Officers & Staff
ELDERS
Subject to the will of the congregation, our elders provide broad oversight to the ministry, financial management, and resources of the church. In keeping with the principles set forth in Acts 6:1-6, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5-9, James 5:14, and 1 Peter 5:1-4, our elders seek the mind of Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as they undertake the work of shepherding God’s flock. They teach and exhort, refute those who contradict the truth, pray for the sick, care for the church’s members, and devote themselves to prayer, to the government of the church, and to ministry. They provide oversight of the congregation and lead the church to fulfill its ministries. Only men may serve as elders in accord with 1 Timothy 2:12 and 3:2. You can find more information on the office of elder at UPBC in our church constitution by CLICKING HERE.
Travis Cardwell, Lead Pastor (staff)
Travis Cardwell was born and raised in Texas. He did not grow up in a Christian home. The Lord graciously opened his eyes to his need for Christ while in college at Texas A&M University. It was also during his college years that he married Alicia. Travis began to serve at his local church in Bryan, and soon sensed a call to minister the gospel full-time. After graduation from A&M, Travis began studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While in seminary, he served as a youth minister and associate pastor in his hometown of Liberty, TX. Upon graduation, he and Alicia moved to the Houston area to serve at Baptist Church of the Redeemer. After fourteen years at BCR, Travis now serves as the Preaching Pastor at UPBC. Travis and Alicia have four children.
Collin Garbarino
Collin Garbarino grew up in a Christian home and was baptized at the age of 10 in a small church in rural Louisiana. After college, he served two years with the International Mission Board, and then earned an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. After seminary he completed a PhD in ancient history, and he taught in Christian colleges for almost 15 years. Collin is currently the arts and culture editor for WORLD Magazine. He and his family have been part of UPBC since its founding.
Stacy Kaufmann
Bio coming soon!
Mathen (Bobby) Mathew
Bobby was born in S. India to Syrian Christian parents and although having been exposed to Christianity at an early age, did not grasp the good news of salvation until his High School years in Madras, India. His father, who was first saved in 1970, was eager to see his children come to faith in Christ and wrote many letters urging his children to be saved. That witness along with the witness of faithful Christians from Youth For Christ to teachers resulted in his becoming a true believer in 1974. Bobby and his younger brother arrived in NY that year to join their parents. He graduated from High School in Houston and then from The University of Texas at Austin. He began working in the Upstream sector for a major oil company in 1981 and that same year was one of the founding members of Houston International Christian Fellowship (HICF) along with Martha whom he married in 1984 as they both shared a common vision. Reaching others for Christ has been central to their marriage and family life. They have 2 grown children (David & Esther) who also love the Lord. The Lord Jesus has faithfully preserved their marriage and family allowing them to labor in His field through His strength and has provided His protection and resources in incredible ways. Now retired after 40 years of secular work, he looks forward to all that God will continue to accomplish for His purposes in the years to come.
Matt Noble, Pastor of Music and Family Discipleship (staff)
Matt Noble trusted in Christ at age 19 shortly before attending the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. It was there that he discovered his love for leading corporate worship and helping others grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. This is also where he met his wife, Stephanie. They have been married since 2016. They have three children, Emerson, Elise, and Elijah. In July 2023, Matt and his family moved to Houston so that he could serve UPBC as the Pastor of Music and Family Discipleship. He aims to serve our congregation as a Pastor-Musician, leading our corporate worship and shaping our family discipleship culture. He is close to finishing his MDiv in Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In his off time, Matthew enjoys playing guitar, making coffee, listening to music, and exploring Houston with Stephanie and the kiddos.
Sam Webb
Originally from Channelview, Texas, Sam Webb was converted by simply reading the Bible in June 2004 after his Freshman year at Texas A&M University. After graduation from Texas A&M, Sam graduated with a law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law where, more importantly, he met and married Lindsey and they now have three young children. Sam is also a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary. He served as College Minister at FBC Wolfforth, TX, Deacon at Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, VA, and an Elder at Baptist Church of the Redeemer, which then became University Park Baptist Church, in Houston, TX. Sam is a lawyer in Houston. His great passion is the preaching of God's Word and the building up of God's Church.
DEACONS
The office of deacon is described in I Timothy 3:8–13 and Acts 6:1–7. Our deacons care for the temporal needs of members, attend to the accommodations for public worship, and encourage and support those able to help others and those with gifts of administration. You can find more information on the office of deacon at UPBC in our church constitution by CLICKING HERE.
Philip Magallan
Philip was born and raised in Fort Bend County Texas. He met his wife Kristina while in high school and they were married in 2000. They have two sons, Sean and Matthew.
After years of living in sin, Philip was awestruck by the power of the gospel. God showed mercy to him and saved him in 2009. Jesus truly changed his life and now he has a passion for God, His Word, and His people.
Andrew J. Necker
Andrew grew up in Baltimore, Md. where he attended church regularly with his family. However, he did not understand that he was a sinner who needed to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior until high school. It was during this time that Andrew was able to admit he was a sinner who needed Christ to enter his life. After college Andrew’s faith started to grow because he started attending a church that preached through the Bible verse by verse and book by book. Over the years, Andrew has allowed the Lord to change his heart
Andrew has been married to his wife Kelly since 2001 and they have one son. Andrew desires to see how the Lord is going to use the people of University Park Baptist Church for HIS glory. He routinely attends Fellowship group, helps on the facility committee, and chairs the Finance Committee. Andrew has a Civil Engineering degree from Clemson University and currently works in the Oil and Gas industry.
Sam Philip
I was born in Southern India and was raised in a nominal Christian home.
My earliest recollection of visiting churches was mainly during the Christmas season. I grew up along with Hindu and Muslim friends; some of them are still very dear to me. Like many Indians, religion was part of my culture. I never differentiated between deities or religions until I watched The Ten Commandments. It was for the first time that I was exposed to the majesty of God. I was 15 years old, and this movie created a desire to read the Bible from cover to cover. But I still did not understand the whole Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Many times, my purpose of turning to God was mainly to get deliverance from immediate crisis of basic needs. God graciously used our struggles to draw us near to him.
My sister was an influence in our family to follow Christ. Her friend first shared the Gospel and later on, I was baptized. I did not fully understand my depravity and God’s forgiveness in Christ until I was exposed to some sound teaching after coming to America. This journey has been ever growing on me. Coming to America has helped me further understand the Gospel sitting under some gifted teachers. I stand amazed at God’s saving grace in Christ on a daily basis.
Annie and I married in 2010 and are blessed with three children– Jonathan, Elijah, and Hannah.
Omar Hernandez
Bio coming soon…
Jorge Villarreal
Jorge was born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. Jorge has been married to Esther since 1997, and they have four children – Megan (married to Johnny Olivas), AnaLisa, Daniel and Gabriel.
Jorge was raised in the church, but it was until much later in life that he truly accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior. God used Esther and a local bible study group to open Jorge’s mind and heart to Him, giving him true rest. Jorge desires to be a follower of Christ, and bring others to faith in Jesus Christ.
Robert Hohimer
I grew up in New Mexico with loving, gospel-believing parents and grandparents. I also have two older brothers and we all went to church every Sunday. I was a church kid and knew a lot about the Bible, but my proximity to the gospel did not make me a Christian. I definitely did not see my sin nor my need for a savior. But one day, by the grace of God, I heard that simple gospel message, the same message I had heard many times before, and on that day God transformed my cold, dead heart into one that lives, and loves, and beats for Him. That day God revealed to me his saving grace and I immediately believed it. He did that for me and He can do that for you. His grace is sufficient, his mercy is endless, and He loves to save sinners.
This is the message that I believe and want others to come to believe as well, that the gospel is the good news that God has made a way through Jesus Christ to have our sins forgiven.
This spiritual transformation drove me to get baptized and later intentionally involved with discipling the youth at my home church. It caused me to take an interest in a greek language course while pursuing a bachelors degree at UNM. And it eventually led me to attend Dallas Theological Seminary where I met and married my beautiful bride Aimee and graduated with a Master of Arts in Christian Education in 2013.
Through God’s providence we find ourselves at UPBC where Aimee and I help with the youth. I also work as an oncology registered nurse at MD Anderson Cancer Center and I enjoy coffee, reading, lifting weights, watching movies with my wife and the occasional camping trip.
Shawn Evans
Bio coming soon…
Marlin Encarnacion
Marlin was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and lived there until 2014 when he moved to the the U.S. with his parents. He did not grow up in a christian household but by the grace of God he was born again at the age of 17. Two of his closest friends invited him to church to hear the good news of the gospel, which made him aware of his dire need for a savior, as God granted him faith to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. After graduating from college in NY, he moved to the Houston area in 2021 and has been attending UPBC, where he enjoys serving and encouraging the Lord's people.
Tony Kolluri
Bio coming soon…
Daniel Suello
Bio coming soon…
STAFF
Daylon Piper, Pastoral Assistant
I was raised in Broussard, Louisiana, in a Christian home. Although I heard the Gospel often I didn’t truly understand it until high school, when I truly excepted Christ and acknowledged Him as Lord. Afterward, I felt a call to ministry, so attended HCU. I’ve completed 5-year BA-MDiv program, receiving a Bachelors's in Christianity and a Master’s of Divinity. I attended BCR for a bit in 2019-2020, then I began interning at UPBC for the next 3 years. I am currently serving as a pastoral assistant, overseeing youth ministry.
Gabby Zacamitzin, Administrative Assistant
Gabby Zacamitzin was raised in Grand Prairie, Texas, and occasionally attended church growing up. It wasn’t until high school that she began to seriously explore questions about faith and what it truly meant to follow Jesus. During her time at Houston Christian University, she was discipled and grew in her understanding of Scripture and what it looks like to have a personal relationship with Christ. This journey led her to place her faith in Jesus at the end of her freshman year. After graduating, Gabby sensed a call to ministry and went on to serve in camp ministry in both Georgia and Brazil, as well as in college ministry at HCU. She now serves at UPBC as the Administrative Assistant. In her free time, Gabby enjoys playing games, making music, and spending time with friends.