Staff Bios

	Rev. Bonnie Steinroeder Senior Minister For the past thirteen years I have served as a parish minister in both Maine and Massachusetts. Holliston UCC is a special place for me as I was ordained here in 1999. I am passionate about spiritual formation for all ages and am constantly seeking out ways that we can grow together through the gifts of the spirit. The United Church of Christ holds that it is the privilege and responsibility of each generation to make this ancient faith our own. For me that means worship must be thought provoking, uplifting and relevant, for living as Christians in our modern world. As we gather as a worshipping community we receive the nurture, insight, and challenge that we need to truly be the heart and hands of God throughout creation. I received my B.A. from Wagner College in English and earned a Master of Theological Studies and a Master of Divinity from Boston University. I enjoy walking in the woods, theatre and spending time with my husband, Bill and our three children, Chris, Laura and Alex.
	Richard A.A. Larraga, M.M., J.D. Minister of Music As a church musician, my goal is to offer the best we have to God. This includes, but is not limited to, the level of performance, the choice of music, and the beauty of the liturgy. I firmly believe people underestimate their talents. I have spent my life seeing the potential, and nurturing the inherent talent in members of the congregation. As Choir Director, my job is to give voice to the people of God. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote: Bey einer andächtig Musiq ist allezeit Gott mit seiner Gnaden Gegenwart (Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence.) I have a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory in addition to being a retired immigration lawyer. I have taught at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, as well as the University of the Philippines (Quezon City), the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music (Manila), and St. Scholastica's College (Manila.) I have also been the Music Director at the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Anglican/Episcopal) in Manila, Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Richmond, VA, and Holy Trinity United Methodist Church in Danvers, MA.
	Karen McCue Handbell Choir Director Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Music. Music throughout high school and her undergraduate studies was centered around playing the piano as soloist, accompanist, director of small ensembles, and private piano instruction. Starting a program for handbells here at First Congregational Church presented a challenge that has been a very pleasant and rewarding one. The goal has been for ‘children of all ages’ to be in a handbell program at varying skill levels joyously ringing and having fun! In the 21 years of coordinating and directing handbells at this church, I have met the most wonderful musicians! The smiles of accomplishment on faces of ringers and chimers is a joy to see! The generous sharing of handbell experiences with other churches in our community, state and Area 1 of the American Guild of Handbell ringers has greatly enriched the development of our church handbell program. Handbells and choirchimes provide a different visual and audio component and depth to the music ministry of our church. Our three varied handbell/choirchime ensembles provide a chance for many to “Ring to the Glory of God”. Please feel free to talk with me at a church service or contact me at 508-429-1382 or jerrykarenmccue@msn.com to learn more about the growing handbell program and how you can be a part of this music ministry.
	Todd Gernes, Ph.D. Christian Education Director It is sometimes said that faith opens us up to a bigger sense of who we are and what we are capable of doing, opens our hearts, and connects us to the fabric of all life. As a community of faith and practice, the First Congregational Church has been instrumental in my own faith development, allowing me breathing room, direction, and affirmation. I’m eager to share a sense of wonder and possibility, the hallmarks of our spirituality, with young people as they begin their own faith journeys. As the Director of Christian Education, I am charged with leading and overseeing the Sunday School Program and related activities, shaping the curriculum, and building community among the volunteer teachers. The future of our church depends on our ministry of education and formation, and we take the responsibility seriously yet joyfully. My own background is in higher education, specializing in history, literature, writing, and educational administration. I hold a doctorate in American Civilization from Brown University and presently work as a professor and administrator at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. I also have a strong interest in music, play jazz and contemporary guitar, and occasionally perform in church and other venues. If you’ve felt the call to teach, or would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at tgernes@hollistonucc.org.
	Marie Fyans Youth Fellowship Director In 2007 after the birth of our daughter, my husband John and I decided to start “testing out” churches to find one that was a good fit for us. It took us a couple of years and a number of churches but we finally came to FCC of Holliston in 2009, becoming official members in February, 2010. As a child, I never attended church with any regularity but always felt it was an important part of my life that was missing. As an adult I am happy to have found a home at the FCC for myself, my husband, and our two small children. When we first started attending the first thing that struck me was the number of children that were actively participating in the church and the second thing was how welcoming and friendly everyone was. We were not in the church for more than two minutes before we were greeted and welcomed with open arms. We knew it was the church for us when our three year old daughter got up every Sunday excited to go and play with her church friends. Her church friends were other preschoolers, but also included all the high school helpers in the preschool room. The teenage helpers made such an impression on my little girl that I just knew I wanted to give back to this community of people who had in such a short amount of time made such a big impact on my family. This is how I came to be the Youth Fellowship Director. This is the way I choose to give back to the youth who help excite my preschooler about attending church every Sunday. My entire life has been spent working with children of all ages and my background is in Non-profit management, more specifically fundraising and event planning. The Youth Fellowship allows me to do both and I couldn’t be happier or more excited. I hope to be able to excite the youth of our church the way they excite my daughter and I hope my event planning background will help them come up with new and exciting projects that interest them and help our community. If you have questions or suggestions for the Youth Fellowship Program please do not hesitate to approach me at a service or email me at: marie.fyans@hotmail.com I look forward to meeting new faces and working with the youth and their families.
	Karen Putvinski Business Manager Karen has been a member of a UCC church since her confirmation in North Reading, MA as a teenager. She has always had a strong connection to the church and it only seemed natural to join First Congregational Church upon her arrival in Holliston in 1999. Since moving to Holliston, with her husband, Matt, Karen has been active in the church community. From joining counting teams, coffee teams and the sunshine friends to four years as the Christian Education Director, Karen feels a deep connection to this church. After graduating high school, Karen attended Bryant College where she graduated with an accounting degree. She worked in public accounting for nine years before taking a step back to focus on raising a family. Karen and Matt are the proud parents of Katelyn, Megan and Erin. It feels like a natural fit for Karen to work at the church as the Business Manager.
	Paula Colburn Executive Administrator Paula joined the FCC in the fall of 2011. She has over 20 years of experience in administration and business management. She worked as an office manager for a boys summer camp in Maine for five years before starting her family. She has worked part time with the boys camp for the last few years and now joins our family here at the First Congregation Church. She grew up in Holliston until the age of 10 and then moved to Framingham. She moved back to Holliston in 1990 and is now raising her family here. She is the proud mother of Alexandra and Jake and their new black lab, named Bou. Paula and her husband, Bob, are active members of the Holliston community.
	Mark Forsythe Sexton Leaving the fast pace of production management at a large company, to becoming the Sexton for the church has been a big change in my life. Although both are challenging….being the Sexton comes with far less headaches each night when it's time to go home. I truly enjoy the serenity of working in the church, not to mention the wonderful people I work with. There is a great amount of satisfaction I get from my job when what I do for the community is truly appreciated. I am a graduate of Millis High School and a longtime resident. I am a former production manager for a countertop manufacturer in Franklin where I worked for 23 years. I enjoy woodworking, gardening, painting, and, of course, fishing with my 8 year old son, Jason.

	Church Officers
	Jud DeCew Moderator I’m not quite sure how I knew, but I knew at an early age that I belonged to ‘church.' My parents were adamant that my brother and I attend every Sunday although they themselves did not. Perhaps I found at the church that I was ‘dropped off’ on Sunday mornings the ‘family’ that eluded me at ‘home.’ Looking back now, I think that’s the truth of it. Some twenty years ago, I sat down in First Congregational Church and instantly knew that I had found ‘family’ and ‘home’ once again. As Moderator I have been given a privilege – the charge to look after one of the foundation stones of our tradition – self-governance. We share, with all other congregational churches, this privilege (and its responsibility). The congregation chooses the way in which it wishes to organize its affairs, elects lay leadership, commits to funding the Church’s budget through annual pledges and gifts, and chooses the spiritual leader – the Pastor. In our church, “managing committees” take responsibility for key policy and program areas working closely with the Pastor and key staff members. Once monthly, a “Cabinet” meeting brings together the committee chairs, the Pastor, and other staff members to review and coordinate activity, and, if appropriate, make strategic decisions. In January, the congregation meets to hear the committee reports, discuss any concerns, approve the budget and elect lay leadership for the coming year. The Moderator chairs the annual meeting in January but the essence of the role is serving as the chair of the monthly Cabinet meetings: being on one hand the ‘senior coordinator’ across the multiple activity areas of the church and on the other, the individual who can ‘call the question’ - respond to the need for a decision and focus effort on addressing what may need to be addressed. As you might imagine, the job also involves serving as an ‘active’ lightning rod. Self-governance has its challenges but the Moderator’s role in supporting the model also has a unique possibility – the opportunity to help it work successfully and positively for our collective benefit. I found my ‘family’ – and perhaps, better said – found that I belonged to a community of similarly committed Christians – in a place we believe to be ‘home’ at First Congregational Church. As Moderator, I have the opportunity to help keep that going. I’m pleased to do so - our ancestors understood the promise and the possibility and gave us the gift we share - The First Congregational Church of Holliston in place and alive for some 280 years!