About Us
Meet the Pepitons
Cory Pepiton
Cory & Lori have been married for 27 years and have lived in 6 states. Alaska has been home for 13 years. They have parented 15 children so far. 4 of whom are their forever children by birth and adoption. 4 were international exchange students. 6 foster kiddos, some as an OCS home and the rest as a therapeutic foster home. Their forever kids are a 21-year-old welder and small business owner, a 19-year-old sophomore business student, an 18-year-old firefighter/EMT, and a 17-year-old high school senior and veterinary technician student.
Cory & Lori felt the call to adoption in 2005 with the girls joining the family in 2008. In 2013 they began a joyful and educational 3 year period of welcoming 4 international students. By May 2016, they felt God had prepared them to begin welcoming foster children so began their training. In the fall of that year, they had their first TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) training and bemoaned having not learned it sooner. In 2018 they realized the needs of their foster kiddos were beyond the scope of traditional OCS support. They learned about therapeutic foster homes and began their training to make the shift.
Cory loves variety in most things, but his primary calling for the last 30 years has been working with students and their parents. It has taken different forms, but his heart has always been to see families succeed through their teen and college years.
Cory has been part of the pastoral team at Rabbit Creek Church since 2010. His most recent title is Pastor of Student Ministries and Campus Coordination. Previous roles have included: general manager of their church-based coffee shop and community center, and church campus pastor.
Previously Cory served as an Associate Pastor in Tyler, Texas for several years. Before that, he was in Christian camp and conference center management for 10 years. In seminary (NOBTS) and college Cory served as youth minister with 3 churches and has taught speech and debate with private schools and homeschool co-ops.
Lori Pepiton
Lori joined the pastoral team at Rabbit Creek Church as Children’s Minister in 2010 after being a stay-at-home mom during their children's early years.
Lori has partnered with Cory in all of his ministry roles, sometimes earning a wage. She used her management degree as an admin with USFilter in New Orleans, as Front Office Manager responsible for Reservations and Front Desk staff at Sandy Cove in Maryland, then as outside sales with the camp in Arkansas where motherhood became her primary focus.
Lori was ordained in 2015 and has grown from Children’s Pastor to Children & Families Pastor in the last few years. Lori has earned graduate certifications in ministry and begins her Master's work in Children’s, Youth, and Family Ministry at Bethel Seminary in August 2023.