Christ is the Head of the Church
Jesus Christ—Son of God, Son of Man, God from God, and Light from Light, Messiah and Redeemer: His name means, “The Lord saves.” He is referred to as “Immanuel”, which means, “God with us.” These two names show us God’s plan for saving and redeeming mankind: God would come to us to save us. The writer to the Hebrews describes Jesus’ divine nature, His role in history and His present ministry in this way: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Heb 1:3 NIV)
Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone who is the only begotten Son of the Living God. Through Him, all who come to Him by faith and repent of their sins, receive forgiveness through Christ’s death on the Cross and live in newness of life through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor: Dr. Brett Travis, Bishop, Diocese of Knoxville and Region of Southern Appalachia. Bishop Travis is also the Military Endorser for the AOCC Ordinariate of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy in North America.
Email: bretttravis@comcast.net
Office #: 865-661-1418
Dr. Brett Travis has been in the ministry for over 40 years, first ordained in the Southern Baptist Church in 1984. Having his Masters of Divinity, he was mentored through the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church to read for Holy Orders from 1995-99 to become an ordained deacon in the American Orthodox Catholic Church (AOCC) in 1999, ordained priest in 2000 and consecrated a bishop in the AOCC on December 6th, 2024. Fr. Brett has a PhD degree in Clinical Christian Psychology and a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Liberty University and University of Kentucky. He pastored churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Hawaii, Belgium, Germany. He retired in 2008 after spending 24 years on active duty as US Army Chaplain.
Fr. Brett is the Rector of Emmaus Abbey Church of Knoxville, TN and Executive Director of Emmaus Center for Christian Counseling located in Karn’s, TN. On December 6th, 2024, Archbishop Roger Paul Willingham consecrated Fr. Brett Travis to serve as Bishop for the Diocese of Knoxville & Province of Southern Appalachia. He is also part of the House of Bishops (HOB) or the AOCC Synod. He will assist the bishop by providing leadership and ministry beyond the local parish overseeing church planting, commission on ministry, missions, evangelism and discipleship ministries.
He has served many congregations in Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Hawaii, Maryland, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Sinope, Turkey, Heidelburg, Germany, Casteau, Belgium and Tacoma, Washington. Upon retiring, he pastored two Anglican churches one in North Carolina and one in Knoxville before accepting a position with Alpha, USA. He developed the Alpha basic courses for the military as the Director for Military Alpha (A4M). He then started Emmaus Center for Christian Counseling a (501C3) non-profit ministry in 2011.
Community: Believing that community service is an integral part of being a priest and Christian counselor, Brett and his church has volunteered significant time, sharing Christ with indigent persons, Vet to Vet Tennessee and the Knoxville Regional Veterans Mental Health Council, Angelic Ministries and other agencies in Knoxville area. He has provided hundreds of pro-bono hours in following areas of counseling: addiction, suicide prevention, emotional, grief, anger management and relational problems. Dr. Travis also is a mentor and counselor to other pastors and family’s dealing with stress in ministry.
Education: Doctorate Christian Clinical Psychology, Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary; Masters of Divinity, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Masters of Clinical Counseling, Liberty University; Bachelors in Psychology & Respiratory Therapy; University of Kentucky and commissioned in 1977 as 2LT through UKROTC- as a Medical Service CORPS Officer. Fr. Brett completed his studies through the Orthodox Church completing his ordination into priesthood in 2001. Brett holds credentials and licensure through the NCCA as Licensed Advanced Certified Clinical Pastoral Counselor in Marriage and Family Counseling, Diplomat NCCA as Clinical Supervisor for Emmaus Abbey and Center for Christian Counseling, a Certified Academic Institution for National Christian Counseling Association, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Wayne B. Lewis, BA, MA
Colorado Theological Seminary
Associate Pastor Emmaus Abbey Church, Knoxville
NCCA Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor
Specialty: Individual Counseling: Couples and Men dealing with Crisis, Emotional Issues
Contact Email @: boydlewis361@gmail.com
PH# 865-304-5648 | 931-691-9074
Fr. Wayne was ordained into the priesthood in 2013 and served as Rector of St. Phillips the Evangelist Church until coming to Emmaus Abbey Church in 2020. He is in private practice as a NCCA Licensed Pastoral Counselor and serves on American Orthodox Catholic Church (AOCC) national board of directors as the secretary for the AOCC House of Bishops, New York.
He served as a Chaplain Assistant in U.S. Marine CORPS for 26 years before retiring in 2011. He deployed and completed several tours in middle-east and has extensive understanding of veteran’s issues when dealing with PTSD, anxiety, depression and relational issues with men and women in uniform. He is available weekly for counseling, consultations and hearing confessions.
He is married to Heather who also works with him in counseling and has four children. He enjoys writing music, playing the guitar and traveling.
Matt Rankin: Vice president/Emmaus Abbey Board of Directors
Licensed Liturgical Minister
Matt is the CEO of American Water Solutions, Indiana. He was born in Iceland when his father was stationed overseas in the Navy. He partly grew up in Oregon and then Maryland after the Navy transferred his father to NSA. After graduation he began attending Washington College in Washington DC. During this time, he held several management positions with Home Depot, including Auditor, Investigator, and Store Mgr. He presently is the GNC Regional Director for 30 stores in the East Tennessee region. He met Misty his wife and got married in 2003 and they have three sons & two daughters.
Misty was born in Lexington, Kentucky and is definitely a southern bell. Her father was an Army Chaplain and missionary and so she is a military and missionary kid (MK) and raised, well pick a state or country. While her father was stationed overseas and in Europe, she claims Hawaii and Germany were her favorite places to live. She loves music, playing the drums and she is actively looking for other musicians to start a praise and worship band for the church. While attending college in Catonsville, Maryland (UMBC) she played drums in an orchestra in a large church and started playing in a Christian band semi-professionally which cut a couple of CD’s.
She attended University of Maryland Baltimore Campus (UMBC), Catonsville, MD. Receiving her bachelor’s degree in psychology and biology. During this time, she met Matthew, her husband and married in 2003. They now have five children and live in Knoxville, TN. She is the SR for East Tennessee to develop and plant Home Schools in East Tn region. She directs our music program and is committed to prayer and starting a young women’s life group.
Pamela Travis, RN, BA, MA in Christian Counseling
NCCA Licensed Pastoral Counselor
AOCC Commissioned Minister in Counseling
Specialty: Young adult girls & Women’s Ministry, Assisting women with emotional issues
Contact Pam @: Ptravis53@yahoo.com
Contact Office: 865-661-1418
Pam was raised in a small church where her father was the music minister. After attending college for a year, she married her husband, Brett. Six years later they had two daughters. Over the past forty years she has traveled extensively throughout the United States and overseas as a home missionary.
During this time, she has raised a family worked as a psychiatric nurse and conducted ministry primarily with women and children. She has over twenty-two years’ experience in psychiatric and geriatric nursing.
Pam is a graduate of Kentucky State University school of Nursing, AAS; Cornerstone University (BA); Bachelor’s in Christian Counseling; working on Master’s Degree in Counseling from Colorado Theological Seminary. She is a graduate of St. Jude, Parish Nurse Program; Licensed Liturgical Minister, Diocese of G. Her affiliations: Tennessee Association for Nursing, National Christian Counselors Association (NCCA), Sarasota Academy of Christian Counselors (SACC).
Mrs. Nichole Zawisza, LLM, BA, MA
NCCA Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor
AOCC Commissioned Minister of Counseling
Specialty: Children, Youth and Women’s Ministries
Contact Nichole @ Email: nmzawizsa@gmail.com
Ph#: 865-201-6752
Nichole was born and raised in Northern Michigan. Her father retired from the U.S. Air Force and became a Methodist pastor and missionary which qualifies her as a missionary kid (MK) and well versed in what it means to have lived all over these United States. Her passion was music in high school and college. She is a great resource for women dealing with religious abuse, counseling clergy wives about ministerial stress, and single mothers with children dealing with reading disorders.
She is a Licensed Liturgical Minister (LLM), through the American Orthodox Catholic Church (AOCC) and organizing small groups for women dealing with stress, depression and parents needing training in parenting skills. Among her many talents in the ministry, she loves conducting missions, sewing, substitute teaching. She has raised four daughters, all college graduates, three are married, one teaching in Oakridge high school, one in doctoral program at LMU. So, she has done very well in managing her children and help others who are struggling with their children. She is married to Mr. Tim Zawisza who is an avid runner and men’s bible teacher. He is on the parish council for Emmaus Abbey Church.