Our Staff
Chris Ekins
Lead Pastor & Mission
Chris Ekins is married to Sharon, and they have three kids (Caleb, Hannah and Chloe). He loves Jesus, teaching the Bible and fishing. Chris finished his Bachelor of Theology at Moore Theological College in 1996; served on the staff of St Faith's Anglican Church at Narrabeen from 1996-2008, and moved to Forster in 2009 with some mates to plant CoastEC in 2009. Chris leads our staff team and oversees our purpose area of Mission. Chris' passion is to see more people come to know Jesus and to grow in their love for him as they encounter Him in God's Word. His vision is for CoastEC to start several more churches on the Mid-North Coast of NSW.
Chris’ day off is Tuesday.
Dev Blair
MATURITY & MINISTRY pastor
Dev Blair joined the team in Jan 2013. He's married to AJ, and they have four kids (Kaylee, Judah, Summer and Crosby). Before moving to Forster, Dev worked in Christian camping ministry for 10 years focusing on leadership development and team dynamics. Dev then completed his Bachelor of Theology at SMBC. He oversees our purpose areas of Maturity, where he is responsible for looking after our Coast Group community and their leaders, and also Ministry, where he oversees, equips and trains our serving teams. He also leads our focus areas of Mens' Ministry, Youth Ministry and our GAP Year and MAP Programs. His desire is to see every member of CoastEC growing in Christlikeness and deepening their love for God and His beautiful Word! He loves rugby, meat and looking like Brad Pitt.....or Ryan Gosling, depending on the angle.
Dev’s day off is Saturday.
Heather Fitzhardinge
office manager
Heather joined the team in March 2015. She is married to Dave and they have 3 kids (Jackson, Ethan and Toby). She loves the beach and good coffee. Before moving to Forster in 2003, Heather was the office manager at Open Doors Australia. Heather is our Office Manager and works in the office 2 days a week trying to keep everyone organised!
Heather works Wednesdays and Fridays
Meg Graham
MAP & Membership
Meg moved up to Forster at the beginning of 2021 to do Coast EC’s Gospel Apprenticeship Program (GAP). Having lived in Wagga Wagga all her life, she has loved the coastal change (even though Wagga’s “beach” was named the 9th best in Australia…) and getting involved in various ministries at Coast, which have enabled her to deepen her faith and love for the Lord. Meg is currently in the midst of her third year of our Ministry Apprenticeship Program (MAP), which is a wonderful opportunity to dip her toes into full-time ministry. She is predominantly working alongside Chris in overseeing the Membership purpose area. Meg’s desire is for more people in our region to come to know their saviour and the joy that is found in following Him. She loves running, chai lattes, smoothie bowls and meeting new people!
Meg’s day off is Saturday.