• John M. Ames has his Masters in Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the church planting founder and Lead Pastor of West End Community Church in Providence, Rhode Island. John founded and directed a non-profit called Real Steps that served youth and families from affordable housing communities in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts. John previously worked in Boston as part of Operation Homefront, managing a partnership between city clergy and the police. During that time, John also worked alongside the Emmanuel Gospel Center as part of the Greater Boston Church Planting Collaborative, serving under Rev. Ralph Kee. John is the son of missionaries and grew up in Cote D’Ivoire. He is married to Jenny, they have a two and a half year old son named Micah. Facebook