In late 2007, Tommy Hinson joined with a group of men and women living in Columbia Heights, and together they established Church of the Advent. Prior to this time, Tommy lived in Boston, where his passion for urban renewal was born out of his tenure as a mental health counselor working with underserved populations. A native of North Carolina, Tommy attended Furman University in Greenville, SC, where he met his wife, Laura. Tommy received an M.Div. and an M.A. in counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. He and Laura have two sons, Riley and Maddox, and a daughter, Emmeline.

Pastor Tommy is responsible for developing and stewarding the mission and vision of the church. He is the primary preaching and teaching pastor, and oversees Advent’s team. His primary focus is raising up, equipping and caring for clergy, vestry members, and lay ministry leaders in the church. 

Before working at Advent, Jeff Simpson served as a campus minister for eight years at three different universities. Over time, he was drawn to the Anglican way of following Jesus through beauty, liturgy, and the sacraments. Jeff attended undergrad at the University of Maryland and received an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. He loves reading good books, exploring DC’s many great restaurants, and playing any sport with mediocrity. He lives in Arlington with his wife, Molly.

Pastor Jeff is a priest and is responsible for discipleship, Core Groups, newcomer integration, and Youth Ministry. He oversees most of Advent’s ministry teams and lay leaders, and provides pastoral care.

Born in Jacksonville, FL, Hilary Van Wagenen has been a member of Church of the Advent since it was a Friday night house church in 2007. She fell in love with the Anglican tradition as a middle schooler and has been captivated by it ever since. After working as a professional musician and piano teacher for many years, she discerned a call to full-time ministry and joined the Advent team in 2021. She was ordained a deacon in May of 2024 and is working towards a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (MACM) through the Gordon Conwell/Diocese of Christ Our Hope partnership program. As someone who has experienced deep healing, deliverance, and transformation through the love of Jesus, Hilary considers it an honor and joy to come alongside others in every aspect of their faith journey. She lives with her husband, Tom, and son, Peter, in Cheverly, MD, and loves hiking, quirky bookshops, and having a table full of teenage boys to feed.

Rev. Hilary is a deacon and coordinates pastoral care for the church, oversees our prayer ministry, and provides pastoral care. She is also our Worship Director; in this role, Hilary oversees all worship services, including music and liturgy.

Prior to working at Advent, Zoe Werner served as Chief of Staff at a Venture Studio in Minneapolis. In this role she oversaw all operational and administrative functions of the holding company and numerous portfolio companies. She has experience in strategic planning, board management, communications, human resources, and accounting and financing. Zoe loves spending quality time with her dog, exploring the museums and neighborhoods of DC, and connecting deeply with others. She can also be a bit of a Biblical Studies nerd. She and her husband Max live in Takoma.

Sharon Walsh worked as an Operations Manager for 22 years in Anglican churches in the UK, having become a Christian as an adult at a church in Oxford. She moved to DC from London in February 2023 with her American husband, Tom, and they joined the Church of the Advent shortly after.  She loves imposing order on chaos and using the gifts of organization and administration the Lord has given to her in his service. She and Tom live on Capitol Hill and enjoy hosting friends and family as often as they can.

Sharon helps with communications and the church database, Planning Center, along with sundry operational tasks.

Heather Morton grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, and moved to the DC area after receiving her BA in English from Covenant College and her MA in English from the University of Virginia. She taught twelfth-grade American lit and then worked in communications in university and think-tank settings before stepping out of fulltime work to begin her family. In recent years she’s balanced family commitments with freelance writing/editing work, as well as volunteering in a variety of church ministry roles. Heather lives in Cheverly, MD, with her husband Mark and their three teenage kids, Claire, Lilah, and Cole. She enjoys reading, writing, running, long talks with friends, and handily beating her family in animated games of “Celebrity.”

Heather and Kiersten jointly oversee Advent’s Sunday children’s programming and curriculum as well as other events and initiatives related to children along with providing resources for family discipleship.

Susan Calhoun is originally from Spokane, WA. After finishing her degree in International Studies at Baylor University, she moved to DC in 2014 to pursue a master's degree in International Communication. Susan comes with extensive experience in events planning and management. She and her husband Julian, both members, have been worshiping at Advent since the fall of 2018. She loves reading and lives in Capitol Heights, MD with her husband and approximately 10,000 books.

Susan coordinates special events, provides Sunday worship operations support, and supports our Family Ministries Directors and children’s ministries programs.

Michael Murchison grew up in Maryland and came to know Christ at a young age through the witness of church and family. Michael studied music at St. Olaf College and completed a master’s degree in worship at the Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, FL. He previously served in music ministry in Lutheran and Baptist churches, and is excited to bring together the richness of music and the Anglican liturgy. Michael also works as a custom cabinetmaker in the Baltimore area. He enjoys running, hiking, and tennis, and is always interested in a good recommendation for a new novel or recipe to try.

Sarah Crouch is a native of Charlottesville, VA and moved to DC in 2006 after graduating from James Madison University with a degree in Political Science and English. She has worked in various positions on and off Capitol Hill since then, as well as a two-year stint overseas in South Korea and England working in education. In addition to her role as the Executive Assistant at Advent, Sarah works part-time as a Finance Administrator for the U.S. House of Representatives. Sarah lives in Arlington, VA with her husband, Danny, and three kids where they attend Restoration Anglican Church.  She enjoys being active outdoors, watching soccer and tennis with her husband, hunkering down in the National Gallery of Art, and discussing just about any book. Sarah loves connecting people to community and growing with them in God’s Word.

Sarah provides support to the Rector, Tommy Hinson.

Jeff Bailey is the Canon for Leadership Development in the Diocese of Christ Our Hope, where he assists the Bishop in the leadership of our diocese. Prior to this, Jeff and his family lived in England for eight years, where he enjoyed Arsenal, pubs, and the BBC, but never cricket. He taught political theology at the University of Cambridge, and later became Managing Director of the Centre for Social Justice, a policy think tank in London. He sits on various boards for organizations working at the intersection of faith and public life, and is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Cambridge. He and his wife, Alicia, have three teenagers and live in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, DC.