staff



  • Joel kurz, Senior pastor

    Joel and his wife Jess moved to Baltimore in July, 2008 and began work toward planting a new church. Over time, a core group was gathered and The Garden Church constituted as a church in 2012. Joel graduated from Spurgeon Baptist Bible College in 2003 (Mulberry, FL) with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, and later earned a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary (Louisville, KY). He previously served for five years as a youth pastor at Greensboro Baptist Church  in Maryland,  Joel and his wife, Jess, have four children, Jadyn, Eden, Haddon, and Chapman and they live in west Baltimore.

  • Stephanie LaferrierE, Life coaching

    Stephanie lives in west Baltimore and works as a "Life Coach" at The Garden Church. In her role, Stephanie builds relationships with people in the community both in formal and informal settings. She oversees the job readiness-training program, mentorships and jobs network. Stephanie was born in New York City and raised in Orlando. She graduated from  The Master’s University and Seminary having received a Masters degree in Biblical Counseling. Stephanie is engaged to Kevin Greer and they plan to marry in May, 2020.


elders


  • Eric Hill

    Eric has served as an elder since 2018.  In addition to his duties at The Garden Church, Eric works as a Physical Therapist Assistant.  Born and raised in Baltimore, Eric lives on the west side with his wife, Aisha, and two children.

  • Joel Kurz

    Joel is Lead Pastor of The Garden and has been serving as an elder since the church began. Joel and Jess live in the Marble Hill neighborhood.

Deacons and officers


  • kwame kutten, deacon of Audio/visuals


  • Michael Afolabi, deacon of worship services


  • Raymond Chesevant, deacon of finance


  • andrew manik, church clerk



  • Kesia Lewis, church treasurer