Senior Minister on Sabbatical through October 31

Our Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Leslie Taylor, is on a well-deserved three-month sabbatical; she will return to us on November 1st refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated!

During her absence, the Elders will provide emergency care — please call Ellie McDougal to get the process started. Ellie will then contact Meg Sumowiec, the Chairperson of the Elders, as well as Audrey Barton, Commissioned Minister and Community Chaplain. Together, the three of them will be able to address any concern that comes up.

The preaching schedule during Pastor Leslie’s absence will be as follows:

• August: Jacob Perez will preach a sermon series entitled “Faith & Journey”

• September: Andrey Barton will preach each week

• October: We will have guest preachers from the General and Regional Church (Disciples of Christ)

  • October 4: Rev. Dr. April G. Johnson serves as the Minister of Reconciliation for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She brings a deep passion for racial understanding, justice, and compassion to this work. As Minister of Reconciliation, Rev. Dr. Johnson facilitates the church-wide process of awareness, analysis, and action aimed at healing the fractures within the body of Christ caused by systemic racism. She collaborates with organizer trainers, regional and congregational staff leadership, anti-racism teams, and ecumenical partners in her efforts to guide this work. Rev. Dr. Johnson has added mediation to the toolbox of Anti-Racism skills and practices in the church's pursuit to embody a Pro-Reconciling identity. In her capacity as both pastor and administrator, Rev. Dr. Johnson emphasizes the importance of building relationships across differences as one of the critical waysthat we actualize God's plan for humanity and creation.

    She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, her Master of Divinity from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and her Doctor of Ministry from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. Rev. Dr. April enjoys writing, expanding her cultural competence through personal travel, and spending time with her growing family. Rev. Dr. April is a native of Chicago, Illinois.

  • October 12: Rev. Melissa St. Clair, Minister for Faith and Giving and Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Giving. Melissa comes with 16 years of congregational experience in Disciples congregations, most recently serving as Senior Pastor of Heart of the Rockies Christian Church (Disciples of Christ} in Et. Collins, CO. Melissa has also served on the Board of Stewards of the Center for Faith and Giving and as a leader for Bethany Fellows.
    
    Melissa has led the congregations she has served in adopting wise stewardship practices, experiencing successful capital campaigns, and entering into innovative partnerships to serve not only the congregation but the community. She has a personal commitment to a life of generosity and is excited to welcome a diversity of voices to the table.

    Melissa says, "Generosity is foundational to our faith. The Center for Faith and Giving's tools and tenets have imbued that spirit into the congregations I've served. I'm eager to build on the strengths of this ministry and shepherd it into a sustainable future."

    Rev. St. Clair began serving in this role on August 26, 2024. Rev. Bruce Barkhauer, the first "Minister for Faith and Giving for Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)" who was called in 2010, retired August 31 2024.

  • October 19: Rev. Monica Myers Greenberg is vice president of the Christian Church Foundation's Mountain West zone and the Canada Region, which includes the area from Colorado to Northern California and north to Alaska.

    Rev. Myers Greenberg is a graduate of Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia, and Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. Originally from Ohio, she served congregations in the Northern Lights Region for 21 years before joining the Foundation staff in 2021. She shares, "I look forward to partnering with people who love the church and have a passion for ensuring, through their own generosity, that the church's faith and witness will continue for many years to come." Monica resides in Seattle, Washington, with her son and their dog.

  • October 26: Rev. Dr. LaTaunya Bynum was called to serve as Regional Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California-Nevada in August 2014 and began her work in the Regional Church in October 2014. A native of Los Angeles, her family moved to Compton, where she graduated from Compton High School. She is also a graduate of Chapman College (Bachelor of Arts) and The School of Theology of Claremont (Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry). She was ordained September 14, 1980, at her home church, United Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Los Angeles, in the Pacific Southwest Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).