STAFF

Research tells us that healthy pastors need to be mentally, physically and spiritually nurtured. Our church family helps facilitate that by being mindful of these times of rest. The days staff are available in the office is listed next to their names below. As we enhance our inner capacity for wholeness and freedom, we strengthen our outer capacity to love and serve.  

REV. JT SMIEDENDORF (he, him, his), Interim Senior Pastor, jts@fcceugene.org, available Sunday-Thursday

It is with great pleasure that we announce the hiring of The Reverend Jonathan Todd (JT) Smiedendorf as our new Interim Senior Pastor.  Pastor JT joined us March 12, 2023, and will be with us for the next two years as we embark on a new chapter in our church’s journey.

Pastor JT comes to us with more than 20 years of experience in ministry and a deep passion for guiding congregations through times of transition. He has served three other congregations as an interim minister.  This includes University Congregational UCC in Seattle and, most recently, JT served as an interim pastor at Plymouth Congregational UCC in Fort Collins, Colorado, a church of similar size to FCC located near Colorado State University.  This experience makes him uniquely equipped to help us navigate our period of change and prepare for the arrival of our next permanent minister.

During Pastor JT’s time with us, he will be working closely with our church leadership and congregation to ensure that our community remains strong, connected, and spiritually nourished. He will supervise our staff, preach regularly, provide pastoral care, and support us during this period of reflection and planning.

We are excited to welcome JT to our congregation and look forward to the guidance, wisdom, and support that he will bring to our community. Please join us in warmly welcoming The Rev. JT Smiedendorf to our church family.

MARK LINDBERG (he, him, his), Youth Minister,  markl@fcceugene.org, available Sunday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday.

Mark began his work as Director of Youth & Family Ministries in May of 2017. He brings a wealth of knowledge about our community and our church, having been a member of First Congregational Church since 2001, along with his wife Julia, and children, Annika and Joren. He is passionate about youth and focused on developing a ministry program that is both vibrant and comprehensive. Mark helped spearhead the effort to develop our “We are Family” Christian education program on Sunday mornings over 6 years ago and he now seeks to enhance the support for parents during these challenging days. Over the years at FCC, Mark has led a HS youth mission trip to Villas del Sol, Mexico, served as HS Sunday school teacher, Mission Committee Chair (now Justice & Witness), Congregational Preschool Board, Family Ministries Committee, Church Board Member and Vice Moderator. Mark is very grateful for this opportunity to serve the church and prays that with the support of the congregation, together we will keep our hearts and minds open to where the Lord is calling us in our youth and family ministries!

A Path to Ordination

GRETCHEN JEWETT (she, her, hers), Director of Children and Family Ministries, gretchenj@fcceugene.org.

Dear Church Family,

It has been a joy and a privilege to serve our children, youth, families and this church as the Director of Children and Family Ministries for the last 9 ½ years. I will always be grateful to have been part of this ministry and this church family, and now it feels like the time has come for my next professional journey. Therefore, Sunday, June 11 will be my final Sunday in this role.

Over the last couple of years we have experienced the departures of pastors who were required to leave FCC for a designated period of time when they stepped out of their pastor positions. Since I have not held a position as a pastor at this church, my departure will be quite different. When I leave my staff position, I am excited to join all of you in the pews as a member of our congregation and be part of our church family. I look forward to maintaining relationships I have built in my time on staff and also to get to know each of you in a new way. I look forward to our Sunday morning conversations; I most likely will not know what is happening with Sunday morning logistics, but I can’t wait to hear about your travels, your grandchildren, your soccer games, or your next big idea.

I hope that as we move into this next stage of church life, you all remember that our children are not the future of the church, but that they are the church right now. I encourage each of you to work to have meaningful interactions and develop meaningful relationships with our children, youth, and families. When we are lucky enough to welcome a new Director of Children and Family Ministries, I know you will welcome and support them as you have done for me.

Thank you for taking this spiritual journey with me these last 9 ½ years. Thank you for your love, encouragement, assistance, and support. I have been truly blessed by this church. I look forward with anticipation to whatever it is that God has in store for us all.

With love,
Gretchen Jewett

JARED FISCHER (he, him, his), Director of Music Ministries, jaredf@fcceugene.org, available Sunday/Tuesday/Wednesday.

A warm welcome to Jared Fischer! We look forward to meeting him in August when he begins working with First Congregational Church as our Director of Music Ministries. Read on to learn about Jared.

There is an abundance of good news for us in selecting and hiring Jared as our Director of Music Ministries, who has been making music in church since age 11. Jared was the director of music at Holy Covenant UCC in Charlotte, North Carolina from 2009 to 2018. We are thrilled to have him bring his love of liturgical worship and appreciation for music to inspire vibrant worship experiences that utilize both traditional and contemporary elements.

A committed educator, he and six colleagues founded the annual workshop, Porterville Summer Strings, in Porterville, California, with the mission of making music education accessible to children disenfranchised by poverty and at risk of gang recruitment. During the summer of 2010, he taught music at House of Peace Orphanage in southern India. 

Jared has most recently worked in the collegiate setting as a graduate instructor in conducting at the University of Oregon, where he earned two master’s degrees, one in orchestral conducting, the other in choral conducting.

BARBARA BAIRD, Organist, barbarab@fcceugene.org 

Dr. Barbara Baird has been on the staff of First Congregational Church, Eugene, since April 1, 1982. She has served as organist over 30 years, as well as being Director of Music Ministries for over ten years. Barbara has been a member of the University of Oregon music faculty since 1988, teaching organ, harpsichord, and piano. An active recitalist since 1971, Baird has performed throughout the United States as well as Argentina, Brazil, Europe and Australia. A frequent adjudicator and clinician, she regularly conducts workshops and master classes for keyboardists, particularly on Baroque and Classical Period Performance, and Keyboard Pedagogy. Baird has been a presenter and recitalist at both national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, and for the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society, the Organ Historical Society, the Historical Keyboard Society, the Oregon Bach Festival, several chapters of the American Guild of Organists, and for piano teachers’ guilds in the United States and Australia. She is particularly known for her presentations on organ manual and pedal techniques for beginning organists.

VICKI BRABHAM, Keyboardist, vickib@fcceugene.org 

Vicki is a local pianist, singer, arranger, and music educator. She has made First Congregational Church her home for nearly 20 years, and enjoys integrating jazz, blues, gospel, and other contemporary styles into the worship at FCC. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, crossword puzzles, the beach and the mountains in nearly equal measure, a good cup of coffee, and the everyday joys of life with her family.

JENNIFER SELLERS, Bell Choir Director, and Children’s Music/ Joyful Noise Director, jennifers@fcceugene.org

Jennifer has been involved in Church Music since she began planning and leading “Sunday School Opening Exercises” at 8 years old. From her start as one of the “Singing Sellers Sisters,” she has sung in School, Church and Community Choirs her whole life, and sings presently with The Jewel Tones. She enjoys community theatre and making music of all kinds. She teaches private piano lessons out of her home studio.

JENNIE SHERLOCK (she, her, hers), Our Whole Lives Director, jennies@fcceugene.org, available Tuesday/Wednesday/by appointment.

Jennie and her family started coming to FCC in 1999, drawn in by the warm and familiar community. In 2006, with her children’s adolescence on the horizon, she took the Our Whole Lives (OWL) middle and high school training to fortify her parenting toolbox, never expecting it to go further. She fell in love with the curriculum though, quickly recognizing its importance and relevancy. In 2007 she volunteered to help facilitate an 8th grade OWL class at FCC, and literally hasn’t stopped since! In June of 2019 she took over as OWL Coordinator at FCC. Jennie is trained in all levels of OWL: K-1, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, Young Adult, Adult and Older Adult. In addition to coordinating the OWL program at FCC, Jennie also teaches 6th grade, 8th grade and 10-12th grade OWL and Health at Oak Hill School, and 8th grade OWL at the Village School. Jennie considers it a blessing and a privilege to get to walk alongside so many youth for this sacred part of their growing-up journeys.

Jennie earned a degree in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She enjoys hiking, gardening, bee keeping, cooking, fermenting and furthering various artistic endeavors.  She has two beautiful children, Bodin 19, in his first year at OSU, and Carmin, 23, a 2021 graduate now “adulting” in NYC.

DANA CLARK (she, her), Director of Fellowship Ministries, Office Administrator, danac@fcceugene.org, available Sunday-Thursday.

Dana joined our staff in 2017 and is committed to offering warm welcome and fellowship for our congregation and visitors. If you have any questions on how to be involved with our many thriving church groups, be sure to talk to Dana and she will find multiple ways you can participate.

KIM DORR, Bookkeeper, kimd@fcceugene.org, available Tuesday-Friday.

Kim Dorr is the Bookkeeper for the Church and for Congregational Preschool since 2016.  She lives with her husband and daughter in Cottage Grove.

DENNIS MORENO, Director of Facilities, facilities@fcceugene.org, available Monday-Wednesday

My wife, Cheryl, and I live on 3 1/2 acres in the Marcola area. We have loads of fun working on our small piece of Heaven on Earth! We have adopted two donkeys (named Hall and Oats) via BLM from Arizona. Rounding out the cast of characters is our black lab Ebony, and a 24 pound cat, Charles Barkley.

We really enjoy camping and spending time with our family which includes our two daughters and their spouses. We have four grandchildren ranging in ages 16 to 27; three grandsons and one granddaughter.

I am very excited to join the FCC team and work to enhance church programs and community outreach! I will be anxious to get better acquainted with the entire church family. Thank you all, for the warm welcome!