Staff Profiles
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Dr. Danny Leavins
Pastor
–My favorite thing about Venture is how much it challenges me to follow Jesus. I have been working with Venture since 2004 and have been Venture’s pastor since 2006, and I think that I am growing and learning as much or more than anyone. My staff team, our volunteers, the people who come–they ask hard questions and make me really think about faith and life.
–My favorite things are my family, Hebrew, ice cream, college football, and music (in that order, except in the Fall when football overtakes all but family). The most wonderful people on this earth are my wife Kristen, and my four children, Abigail, Eliza, Anna, and Benjamin. I love to talk to Kristen and hear her thoughts about life, the Bible, friends, and football (of course). And I love playing with the girls and Benjamin because I can become Captain Hook, Aslan, Prince Phillip, and Darth Vader, all in the span of about 30 minutes.
–I love Hebrew. I read the Hebrew Bible every day. I love it so much that I got a Ph.D. in it. I love to read about who God is and how he is sovereign and how he loves his people, and to try to figure out what all of that means for my life.
–As far as the ice cream and college football go, those are pretty self explanatory. (Though I should say that my football team is Auburn. I also love fantasy football, except for the fact that I can’t beat Chris Bender. I’ve lost to him 13 times in a row. I’m not kidding.) My love for music has recently been revived by Stephen (see below) who has challenged me to listen to a lot of different music than what I am used to (including Radiohead, Iron & Wine, and Wilco, among others).
–All in all, this is a great place to learn to follow Christ, how to love others, how the Bible impacts our lives, and how to serve. It’s fun to be a part of what God is doing here.
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Suzanne Keffer
Director of Women and Community
Naps, sand castles and ice cream cones delight me. Well crafted words draw me. Good food with friends energizes me. Exotic places intrigue me. Seeing God’s creativity in the faces I meet amazes me. Helping others know Christ fulfills me.
God drew me to Him when I was young by giving me a gift I did not want. Slight cerebral palsy caused me to walk on my toes most of my childhood. When the other kids called me broken, my Father whispered that I was His “fearfully and wonderfully made” child. By reminding me Whose I was, He affirmed that neither my disabilities nor abilities would ever define who I was. Rather, He determined my worth in that He — the God of the universe — made me. And He declared me priceless when He spent the life of His only Son to call me Daughter. Today, I thank Him for wrapping the gift of identity in Christ in the box of cerebral palsy.
Just as God used a difficult struggle to make me more like Him when I was younger, He continues to shape me by asking me to trust him with my future — whether it looks hopeful or uncertain. No matter how I’m feeling on a given day, I want to follow God. To know Him better. To trust Him more. In whatever I do, I desire to reflect Him so that when others meet me, they see Him. -
Stephen Procopio
Director of Creative Arts and Community
I joined Venture Staff in July of 2008. A graduate of Messiah College with a BA in drawing and painting, I am consistently seeking out new art in any form. As the Director of Creative Arts I spends most days hunched over a computer obsessing over typefaces.
I strongly recommend that you join a small group.
When I am not glued to a Mac I spend my time drawing people, watching movies and LOST, playing guitar and bass, and reading books.
I feel very blessed to be part of a team that is committed to bringing the Love that Christ showed us to everyone we meet.
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Matt Butterfield
Worship Leader
Between hanging with my lovely wife, playing music, teaching at a local high school, and enjoying the company of some good friends, I stay pretty busy. Some of my favorite things are: creating music with a variety of instrumentation, running, watching clouds and sunsets, a good conversation, “thinking” movies, the original Nintendo, working on my new home, and reading a good book.. And I love introducing friends and family to new music (currently I’m digging Fleet Foxes, the Dirty Projectors, Sharon Jones and the Dapkings, Jon Foreman, and Andrew Peterson)
I’ve been attending Immanuel since 2000 and involved with the music for about the same time. Its been a humbling experience working with Venture, as many of the members and musicians have challenged me in my faith and my vision of what “worship” looks like. I’m excited to be involved with a ministry that strives to raise relevant Christ-followers that are not only following with their minds, but in their daily lives.