In 1983, Wendell and Lynda Vinson became the pastors of a small congregation in need of revitalization in Bakersfield, California. They told the Lord that they would spend their whole lives serving Him in this city if He would allow it. More than three decades have passed and Canyon Hills has become one of the leading multi-site churches in Southern California with campuses throughout Central California from the Sierras to the Pacific Coast. The passion of their hearts has never wavered; their greatest desire is to bring a living Jesus to a dying world.

Wendell is known for initiating conversations and collaboration among pastors, business leaders and influencers to bring about community transformation. He gives generously of his time to invest in young leaders for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. He has developed a culture at Canyon Hills that values moving beyond the walls of the church to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the neighborhood to the nations.

Wendell and Lynda have two adult children, Jenifer and her husband Kris and Jeremy and his wife Sarah. They are also the proud grandparents of two grandchildren, Oliver and Kaylyn.

A graduate of Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, John and his wife, LeeAnn, served in churches in Washington State before going to Uruguay, South America, where they spent four years as missionaries.

Prior to accepting the pastorate at Covina Assembly, the Johnsons spent five and a half years as Senior Pastors of Calvary Temple in Seattle, Washington. While at Calvary Temple, their church distinguished itself by experiencing unprecedented growth, earning “Church of the Year” honors as the fastest growing church in the Northwest District of the Assemblies of God. Calvary Temple also led the Northwest District in world missions giving for two consecutive years.

The Johnsons arrived at Covina Assembly in the fall of 1999. The church increasingly became a reflection of the multicultural community surrounding it. Covina Assembly under the leadership of the Johnsons for over fifteen years, experienced a growth to over 2,000 in attendance and it now has thirteen campuses spread across the city of Los Angeles. Pastor John and LeeAnn have a passion for seeing people come to Christ and equipping them for release into the ministry. Their goal at Covina Assembly was to create a community in which God’s love and power were at work in all members, changing their lives and impacting the greater Los Angeles Region and beyond.

Pastor Johnson has served as the General Presbyter for the Northwest District to the General Council of the Assemblies of God and as a member of the National Foreign Missions Board of the Division of Foreign Missions. He has also served on the Board of Trustees for Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. Pastor Johnson has been an Associate Trainer with John Maxwell’s training conferences in Manila, Philippines, teaching/training leaders in the Asian regions. He is a member of the Council of Church Leaders for the Graduate School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University. He is a Leadership Coach/Trainer/Director for the Healthy Church Network for the Southern California District Council and served as a General Presbyter for the SoCal District Network of the Assemblies of God from 2008 – 2014.

John and LeeAnn, have three children: Heather, Eric (JoAnn), and Kyle (Katrin), and a granddaughter, Tatum Joy, and four grandsons – Russell, Tanner, Shane, and Cooper.

Don Crabtree
CityServe Kern County Board of Directors, Treasurer

Don Crabtree has owned and operated successful businesses in Kern County for over four decades. Early in his career he served as the Vice President of Western United States Marketing for California Audit Company. He built an accounting firm, Individual Tax Records, which he owned and operated from 1976 until the end of 2010, at which point he directed his attention full time to California Drilling Fluids, a second company he began in 1996 and remains as the president and principal owner.

Don’s legacy will be his generosity to many projects in Bakersfield that impact the lives of children through education and spiritual formation. In addition to serving on the board of CityServe, Don is also a member of the endowment board of Bakersfield Christian High School.

Don is married to Kathleen and together they share two children, eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves to travel the world in search of the best places to fish.

John-Paul Lake (“J.P.”) currently serves as Manager of Robinson Property Holdings, the real estate arm of 4th generation family-owned Rain for Rent, the leading provider of temporary liquid handling solutions. J.P. has served the family business in various roles, including VP of Sales and Marketing, President of a manufacturing/assembly division and as a Director of the Board and Chair of the Governance Committee. In addition to his work in the family business, J.P. recently co-founded Kern Venture Group, the first angel investment fund in Kern County. Prior to Kern Venture Group, J.P. co-founded and served as COO for Nereus Capital Partners, a hedge fund focused on public equity infrastructure investments. His early career experience includes roles in brand management at Bolthouse Farms and corporate finance at the Intel Corporation.

Active in not-for-profit work as well, J.P. is the Co-Founder of Kern Citizens for Sustainable Government and is an elected Trustee with the Panama Buena-Vista Union School District. He and his wife Ingrid have three children and recently established the SeedCore Foundation which provides scholarships for higher education, entrepreneurial development in Kern County via the Kern Inititiative for Talent and Entrepreneurship (“KITE”), and launched Beyond Measure, an online classroom funding site for teachers at Christian schools. His board service includes the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, Tentmakers, the Friends of Mercy Foundation, Chairman of the Board for Heritage Oak School, and CityServe Socal Network. J.P. earned his BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and his MBA from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia.