Council Listing

I’m honored to serve as Council President for Bethel. The congregation welcomed me so warmly when I first came here about 20 years ago with my boyfriend (now husband). I was new to Christ then, so that was life changing. When I’m not working at church, I’m making sure our two daughters get to all their activities, especially color guard for their schools, and working as an assistant at a local school. And I enjoy kickboxing; I’m a black belt now!

I’ve served Bethel in a number of capacities in my 25 years here. I’m originally from Huddersfield, England, a town in Yorkshire. My wife and I met through our mutual interest in music: She attended a concert of the men’s chorus I was with when we did a tour of California, and I then made sure to attend her concert when she toured England with her chorus. We’ve just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, and we’ve been singing together in the Bethel church choir all that time. In my retirement, I love gardening, and Minerva and I are very interested in community outreach here in the church neighborhood.

I’m a lifelong member here, so from Day 1, Bethel has shaped me with the message of God’s grace (unconditional love) and forgiveness as experienced through Jesus. I’ve been involved in a number of ministries over the years, but as a councilmember, I enjoy seeing how our worship, education, and outreach can give the message that “God loves you” to everyone. I’ve always enjoyed working with children here: Having Sunday School students from the neighborhood has been a huge blessing in my life, and Vacation Bible School remains my favorite week of the year. I hope we’ll see you soon!

My wife Kathy and I have been members at Bethel for about a dozen years, but I’ve just recently taken on two new roles here: serving on the Church Council and being the weekly aide in the Confirmation program, where my wide knowledge of games…including ancient games like Ur…has proven to be an asset. In my spare time, I love spending time with our grandchildren and extended family. And at the holidays, I get to be Santa Claus!

I like to think that I was asked to be on Church Council because of my wisdom and maturity (I can hear some of my friends laughing already!). I’m a longterm member, and I’ve always been happy to serve Bethel wherever I’m needed, whether it’s being Council President during a pastoral vacancy, reading the scripture lessons during worship, setting the timers for the sprinklers, or being the coffee-machine expert. I’m the father of two sons and grandfather to two precious granddaughters. I am an advocate for agriculture, agriculture education, and truth in the image of agriculture. In my spare time, I like to do woodworking, volunteer and create at Fresno Ideaworks (a makerspace for all types of artisans), and tease my long-suffering wife.

My first connection with Bethel was as their copier sales rep. My wife and I were looking for a church, and the church secretary was so kind and welcoming. She showed me around the place, so we decided to give it a try, and I’ve been here ever since. I’m kind of a fix-it guy, so I’m involved in a lot of the maintenance projects here. I’ve also been dubbed the “Pancake King” for heading up the pancake breakfast we hold on Palm Sunday. I have two wonderful and accomplished daughters, and outside of church, I enjoy working on cars, going to sporting events, fishing, and spending time with my family.

I am President of the Bethel Lutheran Church Women (BLCW), which is my first board experience at Bethel Lutheran. I have been a member of Bethel since the early 1990’s, when I was recruited to sing with the choir. I found the warmth and hospitality of the members, so I stayed. I see this as a time for spiritual and physical growth as we tackle the challenge of ministering to our community in the post-pandemic era.