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Welcome to First Presbyterian
Church of Oceanside
We welcome you to the fellowship of First Presbyterian Church, Oceanside. We are an exuberant and active congregation of over 1300 members and it is our intention to reflect the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in all that we do. Our ministries are numerous, focusing on people of all ages and interests. Our chief aim is to glorify God in our local community and the world and we invite you to celebrate your faith and worship God with us. Blessings to you and your loved ones.
Sincerely,
Lewis S. León
Pastor
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Our Mission Statement
As a congregation, the First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside is committed to:
- Proclaim and celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ;
- Gather as a community to worship God with dignity, warmth and beauty;
- Nourish personal faith and commitment through study, prayer and fellowship;
- Be a caring Christian community witnessing to God's love day by day;
- Work for love and justice;
- Work locally and beyond with our denomination and the larger Christian church;
- Be a telling presence in the Tri-City area.
Please take a look at the rest of our site and see the ministries we offer and provide, our special events, and our worship services.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me...for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matt. 19:14) and we at First Presbyterian Church acknowledge this as both a challenge and a command. Living in a world where children are assaulted every day we choose to be protectors and advocates for all children whenever and wherever we find it possible. We recognize that we have the capabilities and resources to respond to the needs of children in our local community and in far reaching places of the world.
In the highest priority of First Presbyterian Church we will cherish the children of our world for they, along side of us, belong to the kingdom of our Lord Jesus. We hold all children in the highest esteem and value their presence in our midst. We will consider the welfare of children in all that we seek to do in ministry and missions. We extend the love of God to all children that they too may be embraced and held in the arms of our loving Lord.
In Christ, we “Cherish the Children.”
All About Us
| The Rev. Dr. Lewis S. León - lleon@fpcoceanside.org |
| I have been serving as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Oceanside since March of 2000. Previously, I served three Presbyterian Churches in New Mexico and Arizona. At present, I am on the local Board of Directors for Interfaith Community Services. My educational background includes a BA Degree from UCLA, a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. I enjoy spending time with family and friends and especially in activities such as skiing, hiking, biking, cinema, and travel. My wife, Terri and I have three children, Andrew, Hayden and Ashley, a daughter-in-law, Jennifer and two precious granddaughters, Aspen and Grace. |
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| The Rev. Elizabeth Wilson ewilson@fpcoceanside.org |
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Elizabeth Wilson graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in May of 2004. She is a California native and is quite excited to be moving back closer to home.
Elizabeth first felt a call to pastoral ministry while she was working at Calvin Crest, the camp not too far from where she grew up. It was during that first summer working in the kitchen that she knew God was calling her to full time ministry in the church. She ended up working three summers at Calvin Crest and was truly able to explore God’s call for her life. Elizabeth also wanted to work in a church to see exactly where she was called into ministry. It was this desire that led her to volunteer work, which helped her discover in what areas she was gifted. While attending California State University Northridge she was able to explore that call as a volunteer leader with the High School youth group at First Presbyterian of Granada Hills. Elizabeth also did an internship with the youth at First Presbyterian Church in Yakima, Washington.
In September of 2001 Elizabeth began to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. While there she had the opportunity to participate in two internships, one at Chatham Presbyterian and the other with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks at Sequoia National Park. There she was able to grow in her faith and also continue in learning what it means to be a pastor.
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| Julie Faumuina - jfaumuina@fpcoceanside.org |
| My first experiences with First Presbyterian Church were seeing our 4 children through the Preschool years! I have taught for 10 years, at First Presbyterian, prior to becoming Director. My background is in Counseling and Child/Human Development. I not only serve children and families at First Presbyterian but also work closely with community organizations, the local school district, and the community college. One of my greatest joys is seeing the number of parents who, when children themselves, attended First Presbyterian Preschool! Playing in the garden is one of my hobbies so I fit in well with all the "dirt diggers" at preschool. |
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| Linda La Fetra - ykhig@cox.net |
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I have been singing in choirs since I was 6, and have directed children's choirs at a variety of churches. I have a preschool/elementary education degree. In addition to the children's choirs at First Presbyterian, I teach music at the preschool, lead music at Chapel, Vacation Bible School, Day Camps and Kid's Connection. I worked as stage manager, props manager, and assistant director of various musicals in local theaters, and I love directing Children's Musicals here at First Pres. We have performed Christmas musicals and I helped the children write our own musical worship and plays for church. My current passion is helping children learn to lead and participate in worship, play drums or chimes to accompany themselves and use sign language with their songs.
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| Gretchen Richardson - grichardson@fpcoceanside.org |
| I am a native southern Californian who was raised in the Presbyterian Church. In 1991 I joined the staff at First Presbyterian Church Oceanside. After fourteen years as the Director of Children’s Ministry and upon receiving my Masters in Christian Education, I am now the Director of Congregational Life. I have the privilege to work within the congregation to provide a connection with people through fellowship, education, and the worship of God.
When I’m not working I love being with my husband and our three children as much as possible. We frequently walk our dogs along the beach, enjoy great backpacking adventures, reading a variety of books and discovering as much as possible about the world of technology.
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| Wendy Henderson - whenderson@fpcoceanside.org |
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Wendy Henderson, our Safe Harbor Director and Director of Children's Ministry, has a love for children...having four of her own that range from second grade to first year of college. She has been an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside for four years. She has been married to her wonderful husband, Lee, for 20 years. Wendy Has over 25 years experience working with children as a pre-school teacher, Sunday school teacher, as a reading tutor, costuming children's theatre programs, and much more. She's easy to spot on campus wearing bright-colored, plastic shoes and laughing loudly! Come by her office, room 101, or visit her in Safe Harbor in The Upper Room for Kids. God is so good! We hope you will feel welcome in joining us for the many exciting opportunities for kids and families. You won't want to miss out on all that God is doing at First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside!
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| Sharon Eads - burylsgurl@aol.com |
| Music always has been a big part of my life. My sister and I began singing in church when we were small children. I began studying the piano at the age of seven and continued in private lessons for ten years. I continued my education in music at Biola University and the University of California Riverside. In addition to giving private piano lessons I am the New Creation Choir Director for the 8:00 AM Praise Service. I married my high school sweetheart, raised two wonderful sons, and continue to reside in Oceanside. Buryl is a science teacher in Oceanside and during our summers, we have traveled border to border and coast to coast in our new hobby of birdwatching. |
| Charlotte Atkinson - atkinsonfamily1@sbcglobal.net |
| I am the oldest and noisiest member of the staff and have been privileged to be a musician here for the past 33 years. In October of 1999 the church honored my 30 years as organists by naming the organ for me. The organ is a Simpson pipe organ combined with a 3 manual Rodgers digital organ. It is a marvelous combination. I also present music on the piano and harpsichord. The piano is a 7 foot Yamaha and the harpsichord is a beautiful refinished Hubbard 3 choir instrument. I live in Vista with my husband, who was director of music here for 25 years and is now retired. We have two children who live in Texas. I teach music in my studio at home to students from age 5 to 80. I also am an adjunct music instructor at Mira Costa College. In my spare time I enjoy gardening, reading and creating music. |
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| Larry Gerling - lgerling@fpcoceanside.org |
| I joined First Presbyterian as Director of Music in September, 2005, after serving as organist, choir director and hand bell director in my last congregation in Whittier for 24 years.
I have played the organ since I was 7 years old, and have sung in choirs ever since grade school. I have been an organist and/or choir director in churches since I was 14. My second part time job, for the last 30 years, is piano tuning and repair.
At First Presbyterian, I direct the Chancel Choir, which sings a variety of music at the 9:30 and the 11:00 services, and the Hand Bell Choir.
Sue and I have been married for 33 years. She is an elementary music teacher in Capistrano School District, a director in the So. Ca. Children’s Chorus of Irvine, which I accompany, and director of Angelicus, the 4-8 grade choir here at First Presbyterian, which I also accompany. We have two daughters. Andrea, 28, the animal lover, lives in San Diego and is married to a church choir director. Mandy, 26, after spending a year in Hiroshima teaching English to Japanese children, is pursuing further education to become a high school counselor.
Sue and I live 7 blocks from the ocean in our “Normandy Cottage” in Oceanside, where we enjoy an occasional glass of wine on the terrace.
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| Rich LaFetra – rlafetra@fpcoceanside.org |
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I am excited to be starting the next chapter of my working career as church administrator. This position is responsible for accounting, financial reporting, payroll and benefits, maintenance, building and grounds coordination and general administrative functions.
I have been a member of First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside for 10 years and am a member of the Chancel Choir.
My wife Linda and our daughter Katie moved to Oceanside 19 years ago from New Jersey to allow me to accept the position of Chief Financial Officer at a computer software company in Carlsbad. In late 2006 it was announced that the company had been sold to a major competitor in Canada who made the decision to eliminate all of the accounting, marketing and training positions in California.
I am a firm believer that when one door is closed, God opens another. The church has a remarkably talented and motivated staff and I am honored to be a part of that family. My door is typically open and I encourage you to stop by with any questions or concerns.
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