PASTOR...
Rev. Valerie Duecker, Interim Pastor
Valerie
completed her internship at San Mateo Congregational Church and was ordained in
2003 at her home church, Ladera Community Church, UCC in Portola Valley. For
eight years, she was associated with Kyros Ministry where she offered
presentations on spirituality and healing. During that time, she also
worked in development consulting with churches in her late husband’s business,
Church Wise Consulting in Redwood City. Valerie was trained at Church
Divinity School of the Pacific and Pacific School of Religion. Next fall she
will resume Doctor of Ministry studies in Pastoral Counseling at San Francisco
Theological Seminary. Her BA in Economics is from Occidental College in
Los Angeles.
Contact Valerie.
MINISTER OF MUSIC...
Andrew Barner
Coming soon...
ORGANIST...
Anthony Lawton
I was born and raised in Sacramento County, Ca. Originally our family was part of the "Assembly of God" Church. I showed an early interest in music and started taking piano lessons at the age of 8. I really wanted to play the organ, but no organ was to be found at home, only a spinet piano. Mother said, "you take piano lessons and then we will talk organ later..."
Little did I know that it 8 years before I ever got to learn organ! As a teenager, I stopped lessons but played for my own enjoyment and for holidays. In 1986 my family switched to a "non-denominational " church and I saved up enough money to buy a small Wurlitzer organ and taught myself to play it. In 1989 I went back to my piano teacher [who also taught organ] and took 2 1/2 years of organ lessons.
In July of 1990, I left my parents church and became one of the organists at River City Metropolitan Community Church in Sacramento, Ca.. In 1994 , I answered a "call" from the Lord to be Minister of Music for Faith Full Gospel Fellowship in San Leandro, Ca. and moved to Hayward, Ca. In 2006 it was time for change! God had work for me at San Leandro Community Church, whose Minister of Music was resigning. God's timing was perfect! SLCC had not had an organist in several years, so I knew 'they had a place for me!'
In 2009, I was asked by Rev. Yolanda Moreno of First Christian Church of Watsonville,Ca. to be their part-time organist, as their organist of many years was retiring. I said "YES"! (Yolanda was the interim pastor at SLCC from 2003-2005). I wanted to help that congregation, since all Christian Churches are part of the body of Christ.
At SLCC we love to worship in song! I love working with our Minister of Music and the worship team, who has many God-given- talented singers. I always look forward to our worship services as I Iove worshipping God with the SLCC community!
OFFICE and BUILDING MANAGER...
Lauren Gibbs-Beadle
Lauren comes to SLCC from her current position as the very cute seven-month-old Maribel’s stay-at-home-mom. Before becoming a mommy/personal assistant/baby entertainer, she taught 9th Grade Social Studies in Watts, Los Angeles while obtaining a M.Ed. in a social justice teacher education program.
Lauren is from San Leandro, but currently resides in Oakland with her husband Michael “Beadle” Beadle who works in Public Relations. Both have been involved in Christian communities from an early age. They currently attend Bethel Presbyterian Church in San Leandro and Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco, where Lauren’s mother and brother, respectively, serve as pastors.
Most of Lauren’s time is spent making faces to try to get her daughter to giggle, but if she had spare time she would spend it sewing, gardening and writing.
Contact Lauren.
