan. Daughter Hailey and youngest son Mason complete their family of five.

Christian and Jill never had a doubt that they would follow Mitch Ribera as he planted New Harvest Church, and they have chosen to be actively involved since Day 1. Christian says, "We have been so blessed, and we are committed to serving HIS church; giving our time, talent, and treasure."

Christian joined the Elder Team for a three year term in January, 2007.

James Preston
James Preston did not grow up in the San Joaquin Valley, in fact he spent his early years hanging out in a different country. The Preston family moved from Liverpool, England to Fresno, California in 1980. Growing up in England, James and his family went to a few church services a year, but faith and religion were not a major component in their lives. James had a wonderful family, a great upbringing, awesome friendships and experiences in high school and college, but faith was never part of the equation. Throughout these seeking years James really struggled with the concept of organized religion. He encountered many who had faith in Christ by name but did not necessarily live out their faith through their actions. However, God did place a series of "Christian verbs" into his life, people who not only claimed Christ as their savior but lived out their faith. The biggest Christian verb influence on James came from his future wife Jennifer who continually showed him love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and other fruits of the Spirit during their dating years, engagement, and first year of marriage. Pastor Mitch (who did premarital counseling for James and Jen), the unconditional acceptance of Jennifer's parents (David and Susan Taylor), and the mentoring of Jody Ruble (a fellow teacher who happened to be a seminary graduate in what turned out to be a divine daily carpool to Mendota) were the other Christian verbs that God used to bring James to a saving faith in Christ at a Northwest Church Men's retreat in February 1995.

Since that day James has been on a journey to live out his life verse (James 1:22, "Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.") and his mission statement which is, "To glorify God and help build His kingdom by letting God work through me to mold me into a Christian verb in my roles as a husband, father, family member, friend, and educator." The Prestons jumped at the opportunity to help plant New Harvest Church because they saw it as an opportunity to put their faith into action. Having spent so many years being a seeker, James has a heart for those who may be turned off by organized religion and wants to help seekers understand God's grace and the peace that comes from knowing Him. The Prestons knew that New Harvest was born to accomplish this mission. James has played bass on the worship team and Jennifer has been involved for the past two years with Leading Ladies, but their passion for ministry lies in the area of marriage. Their desire is to see healthy Christ-centered marriages thrive at New Harvest Church. Along with a team of other New Harvest Couples, they are involved with marriage mentoring ministry, a program that matches up mentor couples from the church with engaged couples or couples who want to take their marriage from good to great.

The Prestons have been married for 13 years and are the proud parents of Taylor Annabelle (9), Tobin (7), and Travis (3). They have both had the privilege of being educators in the Central Valley for the past 14 years and have been blessed beyond belief by their family, friends, and New Harvest family. James and Jen are excited about the impact that New Harvest Church is having and will continue to have on the community by reaching out to seekers and showing them that Christianity can be a verb and not just a noun.

Tom Anderson
Anyone who knew Tom thirty years ago would be totally shocked to see his name affiliated with any Christian activity. It is clearly a testament to the power and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Despite being raised in a wonderful middle class family in Fresno and regularly attending church, the things of God were not a priority in his life through college and his early professional career. Tom chose to believe that God loved him unconditionally and forgave him for whatever he did, which was a license to do whatever he wanted. His focus from an early age was on competition, seeking the luxuries of life and experiences only money could buy.

Shortly after college, Tom married his incredible wife Lori, and they had a beautiful daughter Amber. He was consumed with success and developed workaholic habits at Bank of America and eventually in the commercial real estate industry. He rationalized that destructive behavior under the pretense of doing it for his family!

All of that changed one Sunday at Northwest Church, when Bufe Karraker challenged Tom to take a hard look at his life, asking the questions "Are you truly saved? Have you made Jesus the Lord, the boss of your life or are you simply being a Cultural Christian, attending church one hour on Sunday and the doing life your own way the rest of the week?" Tom's world was rocked when Bufe quoted Jesus in Revelations 3:16, "So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Tom knew immediately he was lukewarm at best and that he could no longer ignore God's calling in his life and that he had to make a choice.

Shortly thereafter, Tom and Lori's son Shane was born with a life-threatening blood disorder. Praying for healing, he promised God to deal with issues that had kept him from accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior. God did intervene with a miracle healing and Tom finally honored his commitment to God. He started to deal with intellectual issues like evolution and the resurrection of Christ that had kept him from yielding his life to Christ for the fear of change!

Finally, he gave his life to Christ following his simple instruction in Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved!" How simple could it be? Tom says, "I believed, I confessed and my life was changed forever."

The next 27 years have been a miraculous journey and the results have been an unimaginable peace and joy that he never came close to in his secular life. God blessed Tom with freedom from the fear of failure, acceptance and death, while providing his Word as the foundation of absolute truth for all of his decisions and choices.