The Rev. Dr. Robert S. Bowles, Interim Pastor & Head of Staff

Our Interim Pastor is the Rev. Dr. Robert S. Bowles. Bob has been a pastor in the Presbytery of San Jose since his graduation from seminary in 1971. Prior to his retirement in 2008, Bob served as a called pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Sunnyvale (1971-1975), the Stone Church of Willow Glen (1975-1994) and most recently at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Aptos (1994-2008). Many in our congregation have worked with Bob in his capacity as the Moderator of the Committee on Local Arrangements for the 218th General Assembly which was hosted by our Presbytery in 2008. Bob and his wife Marjorie live in La Selva Beach south of Aptos. Bob's hobbies include cooking, sailing, travel, playing the guitar and the bagpipe and enjoying people. They have two grown children and spouses and three grandchildren in the area.

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Chris Daly, Director, Children’s Ministry

Chris Daly is a relative newcomer to the Children's Ministries staff, but she's not new to PCLG. A church member since 1993, she has volunteered in Children's Ministry in many capacities, particularly as teacher and elder. Chris is passionate about her call to serve others and finds sharing God's word and love with the children one of her greatest joys in life.

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Steve Fainer, Director, Youth Ministries

Steve Fainer was born on his father's 26th birthday on the 26th of December. From this auspicious birth on St. Stephen's Day, Steve mastered the green belt of Shotokan Karate and the concrete drainage ditches of Santa Barbara with his skateboard. A basketball quitter and volleyball star, Steve received a high school diploma and went on to a BA in Religious Studies from Westmont College. At Westmont, he fell in love with a girl named Jane after he spent an evening telling her about the four girls he had a crush on all at once. None of the four were Jane. He has spent more time (7 years) as the Director of Youth Ministries at the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos than the combined total of his time in junior and senior high. Steve is presently pursuing an MA in Communications and Leadership Studies through Gonzaga University. In the continuing pursuit of outlandish dreams, Steve and Jane thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from April to October, 2008. Obviously, they don't have kids yet.

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Sara L. Hancock, Music Director & Director of Publications

Conductor and oboist Sara Hancock is serving as Music Director at PCLG this Spring. A long-time California resident, though having a good chunk of her youth in the Midwest, Hancock received her Bachelor’s degree in Oboe Performance and Master’s degree in Choral and Orchestral Conducting from UC Santa Cruz, where she studied under Dr. Nicole Paiement. Sara first learned to read music at the age of four when she joined the children’s choir at the First Presbyterian Church of St. Louis in Missouri. Shortly, she began studying piano and after relocating to California in 1990, Sara became active in the music program at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, singing in choir and performing on oboe. As a professional conductor, Sara has 7 years’ experience working with mixed voice choirs and in 2005 co-founded the UCSC Women’s Chorale. During her years at UCSC, Hancock served as Assistant Conductor to the Opera, Orchestral, and Choral programs.

Since finishing a graduate degree at UCSC in 2006, she has served in many local churches as choir director, conductor and cantor.
In addition to work in churches and university, Hancock has worked with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, conducted by Maestra Marin Alsop. In her “free” time, Hancock works as Artistic Operations Manager for the El Camino Youth Symphony. She feels extremely blessed to be invited to serve PCLG, where she can combine her passion for music with her Presbyterian faith in an open, friendly, and welcoming environment.

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Norma Rose, Handbell Director

Norma has been a Presbyterian her whole life. She was born in the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and at the age of five moved to Los Gatos where she started attending the Los Gatos Presbyterian Church located on Church Street. She joined the Church in 1952. She married George Rose in November of 1966 and they are the parents of three grown children: Julie, Jonathan, and Jennifer. They are also the proud grandparents of four grandsons. After learning to ring handbells in our church's handbell program in 1975, she returned to school and completed her underdivision credits in music. In 1990, she applied for the position of Handbell Director and at present directs the two adult handbell choirs and oversees the children's handbell choir. On Sunday mornings, she teaches music to the children during Chapel time.
She organized CoveKnit Group, reflecting her interest in knitting, sewing, needlepoint, and cross stitch. She also enjoys gardening and cooking. She is the Reception Co-ordinator for memorial services as well as Moderator of Presbyterian Women Fellowship Group.

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Cory Mullins, Director, Growing FootPrints Early Childhood Education Program

Cory Mullins is the director of Growing FootPrints, an early childhood education preschool and junior kindergarten. The program also offers children the opportunity to grow in faith and to learn the importance of a value centered life. Growing FootPrints has been Cory's home since 1995 and she has been dedicated to the field of ECE for thirty years.

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Kristy Cole, Financial Secretary/Bookkeeper & Office Manager

Kristy Cole has been a member of the church since 2000. She joined the staff shortly thereafter and fulfills the role of the financial secretary. As a member of the church Kristy is involved as a volunteer and also leads a Bible study on Sunday mornings. Kristy brings her skill as a bookkeeper, spiritual support for her coworkers, and compassion to the PCLG staff.

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Bob Ekstrand, Facilities Specialist

Bob has been a member of PCLG since 1989 and has served as a Trustee and as a member of the Facilities and Grounds committee.  With a background in Forest Engineering and Geography, he has been a remote sensing image interpreter and aerial photogrammetrist for 40+ years.  Bob’s construction and infrastructure abilities were developed while he built a house in the Santa Cruz Mountains in which he lived for ten years.  He currently owns and manages 13 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains as well as three parcels near Bear Valley.  He joined the PCLG staff in 2002 providing facilities maintenance and repair services for our campus.

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Jennifer Baham, Principal Organist / Accompanist

Mrs. Jennifer Baham graduated with a BA in K-12 Choral Music Education and a specialization in Organ Performance and Music Liturgy from Dordt College. While at Dordt, Mrs. Baham studied organ under the direction of Dr. Joan Ringerwole. Since college Mrs. Baham has received training in Orff Schulwerk (Mills College), conducting (SJSU), and vocal pedagogy (SJSU).

Baham has experience as a music educator, organist, accompanist, piano teacher, conductor, and composer. In 1994 Mrs. Baham started the general music program at San Jose Christian School . She is in her thirteenth year of teaching music, choir, and band at SJCS.

Mrs. Baham served as organist for Church of the Chimes (San Jose, CA) for eleven years, and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church (San Jose, CA) for 5 years. She regularly performs as substitute organist in the San Jose area.

Mrs. Baham has accompanied King's Brass while they were on tour in the Bay Area.

Mrs. Baham has served as an accompanist for over 20 years at schools, festivals, and churches in Iowa and California. Outside of her musical endeavors,

Mrs. Baham enjoys spending time with her husband Jeff and daughter Camille, gardening, hiking, and walking by the ocean.

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Margaret Martin Kvamme, Associate Organist / Accompanist

Margaret Martin Kvamme was named first-prize winner of the 1993 Naples International Organ Festival Competition in Florida. She has appeared in concert in Ontario, Canada, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona and throughout California.

Ms. Kvamme is an honors graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, holds the Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, and Master of Music degrees in Organ Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan.

As a conductor she has directed choirs at the University of California in Santa Cruz, at Marygrove College in Detroit, for the Windsor Symphony in Canada, and the Santa Clara Chorale.

Currently Ms. Kvamme is active as a freelance organist and teacher, and is Associate Organist for the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos.

Her debut album, Sevenfold Gifts, was recorded at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz last year and is available through albanyrecords.com.

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Carolyn Pryor, Auxiliary Organist / Accompanist

Carolyn Pryor, though she "retired" 9 years ago after serving for 21 years as full time director of Music Ministries at Campbell United Methodist Church, is still active as a musician. She lost her husband 13 years ago but has two children and two grandchildren.

Ms. Pryor had excellent piano teachers, the one who influenced her most being Marjorie Duncan Baker. However, in high school she fell in love with the organ and attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, earning a BA in Organ Performance. Her organ teachers there were David Craighead and Clarence Mader. Other teachers have included Paul Callaway and Harvey Burgett.

While in New York City where her family lived for 15 years, Ms. Pryor served as an accompanist for many professional auditions and was a substitute organist at churches and temples in the greater New York area. However, substituting came to an end when she secured two permanent weekend jobs—in Brooklyn at Boro Park Progressive Synagogue and on Long Island at Sea Cliff United Methodist Church.

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Carlo Panighetti, Receptionist

Carlo has attended PCLG since the early 1990s, and is a graduate of our children and youth ministry programs. Carlo received a degree in Radio & Television from San Francisco State University in 2010.  In addition to being the receptionist, he currently serves as the Elder for Youth Ministries, as well as a member of the Mission Committee.  Outside of PCLG, Carlo enjoys music, coffee, and movies.

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