Joy @ First Light Counseling
Counseling Team
Senior Pastors Dave and Joyce Thilges started Hometown Church (formerly known as Joy Fellowship Church) in June 2013, and they serve as the Senior Pastors. Originally envisioned and incorporated as the worship and prayer arm of Joy Faith Ministries International (JFMI), Hometown has taken on a life of its own, growing through fervent prayer, commitment, support of other believers, and God's blessings. In 2014, they established the counseling arm of the ministry. Since then, people have been saved and have experienced healing and deliverance through the power of God.
Pastor Joyce, Lead Ministerial Counselor, Founder and President of Joy Faith Ministries International, and author of the book Sanctified Freedom: Deliverance for Modern Christians, is a member of 4 Corners Alliance and an Ordained Minister through Joan Hunter Ministries. She has held a wide variety of ministry roles, including Sunday School Teacher, Interim Children's Ministry Director, Worship Vocalist, Counseling Assistant, Freedom Team Member, Prophetic Prayer Leader, and Healing School Administrator/Instructor. The call of God on her life provided opportunities to be fully trained in the areas of healing and deliverance through Joan Hunter Ministries/Hunter Ministries, Stand Firm World Ministries, Don Dickerman Ministries, and more. As a pastor's kid, she studied the word with emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in areas of healing and deliverance. For years, she has worked to see people saved, healed, delivered, and set free through the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Jesus Christ. She brings many life experiences and testimonies, including divine revelations and teachings, and ministers in all areas with tremendous anointing.
Pastor Dave is an Ordained Minister through Joan Hunter Ministries and a member of 4 Corners Alliance. He brings a well-rounded background of spiritual, educational, and administrative experience. He has also received extensive training in the areas of healing and deliverance through Joan Hunter Ministries/Hunter Ministries, Stand Firm World Ministries, Don Dickerman Ministries, and prior home churches, and now he is dedicated to equipping others to fulfill the purpose that God has placed on their lives. His sermons regularly provide a transformative experience through the power of the Holy Spirit while providing answers to everyday living.
Senior Pastors
Dave and Joyce Thilges
'It is my life's work and heart's desire to minister to those who want to receive sanctified freedom to fulfill the purpose God has for their lives. Through Christian counseling and the power of the Holy Spirit, generations of people will be healed, delivered, and set free." - Pastor Joyce Thilges
Dr. Sandra Terrell is the Dean Emeritus of the JFMI College of Ministry and serves as Pastor of Education, Membership, and Newcomers at Hometown Church. An ordained minister with a deep commitment to spiritual formation, she has also served as an intercessory prayer leader and has overseen pastoral care, walking closely with individuals and families through seasons of growth, healing, and transition. In addition to her ministry work, Dr. Terrell is Professor Emerita in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, where she dedicated many years to teaching, mentoring, and developing future professionals. Her passion is to serve the Lord by equipping His people through the College of Ministry, and her counseling specialty is working with young adults through individual sessions, providing guidance, encouragement, and faith-centered support as they navigate identity, purpose, and life’s challenges.
Dr. Sandra Terrell
Karen Kottaridis oversees the prophetic ministry arm of Joy Faith Ministries International, Joy Fellowship Online (JFO). She is also Dean and faculty member of the JFMI College of Ministry (JFMI COM) and the Marketing Director and board member of JFMI. She is a graduate of Beacon University, Wagner Leadership Institute, JFMI COM, and is an ordained minister under Joy Faith Ministries International. She is commissioned as a prophet to the nations. With expertise in the area of satanic ritual abuse (SRA), Karen is the author of "Ministering to Soul Fragmentation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and Satanic Ritual Abuse". She has also authored the book "Unlocking the Mystery of Dreams". Karen's passion is to see God's people healed, delivered, and walking in their God-given destiny.
