Meet Our Pastors
Lead Pastor
Jake Merriman
Jake grew up near Sioux Falls, SD, and was blessed with two believing parents. He was saved early in life at a church camping retreat, and later sensed a call to ministry in his teenage years. He pursued equipping for this calling at The University of Sioux Falls and then through a Masters of Divinity program at Sioux Falls Seminary.
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He and his wife, Caroline, moved to Cheyenne in 2009 when he was called to CEFC as an Associate Pastor. Since that time, God has blessed them with 4 children, and helped them to grieve the loss of a stillborn son.
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Jake moved into the Lead Pastor role in 2017. His passion is to help all people hear God speaking through His Word so that they can know and follow Christ. His desire for CEFC is that it would increasingly be a place where people can experience the love of Christ, become family, mature in their faith, and get equipped to serve and to share the gospel.
Associate Pastor
Vincent Tomei
Vincent (Vin) Tomei comes to us from California, although he lived in Illinois and Philadelphia as a younger child. Raised by his Christian mother, Vin received Christ as Savior around age eight after his father's death. At 16, Vin surrendered to God's will for his life and sensed God's clear call to vocational ministry by his senior year of high school. His education includes a Bachelor of Liberal Studies Degree with a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential from Fresno State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Degree from San Jose State University, studying music composition, theory, and conducting. Most recently, Vin completed a Master's Degree in Worship Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, FL.
Vin and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 35 years and have three young adult sons and one daughter-in-law. Prior to serving as Associate Pastor at Cheyenne EFC, Vin served in worship ministry in several churches in California and Washington state. Vin and Cindy toured with the Continentals. Vin directed five tours throughout the U.S. and Europe. Vin's current pastoral responsibilities include worship, small groups, and
the servant leader team.