Staff
Pastoral Staff
Rev. Neal Neuenschwander
Pastor, Head of Staff
Neal came to First Pres in
October 2004, and he blesses us with great preaching, challenging
leadership, and sensitive caring.
Neal sees himself filling four primary roles in the church. As a leader, he works to build a common vision, strong teams, and specific measurable goals. As a preacher, "I love to mobilize God's people to reach great ends. I emphasize practical applications, but I also cherish deep analysis of the original biblical text, and I often translate key words from the Hebrew or Greek. I enjoy success stories, and my favorite illustrations describe people who overcame great obstacles in order to achieve." As a coach, he suggests ideas that have worked in other places, while respecting unique needs. To gain this wide perspective, he has interviewed leaders of outstanding churches, as well as attending major conferences on leadership and church systems. As a caregiver, he shares Christ's compassion through counseling, visitation, and correspondence. He writes, " I love learning people's stories and honoring their contributions to Christ's work within and beyond the church."
Above all, Neal seeks to show that "the love of Christ is real. When you're sick, it brings food to the door. When you're bruised, it brings tenderness. When you're confused, it brings truth. When you're stuck, it brings freedom. When you're discouraged, it brings hope."
Rupert Loyd
Lay Minister of Visitation
Rupert spent 30 years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, eventually reaching the rank of captain. He commanded two ships, a destroyer and a radar picket. During this period, he also developed a strong faith in Jesus Christ and a desire to share this faith with others. Following his service in the Navy, Rupert worked briefly in the private sector. Then, he served as our Business Manager for 10 years. During retirement, Rupert has devoted his efforts to pastoral care and spiritual development, visiting the sick, calling on visitors, teaching Bible Studies, and leading our Wednesday night prayer group.
Office Staff
|
Shirley Snow Office Manager
|
Martha Bodlovich Financial Manager
|
Shirley's
is usually the voice you hear when you call the church. She
keeps everything running smoothly and is a wonderful central
communicator of all things First Pres San Pedro. Shirley
also coordinates the calendar and produces the weekly
bulletin used in worship. And, in her spare time, she
publishes the monthly church newsletter, The
Fisherman, keeping even far-flung friends of the church
up-to-date.
Martha
handles the cold hard cash: she records the church's income
and pays the bills (on time!). She reports on the status of
the church's finances, providing regular reports to the
Session, as well as sending out giving summaries to
indvidual members.
Music Staff
|
Allan Petker Director of Music allan.petker@firstpressanpedro.org
|
Organist
|
|
Lesley Sirianni Director of Youth Choirs
|
Emily Anderson Director of Angel & Cherub Choir
|
|
Dianne Bettis & Sandy DeLossa Contemporary Music Coordinators
Sandy DeLossa is the co-coordinator of Sunday morning worship service. Sandy and her husband Rob were married at First Pres in 1991 and have been members ever since. In the past, Sandy has played with the Chapel Bells and was once the Cherub Choir Director. She is often assisted in administrative duties by daughters Natalie and Robyn. |
Nan Roberts Director of the Chapel Bells
|
|
Rob Klopfenstein Worship Service Pianist
|
Craig Preston Youth Choir Accompanist
|
Allan orchestrates all the music ministries.
He directs the Chancel Choir (the adult choir), in diverse
styles of music ranging from Renaissance to modern. He
is also a nationally-known composer and
When not delighting us with his playing, 
Lesley directs the SonLight Singers for high schooler students,
Director of King's Chorus for middle schoolers, and Gospel
Gang for upper elementary age kids. Lesley is a music
teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and has
a passion for putting together great musicals and shows,
and the kids have a blast!
Emily Anderson directs the Angel and Cherub Choirs for age three through second grade. She started the children's choirs at First Presbyterian Church two decades ago. She recently returned after a seven year absence and still has the knack for having fun with these cute little ones while getting them coordinated enough to perform and for the congregation. She places the emphasis on musical fun, teaching; morals, biblical stories and scripture.
Dianne Bettis grew up here in San Pedro, where she attended Dana Middle School and San Pedro High. She became acquainted with our church through her daughter, Kelsey, who participates in our children's choirs. Dianne joined our chancel choir in 1997 and our praise team in 2001. Now, she and Sandy Delossa co-direct this ministry.
Before moving to San Pedro, Nan led a large hand bell choir at the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills for 15 years. Here in San Pedro, she directs bell choirs for 2 churches and has been a faithful member of this church for many years. Nan received her educational training at Occidental College and she served for 17 years as the pre through elementary school Principal at the Granada Hills Church. Together with her husband, Bill, Nan helped the San Pedro Bay Historical Society furnish, restore and preserve the 100 year old Muller House Museum, the former home of a prominent ship builder in our community.
Craig has accompanied our youth and children's choirs for a number of years. A native of Torrance, Craig received a full scholarship to USC and California School of the Arts in Valencia. He accompanied the choir at a Grandview Methodist Church in San Pedro, and he is now the staff accompanist for Cal State University in Dominguez.Student Ministries Staff
|
Karen Ceaser Director of Youth Ministries
|
Randi Bender and Todd Walter Youth Worker
|
Karen is passionate about sharing the gospel of
Jesus, and especially enjoys teaching and reaching out to
middle school, high school, and college students. She has
tons of energy and lots of ideas, and the students really
appreciate her.
Randi Bender is a life-long member of First Pres, where she was active in the children's choirs and the youth group of our church. After graduating from college at Fresno State, she took an accounting job in Central California, where she met her husband, Todd Walter. Todd is a native of Washington state. Eventually, Randi brought him to Southern California, where both continued in the accounting field. After reconnecting with our church through the Alpha program in 2006, they volunteered for several youth projects, eventually joining our staff.
Children's Education Staff
|
Sue Headley Coordinator of Church School and Vacation Bible School Sue is great at organizing and keeping track of lots of details--and she has lots of patience and persistence. These are excellent qualities for this job, as she works with lots of volunteer teachers and lots and lots of kids. She also applies her joy and love, as only a grandmother can! |
|
|
Sharon McLachlan Toddler Room Coordinator
|
Dolores Teuber Nursery Room Coordinator
|
Sharon McLachlan grew up her in San Pedro, where she attended Dana Middle School and San Pedro High. She joined our church in 2005 (after visiting for several years), and soon became involved in ministry to kids. Her smiling face is a welcome sight to many children in our church.
Dolores has volunteered in our nursery for more than 37 years. Even though she has 5 children and 6 grandchildren of her own, she still loves babies, and she can't wait to greet them in our chuch. She has also worked with her husband in the insurance industry, and she volunteers for Meals on Wheels.
Please send updates and you can help with the site
Page Last Updated: Sat Mar 29, 2008