Vancouver United Church Of Christ

Brenda is the past Moderator for 2023 and she supports the current Moderator in whatever capacity is needed. This year she will help to draft changes to update the church handbook/policies after the personnel committee updates their section.

Brenda came to Vancouver UCC in 2015 when her nephew was looking for an inclusive and welcoming church to attend. She is a retired college instructor who spent her most recent tenure at Mt. Hood Community College for 22 years. She lives in Troutdale, OR, and enjoys working in her yard, as well as, cycling, reading, antiquing, and socializing with family and friends. She arrived in 1999 from Montana to be closer to her sister’s family after her niece and then nephew were born. Brenda loves the Pacific Northwest for the people and, strangely, the rain!

Jan is the Financial Secretary for the church and handles all monies coming into the church: pledges, offerings, donations, and income from building use and rentals. Annually, Jan prepares and distributes year-end giving statements to the congregation.

Jan started attending church in October of 2015 and joined Vancouver UCC in January 2016 with her husband. She is actively involved in many church activities that the church has to offer. She loves music and is an active choir member and has performed as a soloist many times for the church. Her favorite hymns are too numerous to count!

Steve, as Treasurer, is responsible for ensuring that all of the expenses for the church are paid in a timely manner. Monthly reports are provided to the Church Council and they are advised when there is a shortfall. Additionally, he handles payroll for church employees and submits all State and Federal entity reports that are required on a quarterly or annual basis.

Steve started attending Vancouver UCC in 2017 and became a member in 2018 after completing their move from Houston, Texas. In Houston, he served Grace UCC as a Licensed Minister. “In the Garden” an oldie, is a favorite hymn of his. Since becoming part of the UCC Steve has discovered several new hymns, such as “You Have Come Down from the Lakeshore,” and “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry,” which are quickly becoming new favorites.

Leslie is responsible for taking minutes for all Council and Congregational meetings and is the keeper of all records dealing with new members, births, deaths, weddings, and confirmations for the congregation. She has served in many Council positions over the past 35+ and this is her fourth term as Clerk.

In late 1987 she began attending the church and joined the church in 1988. Often she is sought out as the “Go To” person for information regarding church information and events and is a hearty “worker bee” that gets things done. Actively involved in church activities, she sings in the choir and is on staff as the Building Coordinator.

For 18 years Gina has been involved with Christian Education as a teacher. She has held various roles on the Christian Ed committee including secretary and lead and has served as the CE council representative for several terms. Currently, Christian Education’s effort/attention/focus (pick a word!) is on the children’s programs. Godly Play is our curriculum for elementary-age children and we support their mission: Making meaning through story, wonder, and play. Nurturing spiritual lives by honoring the centrality, competency, and capacity of children. Most recently for our 6^th–12^th graders a program has been developed based on the UCC lectionary calendar and a youth group is available for ages 12–18 for organized social activities outside of the church. Nursery care is also available for newborns to 4-year-olds (or whenever a child is ready to move to the elementary classroom). 

Fun fact: Growing up in this church has provided Gina with many fun and meaningful memories. Watching her children grow up in the inclusive and caring environment of this congregation has been a joyous experience for her.

Ken serves on our Communication, Personnel, and Safety committees at Vancouver UCC. The Communication Committee coordinates press releases to local newspapers, other printed media, and electronically such as the church website so the community is kept informed of recent events. He also works with personnel and safety.

Ken started attending Vancouver UCC in 1992. He transferred from a UCC church in Auburn, MA. He has held positions including Moderator after retiring from 40 years in book publishing as National Sales and Marketing Manager. Among his favorite hymns are those pertaining to Christmas. Ken enjoys many church social activities.

Kaye leads as the representative for worship. She works with a team to assist the pastor in creating a meaningful worship experience for congregants. Her group arranges and sets up the sanctuary and constantly reimagines the worship space. She and her team track banners, paraments, and candles and change sanctuary decorations to fit the liturgical seasons. She also coordinates with the Music Director, Pianist/Organist, and choir members to select appropriate music that compliments the sermons of the week.

Kaye joined Vancouver UCC in 1988. She is a multi-talented member of our church through her gift of piano playing and singing in the Chancel Choir. She also plays piano at MCC housed in the lower level of the church. Her favorite hymn is, “Draw the Circle Wide”.

Pat is responsible for the “extravagant welcome” for our newcomers. Our vision of “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here” comes alive through a newcomers brunch, introducing new people to the church, sharing spiritual journeys, and answering questions. For coffee hour, she recruits people that serve coffee and tea and provides snacks to share. On an annual basis, the Oasis groups are renewed and organized.

Seven years ago Pat started attending Vancouver UCC, first joining worship at the Leupke Center while the church was being rebuilt. Despite the location, she found a warm and welcoming community and over the years has become more and more involved.

Favorite Hymn or Favorite Tradition: She loves the Children’s Time on Sunday, the Doxology, communion, and her favorite hymn is “For the Beauty of the Earth”.

Wendy leads our Mission and Outreach team at Vancouver UCC. Mission and Outreach is the social justice arm of our church. It is the members of Mission and Outreach that keep our church active and visible in our larger community.

Wendy is one of our newest members at Vancouver UCC. The fire that damaged the church by an arsonist and the resilience of the UCC congregation first attracted Wendy to Vancouver UCC. Wendy is a community activist and has been involved in our community all of her life. The plight of the houseless is particularly important to her. Wendy was one child who lives near Vancouver. She plays golf with her sisters and is an avid reader. Wendy is a lifelong dog lover and enjoys socializing with her sister’s Schnoodle puppy after the loss of her Boston Terrier. The Labyrinth on the property of Vancouver UCC is a special blessing for Wendy, she walks it regularly.

Chuck oversees the building and grounds and the church’s income and expenses and helps to develop the annual budget. He keeps us safe and secure by managing the building security, property and liability insurance, and scheduling building maintenance, replacements, and building inspections. Annually he helps review and develop building rentals, rates, and lease agreements.

Chuck started in Vancouver, WA attending in September 2015 and became a member in January 2016. Chuck is a frequent fixture around church actively engaged in the many activities the church has to offer. While visiting his family in Portland prior to 2015, he attended two services at Vancouver UCC and was overwhelmed by the warm, enthusiastic welcome he received. His favorite hymn is “O Holy Night”.

Lucie is new to the Church Council, joining in January 2023 as our leader for our  Congregational Care team. She is the facilitator of a large group of church members who will pray for those that have requested prayers. This team is known as our Prayer Circle. Lucie also oversees a team of people that send out birthday cards, sympathy cards, and to homebound congregants. She also has oversight of our memorial committee and our prayer shawl group. 

Lucie has been attending Vancouver UCC since the late 1990s. She sings in the choir and helps in our kitchen for events. She has six grown children and is Oma to her nine grandchildren. Lucie is a dog mom of her well-loved and spoiled Labradoodle Maisie May, who her kids say is her FAVORITE child.