meet our staff
ps. anthony powell
lead pastor
Pastor Anthony is the founding Pastor of Redeemed Life Church Azusa and is passionate about seeing lives transformed by the saving POWER of Jesus Christ!!! He is SOLD OUT for the local church, believing that there’s “nothing like the Church when the Church is being the CHURCH!” After years in the entertainment industry as an actor, he felt called into ministry and received his Master’s Degree in Pastoral Studies from Azusa Pacific University. For thirteen years he served in a thriving ministry in Hollywood leading in Pastoral Care, Celebrate Recovery, Men’s Ministry, and New Believers ministry. He then felt God calling him to step out of the boat and start the church that God had put in his heart many years ago. A church where everyone was welcome regardless of the mistakes and sins of their past! A church that would allow him to share his testimony freely and allow God to do His work through him as an example of a life REDEEMED! Pastor Anthony is committed to making church fun and has found a way to creatively intertwine his Entertainment experience into church! He is currently finishing his Doctorate in Ministry degree and is a lover of his wife Pastor Bonnie as well as his Triplets; Lil’ Anthony, Alannah, and Leilani. This brotha is also a cheese FANATIC! No seriously…a cheese platter ranks right up there with an all-inclusive cruise to Jamaica. Well…sort of. Aside from serving at RLC, Ps Anthony can be found teaching Hip Hop classes throughout LA and embarrassing his kids on Social Media. Real Talk!
ps. bonnie powell
executive pastor
Pastor Bonnie was born and raised in East Los Angeles to hard-working immigrant parents who taught her to be passionate about EVERYTHING and go after all that God created her for! She preaches with an “Ain’t nobody got time for that” approach focusing on speaking the truth in love and bringing the bible to life! She’s been in vocational ministry for over 17 years and previously worked for non-profits in Skid Row and in the Hollywood legal entertainment sector.
She has a Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism from Chapman University, Bachelors in Business Law from UWLA, and a Masters in Organizational Leadership in Ministry from Azusa Pacific University. She married her college sweetheart, Pastor Anthony, and had TRIPLETS somewhere along with way (it’s been a long life y’all)! She’s crazy passionate about encouraging people to live their best life for Jesus and she carries Tapatio hot sauce everywhere she goes! For real though!
ps. mark fierro
pastor of church management
Pastor Mark, a native of SoCal and diehard Dodger fan, is a redeemed man after God’s own heart. After stepping foot into RLC in 2016, he knew God had called him to something greater than himself. He hasn’t left RLC since!
He loves his wife Amanda and they dream of starting a family and traveling the world together.
He has a passion for helping men find sobriety and recovery through Jesus Christ. His hobbies include reading the Bible, eating fish tacos, and Bitcoin.
You will never meet anyone else who smiles as much as this guy or says BOOM and PRAISE JESUS!
ps. julie ahn
children's pastor
Pastor Julie is a pastor’s kid (P.K) but don’t judge her for it! She did journalism for a while but kept hearing the voice of the Lord calling her to serve kids and youth. Like a typical PK, Pastor Julie ignored His calling and tried to do her own thing. But like our typical Lord, His voice got louder. She went to seminary and loves teaching, mentoring, and seeing how young people can be TRANSFORMED and OPENED to the power of God’s love and grace.
She is married to Walpa D’Mark, an LA artist and professor and they have two kids, a sparkplug 7-year old named Parker and 1-year old Philip whose hair is still in the phase of standing straight up like he’s been electrocuted (It’s totally adorable in her eyes).
Pastor Julie is into Pazookie’s from B.J’s, spending the day smelling (and reading) books at Barnes and Noble, finding the perfect pair of jeans, and playing with filters on Instagram like, which Disney Princess Are You? She also wishes she came up with this quote that describes her whole approach to kids and youth ministry: “There is no such thing as a junior Holy Spirit. Kids come to Christ the same way adults do.”
joey everett
tech, media & worship director
Joey Everett is a singer, songwriter and worship pastor who rambled his way out west from the deep south of Jackson, Mississippi to testify to the faithfulness of Christ in the Hollywood music industry. Even though his accent has faded over the years, his southern hospitality and deep love for people has only grown stronger. Joey and his wife, Julie have served in youth, children, worship and tech ministries for over 20 years. In 2020, they made RLC their home and have been blown away by the love and sense of community they feel. When he isn’t at church, Joey is usually baking in his wood-fired oven, doing blues harmonica overdubs at a studio in LA, surfing at his favorite break in OC, and constantly being blown away by the tremendous love of God.
ivan wong
worship manager & executive assistant to lead pastor
Ivan Wong is a native of Southern California and is passionate about encouraging people to love God and to be empathetic towards one other. Second chances are big for Ivan, and he often gets one from his wife Danica and always extends one to his dog Berrie. He received his Master’s degree in Theology and Ministry in 2020 from Fuller Seminary and is currently on staff to assist Pastor Anthony and to help with Worship. When Ivan isn’t enjoying the outdoors, playing music, or engaging in good conversations with people about theology, you can find him cheering his heart out for the greatest team of all time…the Los Angeles Lakers.
amanda fierro
admin coordinator & assistant to executive pastor
Amanda Fierro is a Northern California native and a woman after God’s own heart. While attending Azusa Pacific University, she met Pastors Anthony and Bonnie Powell and instantly fell in love with the mission of RLC. After graduating from APU in 2015 with a B.A. in Communication Studies, God put it on her heart to make SoCal her permanent home where she continued to serve at RLC and eventually met her amazing future husband, Ps. Mark Fierro. She also graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2018 with an M.S. in Organizational Psychology.
Amanda is passionate about encouraging and building up women and wants to see everyone love each other like Christ.
She also has a passion for learning, keeping others organized, and spreadsheets! When Amanda isn’t serving, she enjoys spending her free time with her hubby, reading, and can be found at any bookstore!
mic & emily king
celebrate recovery ministry leaders
“The name’s King… Mic King…”
The ultimate calm in the storm of service production and logistics, Mic King keeps us covered. He resides as our in-house tech expert, with a background in design and production management.
But he’s just as fast to talk all things technical with you as he is to talk about how lost his life would be without God’s grace, Celebrate Recovery, and the love of Redeemed Life Church.
His passion has become not only to expand the kingdom through technology, business, and creative pursuits, but to more importantly lead others into a life of freedom he himself has obtained through Celebrate Recovery.
Mic and Emily King lead as our Ministry Leaders for Celebrate Recovery at RLC, and they remain passionate about leading others into a closer walk of freedom in Jesus through this ministry.
Emily also serves with events, Soul Sisters, and pretty much anywhere needed. But her primary passion for the kingdom is to help women become their best selves through a life of recovery freedom.
When they’re not putting in work for the Church, you can find King writing music or learning something new, Em playing brain games or watching Marvel movies, or both of them doing all of the above with their two little beautiful humans, Hendrix and Anaya.
ps. larry j. walker ii
lay pastor in residence
With a heart and a voice as big as his home state of Texas, Pastor Larry James Walker II is a powerhouse inspirational artist and our anointed leader of RLC Worship & Creative Arts. Pastor Larry is passionate about authentic worship and true intimacy with our Father through music, media, and technology!
In addition to faithfully serving the RLC community, Pastor Larry is also a trusted kingdom worship leader and prophetic voice to the entertainment industry of Hollywood. He can be found all over LA and beyond, producing music, coaching, and mentoring a whole new generation of rising rockstars!
He and his beautiful wife Gifty are a dynamic duo of awesomeness and they are grateful that they get to serve the purposes of God right here in God’s chosen house, Redeemed Life Church!
matthew johansen
finance director
Matthew Johansen was born and raised in Southern California, and has lived in Azusa since 2009. In 2009, He began his studies in Business Administration at Azusa Pacific University, and graduated with his MBA in 2015. Matthew joins our team with business and church finance experience working as a Financial Analyst and Account Executive at America’s Christian Credit Union. On top of bible classes at APU, he comes with ministry experience as a missionary abroad, an intern/staff member with his former church, and a mountaineering instructor partnered with an outdoor ministry. Matthew and his wife, Alexa, love all outdoor adventures, traveling, hosting gatherings and bible studies at their home, and spoiling their dog, Ellie. He is passionate about helping others experience the love of the Father and assisting them in their growth from their actual to their potential in Christ.
aaron artega
editing director
Aaron Artega was born, raised, and redeemed in Azusa, CA. He began serving at Redeemed Life Church in 2019 as a way to give back for what God has done in his life. After 6 months of serving as a photographer/videographer, God shifted plans and Aaron was given an opportunity to work with RLC and he loves every single minute of it!
Aaron loves creating things: Photography/Videography inside and outside the church, Presentations, and Generating Ideas for the Marketing and Media Team at RLC. He also enjoys everything that has to do with fitness, hiking, playing basketball, long-distance running, spending time with his family, hanging out with his girlfriend Jennifer, and building meaningful relationships. His passion is to lead people through his photography and videography to the adventurous story that God has designed for each of us.