FCC- Church Staff

68 Main Street
Falmouth, MA 02540
508-548-3700

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MEET OUR CHURCH STAFF

Rev. Steven Alspach	Senior Minister
Mr. Howard J. Whitmore	Choir Director
Mrs. Patricia M. Crews	Organist
Mrs. Martha Evans	Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Lisa McGillicuddy	Director, Christian Education
Mr. Dan Silver	Director, Youth Programs
Mr. Lou Cataldo	Sexton
Rev. William W. Tucker	Honorary Minister
Rev. H. Alfred Allenby	Honorary Minister
Rev. Robert L. Singer	Honorary Minister
Rev. Allan C. Page	Honorary Minister
Rev. Barbara Miner	Honorary Minister

SENIOR MINISTER--Rev. Steven Alspach begin serving our congregation as of March 1. "Pastor Steve" as he likes to be called, is an Intentional Interim Minister with experience serving eight previous interim congregations in Massachusetts. Most recently, he served Maple Street Congregational Church, UCC on the North Shore. Steve began his career by serving as a settled pastor at two United Methodist congregations, in Glastonbury, CT and Worcester, MA. He is a graduate of Muhlenberg College and Duke Divinity School and received his Interim Ministry training through the Interim Ministry Network. Steve is the co-faciitator of a Community of Practice for Intentional Interims sponsored by the Massachusetts Conference, UCC. He is also a member of the Conference Board of Directors and the facilitator of the Executive Committee.

Steve is originally from the Pocono Mountains area in Pennsylvania. He and his wife Betsy have two grown sons, Kyle and Chris, who both live in Boston. Betsy is an Occupational Therapist who has worked in local school systems, and most recently, in rehabilitation facilities. She is also an avid wool spinner and knitter who demonstrates fiber arts at local fairs and events. Betsy and Steve own a vacation home in French River, Prince Edward island, Canada, which brings enjoyment as a family retreat in a beautiful ocean setting . Steve also enjoys all kinds of music and, at a basic level, sings and plays several instruments. He also enjoys outdoor activities including Red Sox baseball, walking, and bicycling. In the past, he has coached youth in competitive BMX bicycle racing as well as being a competitive racer on a BMX cruiser in the masters classes. His career highlight was racing for Team USA at the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships in Taiyuan, China.

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR--Mrs. Martha Evans oversees our Church Office. Martha came to Cape Cod, and our church, in 1992 from Laramie, Wyoming. Her educational emphasis was in vocal performance and she has a Bachelor of Music in Voice from the University of Wyoming and Masters of Music degrees in Voice and Opera Production from Florida State University. She and her husband, David, have a grown son and daughter.

DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION –- Mrs. Lisa McGillicuddy oversees our Church School and the Wednesday morning Playtime Group.

As a child, Lisa attended the Congregational (Village) Church in Wellesley, MA where she fondly remembers singing in the children’s choir and being a part of her “extended church family”. After graduating from Babson College with a BS degree, Lisa worked in various sales and marketing positions across the country. In 1996 she moved to Falmouth with her husband, Dennis, a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. They have 2 school-age daughters, Charlotte and Corinne, who are enrolled in the Falmouth public schools. Lisa is committed to providing an innovative church school environment where children are inspired and have fun, while engaging in an interactive exploration of their faith.

DIRECTOR OF YOUTH PROGRAMS --Mr. Dan Silver oversees our Youth Group and Teen Programs

Dan was born in March, 1973, in Framingham, MA, the youngest of eight children. He was raised there until he headed off to Assumption College in 1991. A mere six years later, he graduated with a Degree in English and Journalism. Dan taught middle school Language Arts for five years before entering the business world. He obtained a law degree from Oklahoma City University, which naturally led him to a five-year stint as a sports writer and publisher. Dan continues to write, but he looks forward to finishing his career where it started, in education. Though he took the road less traveled, Dan could not be happier to be the new Director of Christian Education and, more importantly, one of the newest members of the First Congregational Church of Falmouth, along with his wife, Kate, his daughter, Emma (six-years-old) and his son, Grant (two-years-old).

CHOIR DIRECTOR--Mr. Howard J. Whitmore is the director of Music and conductor of all of the choirs at the church. He is a Commissioned Minister in the United Church of Christ and also heads the Communion Ministry. Howard holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Ashland University in Ohio, and a Masters degree in vocal performance from Kent State University.

Howard taught music in the public schools in Ohio for almost thirty years and performed for seven year with the Columbus ( Ohio ) Opera Company. He has also acted and directed professionally in Musical Theater. Howard has been involved in church music for most of his life and brings a wealth of musical knowledge to his position. In addition to his church duties he also performs with the Cape Cod Opera Company, serves on the voice faculty at Cape Cod Conservatory, and is an active member of the United United Church of Christ Musicians Association.

He and his wife, who also sings in the choir and plays bells, have two grown daughters, one grandson and one granddaughter. In his spare time Howard likes to read, go for long walks, and work on his n-gauge model railroad.

ORGANIST--Mrs. Patricia M. Crews serves as our organist at the twenty-six pipe organ built by the Austin Organ Company in 1975. A graduate of the University of Maryland, she studied piano and music theory at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, and organ with Eleanor Heaps Thompson. She became a Commissioned Minister of Music in the United Church of Christ in 2002.
Pat serves on the board of directors of the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is a member of the United Church of Christ Musicians Association. A trustee of Healthcare Foundation of Cape Cod, she is also a member of the advisory board of the Visiting Nurses Association.

Also learn more about our Austin Pipe Organ

SEXTON--Louis G. Cataldo (Lou) was born and raised on Cape Cod. He now lives in Mashpee with his wife, Nancy, and two loving daughters, Celia and Talia. Louis is a very well-known musician world-wide as well as an actor appearing in many local plays as well as TV and the silver screen. Louis leaves the Unity Church in Hyannis where he was in the music ministry for seven years.

ASSOCIATE MINISTER-- (in memoriam) Rev. Nanette E. Geertz came to First Congregational Church in September 2000. She is a graduate of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon and Andover Newton Theological School. Both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees are in the field of Christian Education. Further work at Andover Newton, her life experience plus a call to First Congregational has led to her ordination as of February 4, 2001.
Rev. Geertz was born in E. Derry, NH, was the daughter of a minister and is the wife of another minister, William Geertz, who pastors the UCC church in Sandwich, MA. She is the mother of two children. Her former employment was as Director of Christian Education at the Sandwich Church. She also served in that capacity in Newport, NH. Nan is the author of Journeys, a book of poetry which reflects her struggles with the death of her daughter and her own breast cancer.

"Reverend Nan" passed away in early 2005, after a long battle with cancer but lives on in the spirit of our church.

HONORARY MINISTERS--Retired ministers in our congregation who have been authorized by our church to assist in its ministry in various ways, including conducting wedding services, are:

--Rev. William W. Tucker is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and received his Master Degree in Sacred Theology at Boston University. He had clinical pastoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital and did graduate study at Oberlin Graduate School of Theology.

Bill has served as a pastor for forty-two years: in rural areas of Ohio and in Cleveland; at First Parish Church UCC. in Dover, New Hampshire; and in Brookline, Holden, and Holliston, Massachusetts United Church of Christ parishes. Bill recently completed an interim pastorate at Pilgrim Congregational Church UCC. in Harwich Port, Massachusetts. He has chaired several Pastoral Counseling Boards in a number of communities. He has worked as a group support leader in every church community he has served.
Bill and his wife Ann have four married children and seven grandchildren who live in New England.

--Rev. H. Alfred Allenby Arriving in Falmouth in June of 1988 following his retirement from Kind School in Stamford, Connecticut, was a homecoming for him. Born in the old parsonage on Palmer Ave, he was baptized by his father here in our church. It was here that his sister was married in 1949, which the funeral service for his parents and brother was held later that year, and it was here in 1952 that he was ordained into the Christian ministry. The house that his wife, Nancy, and he now live in is the one that his parents had built in 1929.

In his career he served as the Chaplin for The Loomis School, the assistant minister of First Plymouth Congregational Church in Denver Colorado; the minister of South Congregational Church in Braintree, Massachusetts; instructor in Bible and then College Counselor at Mount Hermon School, now Northfield Mount Hermon School; Head of Upper School and College Counselor at King School in Stamford, Connecticut. He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts in 1944 and then entered the Navy V-12 program in W.W.II. Discharged in 1946 as a midshipman, He enrolled at Yale, graduating in 1949. Three years later He graduated from Yale Divinity School. It is now an honor to be able to serve as an Honorary Minister of the First Congregational Church of Falmouth.

--Rev. Barbara Miner is a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and of Andover Newton Theological School. She was raised in Englewood, New Jersey and pursued careers in publishing and college administration as Director of Alumni Relations for Middlebury College before entering the ministry. Since being ordained eighteen years ago, she has served as the Senior Pastor of the Union Church of Stow, as an Intentional Interim Minister for the Wellesley Village Church, and as the Minister for Program at Craigville Conference Center.

Bobbie came to Falmouth with her husband, Rich, from Concord, Ma. where they raised their two daughters. They have now lived in Falmouth for over ten years, during which time Bobbie has served as an Honorary Minister for the church with a focus in the area of Pastoral Care. She continues her practice as a Spiritual Director, having received her training through the Shalem Institute in Washington, D.C. and also serves as a volunteer chaplain at Falmouth Hospital. Bobbie's commitments in the community include her current term on the Board of Neighborhood Falmouth and serving as a volunteer for Friends of Falmouth Dogs, the Service Center, and Highfield Hall. She also enjoys gardening, kayaking, bicycling, and singing in the Falmouth Chorale.

--Rev. Dr. Robert Singer is one of our retired clergy in the church who is authorized by our congregation to assist in various ways, including participation in morning worship, conducting wedding services, and helping on church committees. He presently serves on the Lay Visitation committee and helps to facilitate the parish's outreach in the greater Falmouth area. He has also been an assistant chaplain at the Falmouth Hospital.

Mr. Singer received his ministerial degree from the Yale Divinity School and his Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Psychology and Counseling from Andover Newton Theological School. During his 37 years in Connecticut and Massachusetts congregational churches, he specialized in adult Christian education, pastoral counseling, and housing for the elderly. After his retirement from the active ministry, he served as interim minister of several churches in the area.

"Bob," as he likes to be called, enjoys several hobbies including travel, hiking, classical and New Orleans Jazz, reading, cosmology and astronomy. He has five grown children and nine grandchildren, with the oldest just graduating from college.

--Rev. Dr. Allan C. Page is one of our honorary ministers who is authorized by our congregation to assist in various ways. Dr Page was ordained in the Lutheran Church and served as the Falmouth Hospital Chaplain for many years. Prior to that he served two congregations and was Chaplain at St Francis Hospital in Hartford, Ct. Presently, as a “retired’ minister, he continues to work as a counselor in private practice in Falmouth, a position which he had done for many years as a licensed counselor while serving in other church positions. At First Congregational Church, he served as interim Minister to single adults prior to the arrival of Rev. William Tucker.

Allan is married to Janice, a Mashpee public school teacher and they have two grown children. He enjoys boating, gardening, and enjoying Cape Cod.

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