The Area 10 Faith Community opened its doors at The Byrd Theatre on September 21, 2008. Above all, we're a group of people who seek to serve Christ in the city. We believe Richmond is a great place to live, and that it can only become greater if people will love it.
We get our name, Area 10, from the designation Realtors give to downtown Richmond. Area 10 extends from Church Hill to the east, through downtown and out to Carytown, and the Museum District to the west. It's an extremely diverse area in terms of race, income, education and lifestyle. Although folks come from all over the city and surrounding counties, Area 10 is our home base and the focus of our mission.
Area 10 is an independent Christian church that was planted through the partnership of the Virginia Evangelizing Fellowship and other area churches.
Our Values
Cultural Engagement
We embrace the positive aspects of our culture and challenge the evil and oppressive parts with God's message of love.
Relational Connection
We grow closer to God and serve the world best when we do it together.
Outward Focus
We're here to love and serve those beyond our walls so that they can know Christ.
Intentional Discipleship
We're called to feed the spiritually hungry. To do so requires initiative on our part and those who seek to know Him.
Spiritual Awareness
We seek to live our lives with awareness of God's presence in the world.
Chris Barras, lead pastor
Chris Barras grew up just north of Tampa, Florida, which explains a lot about his irrational love for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He left as soon as he could and moved up north to attend Cincinnati Christian University, where he earned his Bachelor of Church Music degree. Chris and his wife Abby (also a church music major at CCU) moved to Colorado for two years and served at a large church. They then moved to Virginia Beach and started having little babies (three boys, to be exact). The Barras Family moved to Richmond in January 2006.. Once in the River City, Chris worked full time at Starbucks and part time with a great church plant in Short Pump. In March 2008, Chris left those jobs to launch Area 10 Faith Community. Today -- when he's not working for the church -- Chris enjoys NFL football, golf, soccer, music, reading, and playing with his family.
chris_area10church.com
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Tommy Moore, creative arts pastor
Tommy has spent most of his life living in Shreveport, Louisiana (aka the Ratchet City), where he met his wife Ashley. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In the past 10 years, Tommy has led worship in a variety of churches and events as well as being involved in the development of two church plants in Shreveport, LA. In January 2012, he and his family moved to Richmond to serve at Area 10 as the Creative Arts Pastor. Tommy has a passion for connecting people with Christ through both music and the Word. He also has a passion for seeing the Church on mission, and before moving to Richmond, he and his wife spent a year in Bethlehem teaching and serving in various ministries. Tommy is a big New Orleans Saints’ fan, which can cause some tension in the office with the Buc’s fan, but Tommy doesn’t think it’s even a rivalry because of the talent disparity between both teams. When not serving at Area 10, Tommy spends as much time as he can with his wife Ashley, his daughter Eden, and his dog Deacon. He loves movies, gaming, coffee, exploring, and anything to do with sports.
tommy_area10church.com
Christine Goehner, children’s director
Christine graduated from Milligan College in north east Tennassee in May 2011. She discovered Area 10 through one of the Children's Ministry volunteers and moved to Richmond to join A10Kids as soon as she could. She has served in Children's Ministry all her life (her dad is a Children's Minister as well) and has a passion for teaching children about the love of Christ in affective and relevant ways. When's she's not hanging out with the kids at Cartwheels & Coffee she enjoys arts and crafts, cooking, drinking coffee with friends or reading a good book.
christine_area10church.com
Emily Harrison, small groups coordinator
Emily Harrison was born and raised in Charlotte, NC and moved to
Richmond three years ago so that her husband could attend medical school
full time. They learned about Area 10 through Chris Barras (before we
even launched!) and have taken an active part in what the church is
doing in the city ever since. They live in the Museum District where
they enjoy walking to visit friends, going out to eat, and parading
their pug, Hailey, up and down Carytown. They love living in the city
and especially love being able to walk to church! Emily has a passion
for organizing and scheduling, and loves working with our small groups
because she firmly believes that small groups are the best way to
connect people to each other and to God.
emily_area10church.com
Justin Ihara, community impact coord.
Justin hails from Arlington, Virginia and is married to his lovely wife, Elizabeth. He earned his undergraduate degree from the School of Media Arts & Design at James Madison University (Duuuuukes) and is a graduate of Mosaic's Protege program, a two-year leadership development program based in Los Angeles. He also holds an MA in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. When he's not coordinating missional service projects for Area 10, he's working in the marketing communications field, geeking out over digital media and indulging his taste buds at local eateries and sweeteries alike.
justin_area10church.com
Laura Shibut, administrator/media
Laura is originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, but fell in love with Richmond when she attended VCU. She made Richmond her home after graduating from VCU with a degree in Psychology. She has served in ministry in a variety of ways in churches and community organizations for over15 years. Her experience ranges from youth ministry to video and graphic design. Laura also serves on staff at Velocity Christian Church in Short Pump. Of her many ministries over the years, her favorite is teaching and mentoring women through small groups, Bible studies and retreats. While she is juggles keeping two church plants running, she has fun hanging out with her husband, gardening and photographing friends and nature.
laura_area10church.com
Area 10 Faith Community • 2820 W Cary St • Richmond, VA 23221 • 804.353.7710
