Our Pastors
Carl Russell
Pastor/Elder Board of Directors/Member of Leadership Discernment Team
Carl Russell is the co-pastor of Heaven’s Door Ministry with Rose Coleman. A US veteran, he served in both the Marine Corps and the Air Force before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity. He pastored for more than 40 years, during which he completed a Doctor of Ministry and a Master of Arts in professional counseling. He has practiced Christian therapy for over a decade.
Throughout his ministry, he has been active in disaster relief nationwide and served as a chaplain and consultant with emergency services on stress and emotional trauma. His work centers on caring for the hurting in the community. In every place he served, he partnered with organizations to meet the physical, medical, mental, and spiritual needs of underserved populations.
He is also the founder of Life Hope Consulting Services, which supports organizations—particularly those responding to disasters and emergencies—by teaching courses on emotional trauma. He is a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and the New Mexico Crisis Support Team, which provides services to emergency personnel across the state.
Rose Coleman
Minister/Elder Board of Directors/Member of Leadership Discernment Team
As a Minister of the Gospel and Community Support Worker, God has given me the privilege of helping others just as help once came to me. After surviving childhood abuse and poverty, I spent 20 years trapped in addiction, homelessness, and drug‑induced mental illness. In my darkest moments—facing suicide attempts and torment—I turned fully to God, clinging to His Word. That surrender became the beginning of my healing. Step by step, He led me into freedom and restored my life by His mercy and grace. I now see how every part of my story brought me to His purpose, just as Romans 8:28 declares in the Bible.
In 2017 I began serving in a soup kitchen, ministering with my husband at God’s Warehouse and founding Heaven’s Door Ministry. After his passing in 2022, the ministry continued. I’ve co‑hosted a Bible talk show, earned certifications in mental‑health support, supervised a women’s recovery home, and now work alongside therapists providing CCSS services.
Today my life is filled with joy, family, and the eternal freedom I’ve found in Christ. I thank the Lord for all He has done and love sharing His hope with others.
Elder Board of Directors and Leadership Discernment Team
Ed Cook
Elder Board of Directors/Member of Leadership Discernment Team
For 20 years, Ed was the owner and operator of ServiceMaster Performance, the largest commercial cleaning company serving New Mexico. During his leadership, ServiceMaster grew from 100 employees to a company of 450 employees with $8.5 million in annual revenue. Ed sold the business in 2019 and joined Rachel in her vision for Community 5413 and Children’s Promise Centers—early childhood development centers in Albuquerque that work with more than two hundred families in the neighborhood. Rachel is Ed’s daughter.
Ed and Rachel founded the Albuquerque Leadership Foundation to strengthen and enrich the lives of families in the heart of the city, specifically in the International District. And through it, ALF has played a huge part in the establishment and development of HDM.
Ed was called to the International District and joined Heaven’s Door Ministry many years ago. Because of his calling to the neighborhood, and his passion for expanding God's kingdom, he serves on the Heaven’s Door board.
Mary Pennington
Elder Board of Directors/Member of Leadership Discernment Team
My name is Mary Pennington, and I became a child of the King on July 2, 1972, when I trusted Jesus Christ to save me. I repented of my sins and believed the promise of Romans 10:9–10,13. Jesus, God’s only Son, came from heaven, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again after three days. Through repentance and faith in Him, we receive forgiveness and eternal life.
I grew up in tiny Kirvin, Texas, the second of six children born to Ellis and Viola Latham. I had four sisters and one brother, and one sister, Angela, who lived only three days.
On June 18, 1971, I married Anthony Pennington. He was 20, I was 16, and soon after, we welcomed our son David, followed by our daughter Amy in 1975. Anthony promised my daddy I would finish school, and after both children were born, I earned my GED.
In 1975, Anthony surrendered to preach, and from then on, we served together in ministry—pastoring, church planting, missions, and chaplaincy across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. After moving back to Albuquerque in 2022, we reconnected with Ed Cook and joined the work of Children’s Promise Center, Heaven’s Door Ministry, and the Albuquerque Leadership Foundation.
In February 2024, we began chapel services at Encino Gardens. That same month, the Lord called Anthony home after his battle with cancer. After 53 wonderful years together, I miss him deeply, yet God continues to give peace. I will spend the rest of my life telling others about His love. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY JESUS!
Ty Ried
Elder Board of Directors/Member of Leadership Discernment Team
I am a Born-Again Christian, called to serve as a harvester in God’s field (Matthew 9:35–38). My life experiences and testimony have shaped a deep empathy for those facing struggles I have either overcome or walked through with loved ones.
Before coming to Christ, my identity was rooted in golf. I earned a Bachelor’s in Marketing Degree and an MBA in Business Management from New Mexico State University, became a Class A PGA Member, and achieved six professional victories and eight hole-in-ones. Yet my true identity is now found in Christ Jesus (Romans 15:7).
On December 1, 2019, I was baptized at a Full Gospel Pentecostal Cowboy Church in Texas, where I began serving in ministry and outreach. In 2021, after moving to Albuquerque and surrendering fully to God, I worked as a Case Manager in Christ-centered transitional homes for men released from prison. During this time, I earned certifications in Comprehensive Community Support Services and Criminal Justice MATRIX IOP Substance Abuse Programs, along with additional faith-based training.
Serving in ministry has become the greatest blessing of my life. Temporary pleasures have been replaced by daily joy through fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. I am grateful for the opportunity to both minister to others and be ministered to, guided by the Holy Spirit and anchored in God’s Word (Matthew 18:20).
Tom Wakefield
Member of Leadership Discernment Team
Back in 2000, I believed that Christianity was just a business. Then my mom passed away, and I was searching for spiritual truth. I didn’t get anywhere. But then I prayed. I prayed for extreme faith and day by day, my mind would ponder on something and then totally forget it. That night,not even thinking about what I had thought about earlier, I would open the Bible and there, I would read my answer. This kept happening several times in a row. I was telling people what was happening and people didn’t believe me, like you can’t do that. You can’t ask a question to God and then open the Bible and find your answer just like that. But that’s exactly what happened. It’s been 25 years and I’m still standing on that. And God still speaks through His Word! I believe that the Bible is the Word of God. And God will reach people however he wills to. So today, I believe that the Word of God is the absolute way to live, -every bit of it! I’m involved with a few different ministriesand one of them is Heaven's Door. I do communion and baptismal and I believe it should be done according to the word of God, and we shouldn’t take either one of them lightly. I’m honored that Heaven still allows me to do that.I’m also a Gideon and I go and hand out the most important thing that anybody could ever read, -The Word of God-,handing out Bible’s to students in the Albuquerque area and beyond.