Our Leadership
Pastors
Christ's undershepherd in a local congregation of God's people, who joins with the ruling elders in governing the congregation, is called a pastor. It is his charge to feed and tend the flock as Christ's minister and with the other elders to lead them in all the service of Christ.
MATTHEW HOLST
✉️ matthew.holst@shilohopc.org
Matthew Holst was installed as senior pastor of Shiloh in June 2016. Before that, he served as pastor of Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Georgia from 2010 to 2016 and ministered in Cambridge Presbyterian Church (UK) for one year. A native of Wales, Matt is a 2008 graduate of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. His wife, Stacy, is a native of Greenville SC and together they have four children.
DAVID OKKEN
✉️ david.okken@shilohopc.org
David Okken was installed as pastor of Shiloh in February 2019. He served previously as a missionary of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Karamoja, Uganda, for seventeen years. He is a 1998 graduate of Westminster Seminary California. David has been married to Sunshine since 1999.
You can hear sermons by Pastor Okken at sermonaudio.com/shiloh.
Ruling Elders
Ruling elders, individually and jointly with the pastor in the session, are to lead the church in the service of Christ.
DAN LEMLEY
✉️ dan.lemley@shilohopc.org
Dan Lemley, a native of Colorado, moved to South Carolina after 20 years of policing in 2000 when he married Phyllis. They have been blessed with six grandchildren. He has served as a church elder since 2001. In the summer of 2022, Dan and Phyllis moved to the Raleigh/Durham area to be closer to their grandchildren. Dan currently works as a civilian supervisor for a local police agency. Dan and Phyllis enjoy the mountains and the beach, as well as spending time with family.
DAVID CORNEJO
✉️ david.cornejo@shilohopc.org
David first joined Shiloh in 2011 while attending graduate school at NC State. After moving from North Carolina for a few years, David and his family rejoined Shiloh in 2020. He and his wife, Virginia, live in Raleigh with their children: Mathia, Phoebe, and Emmett. David works as a data scientist.
MARK KIRBY
✉️ mark.kirby@shilohopc.org
Mark is a native Tar Heel, UNC graduate, and home builder. He and his wife, Christin, live in Raleigh with their children - Oakley, Charlie, Coleman, and Sally. They enjoy spending time together, particularly when they can enjoy the beautiful NC weather outside.
ED LEWIS
✉️ ed.lewis@shilohopc.org
Ed retired to North Carolina from Michigan in 2022. He has been married to Mary Beth since 1991. They live in Raleigh and have three adult daughters.
Deacons
Deacons are called to show forth the compassion of Christ in a manifold ministry of mercy toward the saints and strangers on behalf of the church.
LEO BARCLEY
Leo has been worshiping at Shiloh since he moved to Raleigh in 2014. He attended NC State University and now works as a structural engineer. He and his wife Jenna have three children.
TIM HOPPER
✉️ tim.hopper@shilohopc.org
Tim has been a member of Shiloh since 2010. He works as a computer programmer. Tim lives in Rolesville with his wife, Maggie, and their four children.
BRANDON GERSHMAN
✉️ brandon.gershman@shilohopc.org
Brandon moved from Atlanta to Raleigh in 2013. He works as a construction superintendent. Brandon and his wife Shasta have four children.
ART ALLEN
Art moved to Raleigh from MA in 1992. He and his wife, Cindy, have been members of Shiloh since its inception in 2010. He works as a General Contractor and enjoys playing chess and riding his motorcycle. They have a grown son who also lives in Raleigh.
Our History
Shiloh Presbyterian Church began meeting in Cary, North Carolina in June 2010 as a mission work of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). From the outset, the vision was well-defined: faithful, clear, God-centered preaching in the context of Reformed worship for the building up of the saints and the conversion of the lost.
Shiloh initially enjoyed many months of regularly rotating preachers. Many men gave innumerable hours of labor to the fledgling congregation. Most of those who worked so hard (both in and out of the pulpit) had affiliations with Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Greenville, SC.
In May of 2012, Gabriel Fluhrer, a graduate of Greenville Seminary, was installed as the organizing pastor of Shiloh and in February 2013, Shiloh Presbyterian Church moved from being a mission work to an organized congregation in the OPC. At that time, Pastor Fluhrer was installed as her pastor along with the installation of three ruling elders and three deacons.
In April 2014, Shiloh called Reverend Irfon Hughes, previously retired from the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), to serve as associate pastor.
That same month, we began meeting at our current location on E. Whitaker Mill Road, in the Five Points district of Raleigh. After meeting for almost four years at an elementary school in Cary, the Lord blessed us with the ability to purchase a permanent location a mile north of downtown. Our desire is for the ministry out of this building to be a beacon of hope to the lost, comfort to the weary, and encouragement to those on the journey. In sum, Shiloh seeks to make Jesus more beautiful and believable to the unconvinced and convinced in Raleigh and beyond!
In August 2015, Pastor Fluhrer resigned to accept another ministerial call. In May 2016, Reverend Matthew Holst, formerly of Geneva OPC in Woodstock, GA, was installed as senior pastor of Shiloh. In May 2017, Pastor Irfon Hughes retired as a pastor of Shiloh. In February, Pastor Dave Okken was installed as minister of Shiloh to serve alongside Pastor Holst.
In August 2023, our first church plant started in Holly Springs, NC.