Graham Banks
Graham started working life as an architectural technician before he ran away to join the army, then he became a printer
before giving up his real job to train, as a pastor, at South Wales Baptist College Cardiff for 5 years, Phew!!!! After
theological prison he spent four and a half years, as a pastor, in Coventry and 12 and a half years in his home city Leeds
before coming to Bognor in 1998.
Graham enjoys playing squash,riding his Aprilia 1000cc motor bike,Thinking he can still play football!!,getting his gills
wet scuba diving. He's married to Chris and they have 3 grown up girls, Emma, Laura and Sarah, and a son Joel 17..ooh & a dog
Louis, who is convinced that he is our seventh member of the family!!.
Contact Graham here.
Marcelo Guimaraes
Marcelo, our missionary pastor, was born in Porto Alegre, South Brazil. As an accomplished worship leader he has a desire to bring
people into the presence of God through heartfelt worship. Before being called by our Church in 2001 as a missionary pastor he was
working as a pastor and worship leader in Brasa Church Porto Alegre where he also made several worship CDs.
He is married to Lee, who is training to be a teacher, and has two children Izabella and Davi.
As a true Brazilian he also has a passion for football, supporting his home city football team Internacional as well as Arsenal on
the British Front.
Derek Cormell
Derek was born and grew up in North Cheshire before leaving home to go to UWIST Cardiff and Bristol University where he obtained his
Mathematics and Physics degree. When he was a young child his Church began a Sunday School especially for him - Derek recognises that
this was a provision from a gracious God and testifies to the continual evidence of God's grace on his life.
After graduating from university he became a Mathematics teacher, moving into the area in 1986 to teach Maths in a local secondary school.
He now teaches part time in a local Further Education College, as well as privately tutoring pupils through their GCSEs and A levels. This
leaves him more time to exercise his teaching and pastoral gifts within the Church.
He describes himself as a sinner saved by grace who is battling to appreciate and live in the Kingdom of God through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Derek is currently on sabbatical from leadership
Jon Lex
Jon and his wife Laura have worshipped at Open Gate since 1996, They have two daughters Hannah and Amy.
Jon is a Chartered Engineer and a director of a local engineering company.
He is passionate about supporting mission and local pastors in needy countries - especially Romania and
Uganda. Laura and Jon are House Group leaders and want to see people discipled and grow in their faith.
Jo Parnell
Jo came to know Jesus as Saviour and friend as a child through Sunday School, in a little mission church in Chatham, Kent.
As such, the need to love and disciple children has always been close to her heart.
While a teenager at WEC Camps, she received a call to serve the Lord overseas. After working as an Infants Teacher
for five years, Jo trained at Bible School, learned French and linguistics, then went to Burkina Faso in West Africa.
Her calling is "to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up" Eph 4:11. After learning
the Lobire language, God led her into the ministry of training Sunday School teachers and preparing teaching materials. Jo was
particularly involved in improving literacy and training literacy workers. The church
needed trained pastors so this became her main ministry.
After 22 years in Burkina Jo was called by God to return to UK in 1992. She then worked in Worthing helping to prepare and send out
Bientot, a gospel paper sent out free to French speaking parts of the world.
Steve Jenkins
Steve is a guy with a pastors heart, married to the beautiful Larisa and has two girls, Christina (the dancer) and Sophia
(the singer). We've been rooted into Opengate Church since 1990 and through relationship have been connected with many
other churches across the nations. In 2007 - 08 we spent 18 months working full time in Belgium as part of the ongoing
relationship through Opengate . Steve is a trustee of Youthworx East Africa, a charity originally grown from within Opengate,
to bring discipleship to the young people of East Africa. This is also growing as we see the base in Kampala, Uganda reach out
to remote areas within Uganda and into Kenya, Burundi & beyond. Although we now have considerable international connections,
we are fully engaged in the local community. We are constantly praying into what the Lord wants for us that will connect the
wider community with the love of Christ. As a family we share a gift of hospitality, just sharing what we have in Christ
to whoever is with us.
Julie Passmore
Julie has been a member here at Vic Drive since she became a Christian when she was a teenager. She started her working life in
a bank before moving to a training company. She joined the leadership team in 2000 and after leaving secular employment at the
end on 2004 became the Church's administrator. Her passion is to see people released into their gifts and achieving their full
potential. She has been married to Ian for 25 years and they have a teenage son, Joel.
Gustavo Santos
Gustavo, affectionately known as Guga, was born in Brazil in February 1975. He came to England in 2001 after being sent by Brasa,
his home Church in Porto Alegre. He joined the leadership of the Church at the beginning of 2004.
He married Viviane, in 2005 in Brazil, and returned to the UK shortly afterwards as a missionary to the Church in Bognor. He has a
call to the nations and seeks to facilitate our own young people spending time as missionaries in other countries. As well as being
fully involved in the life of the young people within the church he plays and teaches the drums. He also plays an active part in the
Language School and leads the Tuesday evening prayer meeting.
He is Brazillan so, of course, he has a love of football - in Brazil he supports Sport Club International and in England he
supports Manchester United... but, we forgive him!
Nick White
Nick is a father of three and, together with his wife Sue, has played a major role in leading, playing and training others in the
development of music and worship at Opengate. He has a particular interest in the prophetic and has developed a passion for the
clear, incisive Word of God to penetrate lives and "separate bone from marrow" in the souls of believers. He is secretary of the
Ambassadors Football Club and is still hanging on to the belief that at the age of 45 he can contribute to the world of football
in his role as captain of the First X1. Nick is the head teacher of a primary school in Rustington and career spans almost 25 years
in West Sussex. Nick describes himself as an "oppositional thinker" in that he is quite comfortable in disagreeing with anybody about
almost anything and loves the cut and thrust of debate - as long as there's a smile and hug afterwards!
