Julie & Anthony Brown, Directors
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Julie and Anthony Brown are the heart of the Near His Heart ministry. They have four beautiful children and are members of Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn. Their oldest son was diagnosed with autism when he was young and they have been on the special needs journey ever since.
Julie takes great joy in ministering to families affected by disability. She understands the daily challenges, but also desires for these wonderful families to see God's great design even in the struggles. Julie was on the core planning team for the first Near His Heart Dinner in 2012 and now serves as Director. Anthony is our financial and logistical advisor. He also serves as personal host to our guest speaker and family. We are thankful for Anthony’s leadership and advice year after year. |
Kara Olsen, Children's Program Director
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Kara and her family have volunteered with Near His Heart since its inception. Her husband, Darren, works with our self-contained class upstairs and Kara has worked in various roles, including group leader for our school-aged children and coordinating our Welcome area; currently, she is the director of the NHH Children's Program. Kara is an incredibly gifted administrator who has a heart for all children. Kara serves graciously in many areas at Lakeview Baptist Church, and we are grateful to have her on the Near His Heart team.
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Susan Speakman, Banquet Coordinator
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Susan Speakman has volunteered with Near His Heart for years and now she has taken on a leadership role as our banquet coordinator. Susan and her husband, Mike, have two adult children and are members of Lakeview Baptist Church. She has served on the women's ministry event team at Lakeview for several years, as well as in other areas of church ministry. We are thrilled to welcome Susan and and watch as she brings glory to His name by serving the NHH families.
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Wynne Wages, Marketing Coordinator
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Wynne and Trey Wages are members of Lakeview Baptist Church. Wynne has been a part of the Near His Heart team since the very beginning. She designs all of our marketing and advertising flyers, signs & name tags and creates our slideshow. She coordinates our guest and volunteer online registration systems and provides the appropriate information to all areas of the ministry.
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Maegan Keel, Design Director
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Maegan and her husband Adam have 3 precious children, one of whom has special needs. The Keels first attended Near His Heart in 2014. Maegan immediately joined our team and began using her creativity to minister to our Near His Heart families. She is the force behind the transformation of the Lakeview Fellowship Hall into our beautiful banquet room. Along with her artistic talents, Maegan brings understanding and a spirit of cooperation to our team as a mother of a child with special needs as well as an educator in Lee County.
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Robyn Harrison, Ministry Assistant
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In 2013, as newcomers to Auburn, Robyn & Brad Harrison and their two children attended Near His Heart for the first time. As the mother of a child with special needs, Robyn understands and appreciates this ministry in a unique way. She uses her gifts in various ways to make Near His Heart run smoothly each year. Her willingness to serve and be used by God is a true joy to behold.
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Tabitha Geiger, Meal Coordinator
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Tabitha Geiger has joined our Near His Heart team in 2024, after volunteering for years. Tabitha and her husband, Daniel, are members at Lakeview Baptist. They have 4 young children. Tabitha leads the volunteers who create the wonderful meal enjoyed by parents and caregivers. She selects our recipes and coordinates all of the volunteers who sign up to bring our homemade entrees and desserts. We are very thankful to Tabitha for coordinating this important part of the evening.
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Tori Walker, Supplemental Event Coordinator & NHH Assistant
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Tori has been a part of our Near His Heart team almost from the beginning and has proven to be a precious servant to our families with special needs. In addition to coordinating our Church Leaders Luncheons and Men's Breakfasts, Tori designs and creates our wonderful participant gift baskets. She and her husband, Chris, have four children and are members of First Baptist Church in Opelika. Tori is a Para Pro at Beauregard Elementary School where she is an aid for children with special needs. Her desire is that everyone who has a child with special needs knows that there are people who love and care for them. Her servant's heart is a wonderful addition to our team.
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Adam Traylor, Worship Director
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Adam Traylor is the Minister of Music at Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn since 2017. Before moving to Auburn, he served in the same role at the First Baptist Church of Eufaula for 11 years. Adam has sung in the James Brown Trio, a Southern Gospel group, for 21 years and has also been involved in many recording projects featuring Christian hymns as well as Christian Contemporary songs. Adam and his wife, Teel, have three children and are excited to work with Near His Heart.
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The 2026 Near His Heart Committee
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Anthony & Julie Brown
Susan Speakman
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Kara Olsen
Carol Williams
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