Compassion Connect Staff

Milan Homola

Executive Director

Milan and his wife,Tara moved to Portland to attend Multnomah University and have since fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. They came from the midwest.  In the fall of 2005 God put it on Milan's heart to work with Gary Tribbett and Clear Creek Community Church. They had a shared value of seeing the churches work together to serve.

Milan and Tara have made Portland their home and they currently have two beautiful daughters. They enjoy getting outside as much as possilbe (most people do when they come from the midwest to the pacific nw).  They make camping a priority in the summers and love spending time with close friends.

They are blessed with the awesome responsibility to carry out God's calling on their lives at both Clear Creek Community Church and Compassion Connect.

Gary Tribbett

President of the Board

The joy of Gary Tribbett's life comes from his wife of nearly four decades. That joyful partnership in life and ministry has blessed them with two incredible daughters, their amazing husbands and seven awesome grandchildren.

To love and serve Jesus is the passion of Gary's heart. Jesus' plan to bring grace to people from all walks of life motivates his life and career as a pastor of Clear Creek Community Church, where he has served since its foundation in 1994. God's preparation for Gary's ministry includes twenty-five years in electronics, process control technology and management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biblical Literature and Master of Divinity degree from Multnomah University and is nearing completion of a Doctor of Ministry at Western Seminary.

For Gary, ministry is God at work in the world through the one Church. As Christians work together in harmony, divine strength builds the kingdom of God one soul at a time. As a visionary, this philosophy is foundational for Gary as he looks for every opportunity to advance God's grace in the world.

David Knepprath

Volunteer Director of Housing

After serving at Nightstrike underneath the Burnside Bridge in 2006, David realized the Church is bigger then a building on Sunday. However, it a took countless more nights under the bridge to realize the Church is about more then just Sunday morning and Friday night. He discovered "his" life was not something he could just plug Christianity into (a church service, speaking Christienese, a bible study, or a service opportunity) and get what he wanted.

His experiences led him to serve on staff with Bridgetown ministries in 2007-2008 and is finishing his Social Science degree at PSU. David is currently pursuing what it looks like to completely release every aspect of his life to glorify God - leaving behind the life that he was born into as an American - and to discover what it is like to follow Jesus as a part of His beautiful Bride, the Church, out of which everything else flows.

Dr. Constant Lu

Volunteer Director of Dental

As a dentist since 1995, Constant Lu had participated in short-term healthcare outreaches in places like Mexico and the Philippines. But then, in 2005, when he helped at a local outreach in Gresham, Oregon, he saw the need for local low-cost healthcare, when large numbers of patients needed to be turned away due to overcapacity.

Since then, he has joined with Compassion Connect to help fulfill the mission to bring the love of Jesus Christ to our local communities, by empowering them with tools and resources necessary for effective dental outreaches. His work is supported by his life partner and wife, Erlyn, who is a dentist from the Philippines.

Constant received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Washington in 1990, and his Doctorate in Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) from Creighton University in 1995. Since then, he has established and operated a solo dental practice in Vancouver, Washington. He also plays keyboard and sings for his church worship team, and has been a board member of several non-profit groups. He especially enjoys spending time with his wife and his son, Isaac, traveling and participating in various sports.

Elizabeth Railton

Volunteer Director of Medical

Liz has a heart for those who are hurting physically, emotionally and mentally. With the tenderness that Christ has given her for these people, she has been able to use her nursing skills in other countries as well as here in the United States. Whether it is at home with her husband, friends, people at the grocery store, fellow nurses, or the housekeepers at work, she sees each person as uniquely created, valued and loved by Jesus. This makes it an honor for her to work with others on making Compassion Connect successful.

Shinji Mae

Executive Assistant

Shinji has lived in Portland metro since 1989. He has graduated from Concordia University, Portland, with degrees in Behavioral Science and Missions along with an exchange studies of Culture and Social Studies at Japan Lutheran College, Tokyo, Japan. After earning the Master of Divinity at Multnomah University, he has worked at numbers of local non-profit organizations. His passion is to serve the people whom Christ has particularly cares in such a way that He uses Compassion Connect to bring His message and compassion to them.

Shinji is married to Vanessa and has a son, Isaac. They enjoy music-full lifestyle. Shinji teaches music at local churches and classes to train new generations of young worship leaders with historical methodology of music varying from classical music to rock music.

Jennifer Nash

ACI Program Director

Originally from Corvallis, Jennifer moved to Los Angeles to study Psychology at Biola University. She received her Master in Social Work from California State University, Long Beach in 2005. She spent the next four years working with a small non-profit organization focused on empowering leaders from at risk neighborhoods to take ownership of the changes they wanted to see in their community. She has experienced first hand how powerfully God can use committed relationships in creating transformation in people’s lives.

Having recently relocated to Portland, Jennifer is happy to be back in the Northwest and relishes being close to family. She is excited to join the Compassion Connect team who has such a clear calling to help churches engage their local communities.

Compassion Connect Board of Directors

Lindsay Coppinger

Board Member

My husband Roy and I, both officers in the Air Force, have three grown children all living in the Portland area. I’ve been an active member of Cedar Mill Bible Church where missions has been my primary focus for over 30 years. After being a volunteer for the Westside Compassion Clinic, I was challenged to take on a leadership position for the new Compassion Beaverton Clinic last year. I was honored to be asked to serve on the Compassion Connection board, and my enthusiasm grows out of the importance they place on Christ, unity of the local church, and outreach to those most in need within the community. Through what appears to be harsh negative economic factors, The Lord, in His sovereign timing, has developed opportunities of serving our community in His name. Serving with Compassion Connect has been inspirational as I’ve seen first hand the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on unifying the participating churches and the giftedness and enthusiasm of their volunteers

Dr. Roger Trautmann

Board Member

Dr. Trautmann is the director of internships and Dean of Students at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, OR. He is married and has three adult children and a whole group of grandkids. He spent many years as a pastor in both California and Washington. Along the way he got involved with a ministry that develops pastors in Africa, and he has since gone every year for 13 years to teach the bible with African pastors. He is a life-long learner and strong discipler of the next generation.

Dave Mattson

Board Member

Dave is a Portland area business man who has spent years serving on non-profit boards. He has a heart to see Christ centered non-profits operate with excellence. Dave has a willingness to get involved in ministry that is new and to share strong vision with others.

Dr. Bob Sayson

Board Member

Dr. Sayson is the director of Good News Community Health Center, a local free medical clinic in Gresham, OR that is Christ centered. He has a family and is a grandfather. He first served at Compassion Rockwood in 2006 and brought a heart of prayer and outreach to the team. He has since motivated hundreds to step out and serve God outside the boundaries of the status quo.

Bill Russell

Board Member

Bill Russell is the director of the Union Gospel Mission in Portland, OR. He has a heart to see deep relational theology enrich the way that ministry is carried out in a non-profit setting. He has brought years of experience with Prison Fellowship Ministry and UGM. Bill has a real gift of investing in the next generation of Christ centered leaders in the non-profit world.