Staff
John became East Brentwood Presbyterian’s Minister October 2013, returning to pastoral work after years of nonprofit leadership and owning a consulting and software business called Patmos, LLC. He brings a strong skill set and experience in strategic planning, organizational leadership, and stewardship.
John brings life experience as a father / husband / brother / son, an understanding of what it means to run a business and a deep empathy of what many face in their work environments, and a desire to be more rooted in a community – all of which informs his preaching and teaching. He first came to Nashville in 1994 to serve as Senior Minister of The Downtown Presbyterian Church (1994-2000) and he has served other churches in the Middle Tennessee area, including Priest Lake Presbyterian Church. His work in the Presbyterian Church has taken him to work with churches in South Africa, New York City, New Jersey, and Iowa. About the church, John says: “God’s love is the mortar by which the community is built: our focus upon worship, education, and service is our proclamation.”
John is married to Kira Florita Hilley and they have 4 adult children: Aaron, Sam, Marrah and Rick. He enjoys kayaking, bicycling, and hiking with his friends and his dogs Lucy and Boomer. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Princeton Theological Seminary and has taken post-graduate fellowship studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Earlier in 2020 he returned to South Africa on a sabbatical to explore with church and community leaders how their history concerning race and equity concerns could benefit our own church and national landscape. John serves on the U.S. Advisory Committee of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation and is an Advisory Board Member of the Center for Business Ethics at Belmont University. He also serves on the Church Transformation Committee of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee.
Nate Strasser is the music director at East Brentwood Presbyterian Church and an adjunct professor at Belmont University.
Nate Strasser is a distinguished pianist, composer, and music director whose career reflects a remarkable blend of versatility and artistry. Currently serving as the music director and staff accompanist at Belmont University, Nate has made significant contributions to the world of music through his international performances, as well as his work in television, film, and video game scoring. Nate's musical journey has taken him to prestigious stages around the globe, including in Scotland, Austria, China, and the United Kingdom. His work in television is equally impressive, with performances featured in popular shows such as Netflix’s Franklin and Emily in Paris, as well as NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics. He also composed additional music for the Netflix series Captain Fall, showcasing his compositional talent.
Beyond performance and composition, Nate has been a key figure in supporting other renowned artists, providing music preparation for Dave Matthews and Seth MacFarlane, and serving as an orchestrator for Oscar-nominated composer Carter Burwell. His contributions to the film industry include playing piano for acclaimed films like the Oscar-nominated Harriet and the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody. In the video game industry, he brought his expertise to the role of stadium organist for the EA Sports video game NHL 2025.
Nate’s achievements in composition include two symphonies, one of which was commissioned by the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra for its 90th anniversary. His original music has also been featured at Navy Pier in Chicago during the 2024 Slate Technology Summit. Strasser joined forces with Matt Combs, a featured performer on the Grand Ole Opry, to compose a piece for fiddle, piano and full orchestra entitled Appalachian Rhapsody. The album was released as a fundraiser for EBPC. For more info visit AmericanaCarols.org
Nate lives in Franklin, TN with his wife, his two children, and two dogs.
Amanda Cook grew up in a suburb outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Human Development from Southeast Louisiana University. Over the years, Amanda has built a diverse career with roles in foster care and adoption, family social work, crisis intervention, and preschool education. When her and her family moved to middle TN she began her role as the director of a church-based Parents Day Out program. Most recently, Amanda found great fulfillment as the assistant director at EBCA, and has stepped into an interim director role where her passion for supporting children and families continues to thrive. She feels especially grateful for the opportunities to connect with the children and families she serves within her community.
Amanda lives in Arrington with her husband, John, and their three teenage boys. Together, they enjoy traveling, hiking, boating, volunteering, SEC football (Geaux Tigers!), and serving through their church’s ministries.
Leticia’s experience with Monroe Harding working with young adults, at Lighthouse Christian School as a teacher, and with the Girl Scouts of Genesse Valley (New York) as a Membership Executive have enriched her knowledge of the challenges and contributions of non-profits and the service and mission opportunities in partnerships like EBPC already has in our community. Leticia says “this is a wonderful fit—it is great to see how God has aligned my strengths and what brings me joy with the mission and passion at EBPC/EBCA.” She said “I can’t wait to get started” as she hurried out the door to meet an exchange student from Thailand who will be living with her family for the next two years. She describes herself as an artist---“I love doing anything creative—painting, woodworking and sewing.”
Leticia and her family are active in their own church but she will be worshipping with us also on a regular basis, so please introduce yourself and share your passion for our ministry at EBPC.
Becky is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources. Becky has over 20 years of corporate HR experience and is joining East Brentwood Presbyterian Church as the office manager. Becky lives in Smyrna with her son, Noah and 2 dogs, Lucy and Ethel. She enjoys historical research and conservation.
Becky has logged over 100,000 miles traversing the back roads of TN capturing photos, memories and the soon to be forgotten history of abandoned homesteads, farms and natural structures. She also enjoys jigsaw puzzles, reading and watching documentaries.
Leadership
Thriving churches depend on thoughtful, creative, energetic leadership. Our leadership is not static, we change it annually.
Over time, many are asked to share in the opportunity to lead. We seek to equip our current (and future) leaders with the skills and abilities to discern the direction we should take, communicate effectively so that all can share the vision, and lead confidently as we seek to fulfill God’s purpose for EBPC.
Session Organization
In order for East Brentwood to faithfully fulfill its mission and calling from God, we organize into committees/ministry areas. These committees/ministry areas function to:
Develop and manage all ministries, programs, and activities designed to fulfill the purpose and objective of the specific ministry.
Develop a responsible yearly operating budget in conjunction with the Budget Committee.
Plan for the publication of the activities under its direction, providing support staff adequate and timely information to implement and communicate regarding these plans.
Develop an annual calendar of activities.
Manage all resources including funding, curriculum, and facilities, within the approved operation budget.
Ensure that all adopted policies and procedures are utilized throughout programs.
Meet monthly as a Ministry Area or in individual Planning Teams to ensure maximum participation in the ministry and oversight of activities.
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John Hilley, Moderator
Barb Hall, Mission and Outreach and Engagement, Team Lead
Bill Phillips, Strategic Team, Lead Administration, Finance and Facilities
Tyler Spaid, Administration, Finance and Facilities Team Lead
Louis Morrow , Mission and Outreach and Engagement
Larry Wilson, Administration and Finance and Property (Property Lead)
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Tyler Spaid
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Chris Moore
2023-2024 EBPC ELDERS:
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Barb Hall
A transplant from Toronto, Canada Barb & her family have been part of EBPC for a couple of decades. Barb & Greg met at Peoples Church in Toronto as teens and married there. They have 2 daughters Abigail & Stephanie & EBPC was the church they grew up in. Barb worked as a Social Worker in Canada but shifted into filmmaking when they moved to Nashville. She remains very active at the Presbytery with Nueva Vida & Guatemala Peten Mission Task Force.
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Louis Morrow
Originally introduced to EBPC through the preschool back in 2009, Louis, his wife Erin and their three sons Brooks (23), Will (19) and Miles (16) have been regular members for over 10 years. After stints in Pensacola, FL, Birmingham, AL and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Louis and Erin have lived in Brentwood for over 15 years and have both taken on leadership roles at EBPC. Louis leads the EBPC Men’s Group and plays bass in the Praise Band, while Erin is a former member of the Session and is currently very active with the church’s Room In The Inn program. Erin also works as a speech therapist and is part of the EBPC preschool staff. Professionally Louis is the Vice President of Sales at Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems,a cloud-based healthcare technology platform whose mission is to end preventable blindness associated with diabetic retinopathy. They both enjoy live music, traveling, and running – as long as their knees and backs hold out.
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Bill Phillips
Bill R. Phillips is a native Texan. He began attending East Brentwood Presbyterian Church via Facebook during COVID pandemic, joining the congregation a year ago. He and his late wife, Candy, were active in Presbyterian congregations in California, Virginia, and Nevada. Bill served on the Session of First Presbyterian of Hanford, California. Career in politics and government took the Phillips across the nation for assignments at the local, state, and federal levels. An opportunity as Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs at Vanderbilt University brought him to Nashville in 1994. Later, he served twice as deputy mayor of Nashville as well as founding a government relations firm in Nashville. He also served as aide to a governor of Nevada, Presidents Reagan and Bush Sr, and leadership positions in national political organizations. He has three grown children and seven grandchildren. He has lived at The Heritage at Brentwood since 2019. He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam war, serving in MACV, Advisory Team 1.
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Tyler Spaid
Tyler Spaid comes from the greater Seattle area where he met his wife (and High School sweetheart) Melissa. They moved to Nashville to chase a dream in the music business ultimately settling in Nolensville and raising three kids, one in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in high school all at the same time! He graduated from Belmont University with an MBA in 2003 and became a CPA in 2016. Tyler enjoys studying theology in his free time and has worked in youth ministry for 12 years, run sound ministry for 17 years, was a deacon for 7 years, and an elder for 3 years all at independent, non-denominational churches.
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Larry Wilson
Born and raised in Charlotte, NC. Moved to Texas in 1979 and then to Tennessee in 1986. Married to Gay. We have two grown children Patrick and Ashley and three grandsons Will, Jacob, and Graham. Gay and I served on a Presbytery Task force in 1986 to form a new church which became known as East Brentwood Presbyterian. We are proud to be founding members of this congregation. I have served as an Elder, Treasurer, and Trustee for this church. I have also served as Treasurer for the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee. I enjoy golfing and building cars, when not being summoned to handle various repairs at the church. God has blessed me with skills to handle repairs and has provided me with an opportunity to practice on these church grounds. I feel God has rekindled my spirit to serve as a member of the session. This I do with Honor.