Meet our Staff
Pastor Glenn Phipps
Senior Pastor
Pastor Glenn and his wife, Farah, have been actively serving the Lord on the mission field in Japan since August of 2003. Having been sent out from Living Water Church in California, they started off in Okinawa, Japan serving full time first at Okinawa Christian School International where Glenn served as an assistant pastor under great and spiritual mentor, Pastor Rick Barnett. After 10 years of service in Okinawa, an opportunity arose for Pastor Glenn and his family to move to Iwakuni, Japan to continue a church plant that had been started in November of 2005. Sensing the Lord’s leading and guiding, Pastor Glenn and his family moved to Iwakuni, Japan in September of 2013 to serve the Lord and the body here at Calvary Chapel Iwakuni. Pastor Glenn loves the Body of Christ and finds great joy in serving Christ through the Body. He enjoys studying God’s Word and teaching it systematically verse by verse. He hopes to one day echo the words of the Apostle Payl who declared to the Ephesian elders, “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27). Pastor Glenn and his wife Farah have been blessed with five sons: Caleb, Jonah, Ethan, Boaz, and Titus.
Zulema Bywater
Children’s Ministry Director
Zulema Bywater first came to Calvary Chapel Iwakuni for a 3-month internship in January of 2019. She had been in a career in the health care industry, and felt God was calling her to change things up. While in Iwakuni, she served with the children’s ministry, women’s ministry, and various administrative tasks. After completing the internship and returning to California, she was asked to pray about taking a full-time position with the church as the Children’s Ministry Director. Sensing God was calling her in that direction, she returned to Japan on a religious activities visa in September of 2019 to serve at the church full time. While here, she met Jacob Bywater, and the two were married in December of 2020.
Rochella Shonfelt
Office Assistant
Chella Shonfelt first arrived at Calvary Chapel Iwakuni in May 2022, coming from the Philippines to work as a healthcare assistant in an elderly care facility. During her time here, served in the AV ministry, usher’s ministry, and children’s ministry.
In November 2023, God opened a door for her to work in the church as an office assistant, which was an answered prayer. This was especially timely as her son, EA, was moving from the Philippines to join her in Iwakuni.
In February 2024, Chella began to work full time at the church serving primarily in the role of office assistant and translator.
On April 28, 2025, Chella married her now husband, Ian Shonfelt, who she met at on Open Hearts, Open Homes event.
Andrew Donaldson
Office Administrator
Andrew, Maggie, and James Donaldson arrived in Iwakuni May 2021 on active-duty service with the Marine Corps where Andrew served as a Staff Judge Advocate with H&HS. Shortly after arriving in Japan, the Donaldsons began attending Calvary Chapel Iwakuni.
In 2022, Andrew began serving in the Japanese Ministry and felt a call to share the Gospel with the Japanese community around us. While attending an annual Calvary Chapel conference in Tokyo in 2023, Andrew felt the Holy Spirit guiding him away from his career in the Marine Corps and into a life of ministry here in Japan.
After separating from the Marine Corps, the Donaldsons returned back to Iwakuni in 2024 on Religious Activities Visas as missionaries and helping out at the church. Then, in January 2025, Andrew came onto staff as the Office Administrator and is also leading our Japanese Ministry.