J.W. Matt Hennessee

Senior Pastor, Vancouver Ave. 1^st Baptist Church

3138 No. Vancouver Ave., Portland, Oregon

Pastor Hennessee was elected as the third pastor of Vancouver Ave. 1^st Baptist Church on December 29, 2004.  He began his pastorate on Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, January 15, 2005 and was formally installed on May 29, 2005.  Prior to his installation at Vancouver Ave. 1^st Baptist he served as Associate Pastor at Portland’s St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church from January 15, 1989 to January 15, 2005.

He is a native of Columbus, OH; lived in Michigan and moved to Oregon in 1988.  He had a very distinguished career in senior leadership roles in city and state government in Ohio, Michigan, and Oregon.  He then entered the private sector as an executive in a variety of positions at Nike, Inc., CEO of a small private financial/technology business; Vice President of Streamlined Solutions, a division of the Rentrak Corporation; (presently) Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Energy Film, a division of Artscape Inc., all located in Portland, OR.

He has also served in a variety of volunteer roles in the non-profit world locally, nationally, and internationally for many years including medical boards, alternative education boards, higher education boards, and a number of commissions whose mission was superior service in education and economic development.

Pastor Hennessee has traveled nationally and internationally for business and speaking engagements.  He has spoken on a variety of subjects including: economic empowerment, diversity, the importance of pre-school education, and organizational and financial development. 

He earned his B.A. at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH in Religion, Sociology, and Anthropology; the Masters of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary; and is presently enrolled at Western Seminary as a candidate for the Doctorate of Missiology degree (EDG: Spring of 2012).  He is active in the local Union District Baptist Association of Churches.  He serves the General Baptist Convention of the Northwest as the President/CEO of GBC Inc., and Vice President of Region 4 assisting Churches and Pastors as they grow and develop.

He is passionate about building on the success of the past, loves history, loyal to the importance of honoring those who came before us, making the path for the next generation, generating funds for continuing education for all who wish to pursue it, determined to do everything he can to help everyone succeed, and enjoys bring people of diverse races, cultures, and backgrounds.

He and First Lady, Sharon Jones Hennessee (a native of Eugene), have three children:  Kyra, Cory (who earned his BA and MA from the University of Oregon) and now teaches in the public school system in Arlington, VA, and Matt Jr.  They also have three grandchildren:  Damien, Auryellos, and Marcelino.