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About San
Marino Community Church
Church Staff
Rev. Jeffrey
V. O'Grady, Pastor
A native of Minnesota, where the "call" to ministry was first
discerned. Rev. O'Grady attended the University of Minnesota, Luther Seminary,
and Princeton Theological Seminary, preparing for ministry in the Presbyterian
Church (USA) and receiving ordination in 1988. After serving congregations in
Minnesota and California, he returned to Princeton Seminary in 1995 where he
served as the Dean of Student Affairs for the past eight years, before receiving
a call as the Pastor of San Marino Community Church. He and his wife Lynn have
three children: Molly, Meghan and Ryan.
E-Mail:
Rev. Karen Womer
Berns,
Associate Pastor
Karen comes to us with her
Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological
Seminary. Most recently she served as the Associate
Pastor of Pleasant Hills Community P.C. in
Pittsburgh, PA, focusing on small groups and adult
spiritual formation. Many of us know her from the 17
years spent as Associate Pastor at La Canada
Presbyterian Church serving in diverse ministries,
including pastoral care through Stephen Ministries
and Deacons. As former chaplain of Vitas Innovative
Hospice, Karen ministered to dying patients and
their families and continues caring for the bereaved
through grief support groups . She serves as a
speaker for church renewal and sits on the U.S.
Board of "Discover the World" supporting AIDS
orphans in Kenya. Karen and her husband Don have two
children, Jason and Joy.
E-Mail:
Tom Bousman, Minister of Visitation
Dr. Bousman is Pastor Emeritus of the Santa Paula
Presbyterian Church in Ventura County.
Ordained by the Presbytery of San Barbara in 1953,
he served the Santa Paula congregation for 41 years.
He has been Interim Associate Pastor of the Palm
Desert Community Presbyterian Church since 1997.
Dr. Bousman is a graduate of the College of Wooster
in Ohio and McCormick Theological Seminary in
Chicago. He earned the degree of Doctor of
Ministry from the San Francisco Theological
Seminary.
E-Mail:
Charlene Jin Lee,
Director of Christian Education
A California native, Charlene attended
the University of California, Irvine, where she graduated with a BA in Political
Science. With a Masters in Education from Harvard, Charlene soon became
passionate about education and its possibilities for the Church and is a Ph.D.
candidate in Christian Education at Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian
School of Christian Education in Richmond, VA. Charlene has been involved
in many ministries, including the serving as Children’s Pastor at a 5,000 member
congregation in Anaheim, written Bible study materials for local churches and
devotional publications, has traveled through the United States training
teachers, and is a popular speaker at children’s retreats. Married to
James Lee, an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian
Church, they have two children.
E-Mail:
Skip Ober Miller, Business Manager
Skip graduated from Bethany Theological Seminary in
1993 and quickly discovered his calling to church
administration. Skip has served as co-pastor of
South Bay Community Church of the Brethren in
Redondo Beach and as administrator at Westminster
Presbyterian Church in Pasadena. He joined the staff
in March 2004.
Email:
Glenn DeLange,
Chancel Choir Director
Dr. DeLange is a
graduate of California State University, Los Angeles
where he earned a Masters Degree in Music. Dr.
DeLange also holds a doctorate in Educational
Leadership from the University of La Verne and
currently serves as the Dean of Arts and Letters at
Mira Costa College. He joined the SMCC staff
in 1995.
E-Mail:
Lisa Edwards,
Organist
Lisa Edwards is a
graduate of North Texas State University in Piano
and Organ Performance. She received her Master's
Degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts from USC with
honors. Ms. Edwards is also the pianist for the Los
Angeles Master Chorale.
E-Mail:
Debra Edwards, Director of Children's Music Education
Debbie has been the Children's Choir Director
since 2000, and prior to that she taught early childhood music classes at SMCC
Preschool and continues to teach music for Vacation Bible School. A
graduate from UCLA, she is currently one of the elementary music teachers at
Mayfield Junior School in Pasadena.
E-Mail:
Stephanie Hutchinson, Accompanist, Bell Choir Director
Dr. Stephanie Hutchinson, Hand Bell Director, is a pianist and teaches piano and
voice. Her BM, MM, and DMA degrees are from USC. She joined the staff in 1998.
E-Mail:
Nancy Swanson,
Nursery School Director
Nancy is a graduate of Macalester College, St.
Paul, Minnesota, and has been Director since 1986.
E-Mail:
Noel Snyder, Seminar
Intern for Worship and Music
Raised in
Michigan, Noel sensed a call to ministry in high
school and attended Hope College where he pursued a
double major in Music and Philosophy. He has
been active in a variety of ministries, including
many years working at summer camp with children who
have special needs.
Noel
is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity at
Fuller Seminary and has been received by session as
an Inquirer to the Presbytery of San Gabriel.
His main responsibility will be to serve as the
Seminary Intern for Worship and Music.
Email:
Debbie Turner,
Administrative Assistant for Finance and Membership
Debbie grew up in Illinois, Kentucky and North
Carolina before moving to California in the late
1970's. Her education includes a B.S. in Textiles
and Merchandising and extensive coursework toward
her MBA. Debbie's non-profit experience includes
service on the board of the Pasadena Civic Ballet
Company, as a member of the Altadena Guild of
Huntington Memorial Hospital, and as an active
member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in
Pasadena where she plays with the handbell choir and
serves as President of the WPC Foundation. Debbie
joined the staff on a temporary basis during the
summer of 2005 and assumed financial and membership
duties in January 2006.
Email:
Lee Mantilla,
Administrative Assistant for Publications
Ligia (Lee) Mantilla was born in Colombia, South
America and came to the States in her early
twenties. She has lived in New York, New Orleans,
and California. Prior to joining the SMCC staff in
2002, Lee worked for Southern California Edison
Company for 23 ½ years and has a certificate in
Desktop Publishing. Lee's main responsibilities are
all printed materials, including the weekly
bulletin, quarterly newsletter, and mailings.
Email:
Sharon Grosshans,
Receptionist
Sharon earned her A.B. in Environmental Design from
San Diego State University. She lives in Pasadena with her husband has two sons
currently attending college. She has worked in design, retail management, and as
an equitation instructor. Presently she is Co-President of the San Marino Area
Auxiliary of Five Acres, a child support organization. Sharon joined the church
staff in February 2006.
Email:
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