Sarah Tittle: Parish Administrator
office@firstchurchmn.org; 612-331-3816, ext 301
Sarah’s office hours are Tuesdays-Fridays from 9am-2:30pm. Stop by and say hello!
Sarah has served as First Church’s Parish Administrator since September 2005. In that capacity, she answers phones and doors, creates bulletins, manages the calendar and mailing lists, sends out the weekly email news, records financial transactions, and pays the bills. In addition she will chat with you, connect you to a church member or event, remind you of when a meeting is scheduled–and then chat some more! A longtime resident of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, Sarah loves working within walking distance to her home and her kids’ school. She is passionate about reading, writing, cooking, and conversation. She is mother to two beautiful girls, wife to a wonderful husband, and guardian to a sweet but naughty black lab.
Brad Schumann: Custodian
bardleyschumann@gmail.com
Brad is a life-long resident of Southeast Minneapolis and has attended First Church since 1970. He was confirmed here in 1977. Brad’s mother was parish administrator from 1972 to 1979, and at her insistence he applied and was hired for the position of church custodian in July, 1981. Brad’s responsibilities are, in a nutshell: to maintain the building and grounds; set up for and clean up after events; and report building and/or equipment issues to the Principal Minister and Trustees.
Brad works 25 hours a week; his hours are roughly 11am-3:30 Monday – Friday and a couple of hours in the morning, and 3 or 4 more in the afternoon on Saturday. He also works part-time weekday evenings for United Parcel Service, and does odd jobs and lawn care for people in and around the ‘hood. When Brad’s not working he’s a devout homebody who likes to garden, play video games, shop at his Coop, and drink a beer on his front porch, while admiring his tomato plants and barbecuing. He also has a casual interest in history and sports.
Jane McBride: Principal Minister
jmcbride@firstchurchmn.org; 612-331-3816, ext 304
Jane’s work week is Sunday-Thursday, with occasional Saturdays. She is in and out of the office frequently; please feel free to call or email to set up an appointment.
Jane has served First Church as Principal Minister since February 2010. Her role is to empower the ministry of the whole congregation and the staff. She enjoys the rich variety of her days. At any given moment, you might find her designing a worship service, writing a sermon, visiting with one of our elders, leading a staff meeting, consulting about a needed repair to the building, talking with a member about a life issue, taking some quiet time to pray and study, having coffee with someone who is new to the church, teaching confirmation, working on getting our message out through facebook, email and our monthly newsletter, or attending a meeting of a church committees or community group.
Jane is a PK (preacher’s kid) who has been part of the United Church of Christ all her life. She received her B.A. in Religion and Philosophy from St. Olaf College in 1997 and her Masters of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2000. She began her work at Falcon Heights UCC in September 2000 as half-time Director of Children’s Ministry, became a full-time staff member there in 2001, and was ordained as Associate Minister early in 2002 where she continued to serve, working with three successive Senior Ministers, until March of 2009.
In her preaching, Jane seeks to interweave Biblical texts with the issues and questions of daily life. She is committed to prayer and spiritual practices, and passionate about social justice. She is especially compelled by issues related to poverty, food, environmental sustainability, and racism. She is a trained facilitator for the Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality curriculum and the Antiracism Study-Dialogue Circles (ASDIC). She has worked extensively with children and youth and has led several service learning trips. Jane embraces in mystery and believes that we must see God in many ways, hear God in many languages, and call God by many names.
Jane enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, bicycling, walking, canoeing and camping, playing the violin and singing, listening to music, and spending time with family and friends. Jane’s spouse, the Rev. Jennifer Nagel, is the pastor of Salem English Lutheran Church, which is partnered with Lyndale UCC and First Christian Church. Jane and Jen are proud parents of Eliza Grace.
Stacey Gassman: Associate Minister
sgassman@firstchurchmn.org; 612-331-3816 ext 305
Aaron Lauer: Minister for Children, Youth and Families
alauer@firstchurchmn.org; 612-331-3816 ext 303
Aaron has served as First Church’s Minister to Children, Youth, and Families since August of 2011. Aaron plans lessons for Church School, works with families on Christian teachings at home, and engages the high school youth in service and fellowship opportunities. He’s happy to meet with kids, youth, parents, grandparents, guardians, and anyone else with an interest in Christian education about ways that First Church can best serve the children and youth. Aaron is a native Nebraskan who moved to the Twin Cities in 2007 to attend United Theological Seminary and loved it so much he decided to stick around! In his spare time he loves reading theology and history, exercising, going to concerts, and biking around South Minneapolis, where he lives. Feel free to stop by during the week or Sunday mornings to chat. It’s best to drop me an e-mail to let me know when you are stopping in!
Cynthia Mortensen: Minister of Music
cmortensen@firstchurchmn.org; 612-331-3816 ext 302
Cynthia Mortensen grew up in St. Paul, and graduated with a B.A. in Organ Performance from the College of St. Catherine in 1980. She studied organ with Robert Wolfe, Dr. Paul Manz, and Dr. James Callahan. She has served as a choral conductor throughout her career, both in churches, (most recently at St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ) and as a High School Choral/Vocal teacher at Cretin-Derham Hall High School for more than fifteen years. She has been an adjudicator Regional Choral and Solo/Ensemble Contests sponsored by the MN State High School League. Her conducting teachers include the late Dr. Maurice Jones at the College of St. Catherine, Dr. Edith Copley of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, as well as with Dr. Axel Theimer at St. John’s University. She also studied voice with Dr. James Sample at the College of St. Thomas, Dr. Maurice Jones, and Dr. Patricia Kent. While in college, she performed the Poulenc Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani with members of the Minnesota Orchestra.
Cynthia has sung with The Minnesota Chorale and Kantorei. Cynthia also has a fondness for jazz, and has performed with a few big bands in the Twin Cities. She is a member of the VoiceCare Network, the American Guild of Organists, and the American Choral Director’s Association. She currently teaches private voice and piano. Her hobbies include gardening, golf, knitting and reading.
