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.

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.

Sara L. Hancock
Interim Music Director

Conductor and oboist Sara Hancock is serving as Interim 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.

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.

Cory Mullins, Director,
Growing FootPrints Preschool

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.

Diane Sanders
Church Administrator

A lifelong Presbyterian, Diane joined the staff of PCLG in 1997 as Church Administrator. She enjoys the task diversity in her job and most of all, the opportunity to work with so many people including PCLG staff, church members, and the community at large.  Her favorite things are spending time with her family, including three grown children, traveling, and sailing.

Kristy Cole, Financial
Secretary/Bookkeeper

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.

Shirley Harned Kelley
Publications Coordinator

Shirley Harned Kelley, in her fifth year as Publications Coordinator, has been combining her interest in music and graphic design nearly since infancy. Born in Kentucky, she was raised in the Panama Canal Zone. After receiving a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky she worked in graphic design. Later she fell madly in love with the idea of opera after singing her first aria — she had found her true calling and a career that lasted thirty years. Now, happily married to Roger L. Kelley, a retired psychologist, who is also from the Panama Canal Zone, she has returned to work in graphics and desktop publishing. Through all this she has come to realize God gifted her with a life over which she had no control so she could learn complete reliance on Him. Shirley has been a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for as long as she can remember and a Presbyterian since 1966. She was introduced to PCLG by Margaret Kvamme, Associate Organist. Shirley felt at home here, joined the church, the choir, and the staff in that order—though she has retired from the choir after three years in order to pursue other musical endeavors while she still can!

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.