Mark S. Bollwinkel,
Senior Pastor
Mark graduated from the University of the Pacific and received his Doctor of Ministry and Master's of Divinity from the School of Theology, Claremont, CA. His education has continued through extensive professional classes and seminars taken each year. A public speaker since the age of fifteen, having received his license to preach when he was eighteen, Mark says today that preaching is his central focus and joy in ministry. After seminary, Mark became principal of the Methodist Theological School in Sarawak, East Malaysia, for three years. After his return to the United States, Mark served as pastor of Saint Paul's UMC, Reno for seven years; Senior Pastor at Memorial UMC, Clovis for six years; and UMC, Alameda for three and a half years. A proponent of active community involvement, Mark has been President of the Board of Directors of the East Bay Habitat for Humanity and a volunteer chaplain with the Hospice in Alameda, among many other activities. In the past, he has been volunteer chaplain for the Clovis Police Department, and has served on many committees and task forces in Reno. He has trained and been certified for service on "hot line" suicide prevention phones and police chaplaincy. Mark is a good cook and an accomplished ceramist, having studied, taught and widely exhibited his pottery. Mark has been married to Bonnie Bollwinkel for 38 years; they have two sons, Dan (33) and Matt (30).
Dirk Damonte,
Minister of Music & Worship Arts
Dirk received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Puget Sound. He earned his MA in Worship and the Arts and his Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion, in Berkeley, California. Dirk is an ordained Deacon in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church. Dirk and Carol were married in 1982, and have been involved in some form of team ministry at LAUMC since the day they were married. They have written 11 musicals together, which they have taken on tour with the Starfire Singers throughout the Western and Southwestern United States and Canada, to the former Soviet Union and Finland, to the United Kingdom, and Australia. Dirk oversees the Music Ministry at LAUMC, sings and plays keyboard with the Creekside Worship Band and is accompanist for Starfire, Lightshine, and Sunday morning worship, and is responsible for Creekside Crossings, our Sunday evening worship service. Dirk and Carol have two sons, Dustin and Dylan.
Debbie Weatherspoon,
Minister of Discipleship
Debbie has been in pastoral ministry since 1997, following her graduation from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. She is married to Rev. Dale Weatherspoon (pastor of Alum Rock UMC in the San Jose District). They have two young sons, Wesley and Justus. Debbie serves on the Board of The Interfaith Council on Religion, Race, Economic and Social Justice in Santa Clara County and on the Peninsula Clergy Network (PCN). Through PCN she also serves on the Santa Clara County Community Advisory Committee. It was through campus ministry, while she was a student at the University of Florida (B.A. 1990, B.S. 1991; Anthropology and Telecommunication), that she received her call to ordained ministry. As Minister of Discipleship, Debbie accompanies people on their journey with Jesus Christ through small groups, Bible studies, and classes.
Cate Noellert,
Minister of Congregational Care
Cate is a commissioned Deacon in the United Methodist Church and serves half-time at both the Christian Counseling Center of San Jose and as Minister of Congregational Care at Los Altos UMC. She began the path towards ministry in 1999 when she heard the call to ministry in her Junior year of college after working for two summers at her conference's summer youth camp in Texas. From there she served as as Young Adult Missioner for the United Methodist Church for two years, working as Director of Development for a church-based non-profit in Dallas. After this needed break from classes, Cate moved to Atlanta to begin seminary at Candler School of Theology. At Candler, Cate felt called strongly to a ministry of pastoral care and counseling, which she began to pursue after moving to California with her husband, Bill, in 2006. Cate worked for the Veteran's Administration as a chaplain in Palo Alto and Menlo Park and then went on to complete a Masters of Counseling Psychology degree at Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2009. She is currently pursuing licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist and ordination in full connection in the California-Nevada Annual Conference.
Samuel S. Yun,
Minister of Young Adults
Sam is a fourth generation pastor in his family, the son of a retired United Methodist pastor, and grandson of a former bishop in the Korean Methodist Church. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Religious Studies from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, and a Masters of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. Sam was ordained Deacon in the Baltimore-Washington Conference in 1995 and an Elder in the California-Pacific Conference in 1999.
While serving in Southern California, Sam has served as pastor of three churches over the course of 11 years. Most recently, he has served for four years as a conference staff person as the Director of Marketing and Ministry Development for The Center for Leadership and Cal-Pac Camps before coming to Los Altos United Methodist Church.
Sam's passion is to reach and serve the emerging generation of young adults in Los Altos and the surrounding Silicon Valley area, bringing them closer to the heart of Jesus Christ.
Carol Damonte,
Director of Ministry & Music for Youth
Carol received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Puget Sound. While at UPS, she met Dirk, and they were married in 1982. They have been involved in team ministry at LAUMC ever since. Carol and Dirk have written eleven musicals together, which they have taken on tour throughout the Western and Southwestern United States, Canada, Russia, Finland, the Baltic Republics, the United Kingdom and Australia. Carol oversees the Youth Ministry at LAUMC, which includes Journey and Lightshine (our Junior High fellowship group and choir), Confirmation, and Mosaic and Starfire (our High School fellowship group and choir). Carol has helped lead numerous trips to Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Greece and Peru, as well as Starfire tours and Mexico Mission trips. Carol sings in the Creekside Worship Band at Creekside Crossings (our Sunday evening worship service). Carol and Dirk have two sons, Dustin and Dylan.
Hallis Ayres,
Director of Office Administration and Communication
Hallis grew up in Kendallville, Indiana. She received her BS degree from Indiana University and her MA degree from Michigan State University. Hallis taught elementary school in Battle Creek and Birmingham, Michigan before moving to California where she taught in the Las Lomitas School District in Menlo Park. Hallis joined the LAUMC staff as Wedding Coordinator in 1986. She has also served as Administrative Assistant and Facilities Coordinator. She is married to Russ and has one son, Dan.
Paul Rosas,
Senior Organist
T. Paul Rosas is an organist, pianist, composer and recording artist. The CD's he has recorded are: a meditative "Journey of the Heart," a useful "Wedding Music Sampler," a lyrical "Standards of Love" with Wendy Hunter and a powerful "With a Voce of Singing" with the Canticle Vocal Ensemble. "Job Suite," written for organ, trumpet, narrator and dancers, is published by Pasquina Publishing. He is currently Senior Organist for Los Altos United Methodist Church and Dean of the Palo Alto Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He is accompanist for the Cantabile Chorus (formerly the Baroque Chorale Guild), and has assisted with the Santa Clara Chorale, the San Jose University Chorale, and the San Jose Opera. Mr. Rosas is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music and the University of the Pacific.
Non Mead,
Director, LAUMC Children's Center
Non Mead is a local girl, growing up attending the Burlingame Methodist Church with Roy Damonte as her Youth Minister. Twelve years and three children later, she and her husband moved to Mountain View and started attending LAUMC. Through teaching, she became acquainted with Carol and Dirk Damonte only later to make the connection to her childhood — small world!
Non attended UCLA and UCSD receiving her BA in Sociology and Psychology in 1975. She and her husband Dick have four children: Doug, Jennifer, Megan and KC. For 15 years she busied herself leading cub scouts, girl scouts, working as a music docent for the LASD and as a court designated child advocate. She re-entered the work force as a preschool teacher in 1993 and moved "Home" to the LAUMC Children's Center in 2001. She became the Director in 2003.
Church Office Staff includes:
Sandy Banker: Administrative Assistant for Youth Ministry
Brittanee Bryant: Administrative Assistant/Welcome Desk
Harold Caudle: Director of Facilities
Lisa Conway: Director of Children's Ministries
Becky Everett: Managing Director
Cindy Golden: Director of Media Ministry and Youth Special Projects
Erandy Herrera: Custodian
Meredith Kittle: Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor
Ellie Manser: Director of Food Services
Maricar McConnell: Accounting Assistant
Linda Miller: Director of Financial Services
Lynda Monari: Administrative Assistant to Pastors
Patricia Parfett: Coordinator of Adult Ministries
Bjorn Remo: Senior Accountant
Pedro Ruiz: Custodian
Dave Swartz: Media Assistant
Harley Tynes: Administrative Assistant
