ELDER CANDIDATES | 2024

These three candidates have undergone nomination, application, dialogue, training, prayer & discernment and have unanimously been approved by Overlake's current board of elders to present to the congregation.

This is the final step of the process (not a vote) to see if anyone knows of a biblical reason why they should not be confirmed as an elder of Overlake. If over the next two weeks no biblical concerns are raised, they will be confirmed as elders on Sunday, September 22nd. Please share any concerns by September 19th by emailing the elder board.

We encourage you to get to know the candidates by reading their bios below. We are so grateful for the gifting within the entire Overlake family - great things are ahead!

  • JP O’Connor

    JP and Krista together with their three kids, Copeland (5), Mila (3), and Clark (1), have been attending OCC for the last two years. JP currently serves as a professor at Northwest University in Kirkland where he teaches Bible and theology. He earned his PhD and MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and has taught religion classes at Princeton Seminary, The College of New Jersey, and North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. He has published two books and over a dozen articles on ancient Judaism, Christianity, and Christian theology. A Washington native, JP has also served as a children’s pastor in Lakewood, Washington. 

    He loves running, reading, drinking coffee, watching Disney Pixar movies, and playing with his family at parks and playgrounds.

  • Reiko Aramaki

    I was born in Japan and grew up in Bellevue and Tokyo. I became a Christian at Sambica Camp in Bellevue when I was ten years old. I studied social work at UW, health policy at a graduate school in London, and then returned to the UW to get my nursing degree. I currently work part-time as a nurse for Swedish Medical Center. I’ve been married to my husband, Kelly, for almost 20 years. We have a daughter, Hannah, who is 16 years old and is a junior in high school. Our family started attending OCC three years ago. Since then, I’ve been involved with the Be the Bridge/Racial Justice ministry. I also facilitate a Grow Group and serve on the worship team. OCC has been such a blessing to our family and I’m excited to see God’s amazing plan continue to unfold in our church community!

  • Stephen Somuah

    I grew up in Ghana, went to college in New York, and after graduation, moved to Washington to work as a software engineer. I have lived in the area for about 11 years now, and OCC has been my church home for the last 10 years.

    I've served on the Student Ministries and Tech teams for most of my time here. Since getting married about 4 years ago, my wife, Rachel, has joined me at OCC where she also serves in Student Ministries. I enjoy playing basketball and watching the NBA, reading/listening to audio books, watching TV, playing video games, and eating desserts.

    I am honored to be considered for eldership and excited to be a part of the great work God is doing in and through OCC.