Church Staff
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Pastors
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Keith Potter
Senior Pastor
408-867-1000, x248
keith@saratogafederated.org |
| Keith Potter has been the Senior
Pastor at Saratoga Federated Church since March of
1999. Keith is responsible for much of the
preaching and staff leadership and collaborates
with the Elders to set direction for the church.
While the demands of pastoring a large
congregation are many and diverse, Keith still
enjoys those classic pastoral moments of
listening, praying and being with people during
their greatest joys and stresses. |
| Keith and Sue Potter have three
children. They moved to Saratoga from Paradise,
CA, where they served the Paradise Alliance Church
for seven years. Prior to that, the Potters served
a church in El Cajon, CA (now East Hills Christian
Church) for eight years. Keith and Sue met at
Northwest Christian College in Eugene, OR. Keith
received a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller
Theological Seminary in Pasadena. |
| A theme verse that drives Keith’s
ministry is 1
Timothy 1:5, "The goal of our
instruction is love that springs from a pure
heart, a good conscience and a sincere
faith." Thus the great passions of
Keith’s ministry are character-based leadership
and the spiritual intangibles that are hugely
consequential to personal and church health and
growth. He has spoken on these (and other) topics
at camps, campuses and conferences. |
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Arvin Engelson
Pastor of Care Ministries
408-867-1000, x231
arvin@saratogafederated.org |
| Arvin Engelson has served Saratoga
Federated Church since 1978. For many years he was
Pastor for Congregational Care, where he
cultivated mutual care ministries and specialized
in pastoral counseling. Recently, because of his
unique combination of skills and experience, Arvin
was named as SFC's Pastor for Community Care. In
this new role, Arvin will lead our congregation's
compassionate engagements with human needs in the
Bay Area in an outwardly focused ministry. |
| Arvin and his wife Dale grew up in
Santa Barbara, California, and have been married
for 32 years. They have three daughters. Parish
ministry is a second career for Arvin. Before
joining SFC, he was a counselor at a public
college in Maryland and a private college in
Massachusetts. Arvin did his masters work at
Gordon-Conwell in Massachusetts and his doctoral
work at Princeton. |
| When asked to identify a guiding
text of scripture Arvin cited Micah
6:8: "This is what Yahweh asks of
you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly
and to walk humbly with your God." |
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Tim Galleher
Pastor of Students and Children
408-867-1000, x234
tim@saratogafederated.org |
| Tim joined the SFC pastoral staff
in January, 1996 as Associate Pastor of Student
Ministries. Today he provides oversight to
Children’s, Jr. High, Sr. High, and College
ministries. Tim's passion is for our students and
children to have an intimate personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. The mission/vision statement of
our ministry to children and students is the
following: |
| "Our ministry exists to
reach children and students, to connect them with
Christians, to help them grow in their faith, to
challenge them to serve others using their
God-given gifts, and to honor God with their daily
lives." |
| God has blessed this ministry and
we are seeing so many children and students come
to know the Lord and live for Him. |
| Tim and his wife Cara were married
in 1989. They have three children. As a family
they love going on adventures and having fun. |
| The Gallehers came to SFC after 15
years of ministry in Glendale, California through
the Glendale YMCA and Glendale Presbyterian
Church. Tim received his MDIV from Fuller
Theological Seminary in Pasadena. The theme verses
for Tim's ministry are Matthew
22:37-40 (The Great Commandment) and Matthew
28:19-20 (The Great Commission). |
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Jason Roeder
Associate Pastor, High School Ministries
408-867-1000, x235
jason@saratogafederated.org |
| Jason came to SFC in June of 2003
as the Director of High School Ministries. He is
now the assistant pastor of our student
ministries. |
| "My hope is that our teenagers
will learn to have a passionate and growing
relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the best
attributes of our student ministry is the
willingness of our students to serve, care, and
show God's love to people in need. If you want to
grow in your own faith, learn to serve
others." Jason's theme verse for ministry is
1 Timothy 4:12, "Do not let anyone look down
on you because you are young, instead, be an
example for believers in life, in love, in speech,
in faith, and in purity." |
| Jason and his wife Vangela were
married in 1996. They have four wonderful
children; Hunter, Keaton, Pierce, and Precious.
Finding creative ways to play as a family and do
things together is a high priority for Jason and
Vangela. |
| Jason graduated from the University
of Mobile in 1997. He served in Christian
education for 4 years. God then called Jason into
full-time ministry as a Jr. High Youth Pastor and
as a transition specialist for juvenile delinquent
teenagers at a faith-based correction facility
called Rawhide Boys Ranch in New London,
Wisconsin. |
| Jason is currently taking classes
at Western Seminary in Los Gatos toward a Masters
in Youth and Family Ministry. |
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Bill Allison
Pastor of Worship and Congregational Life bill@saratogafederated.org |
| Bill Allison joined the staff at
Saratoga Federated in January, 2008, and is
delighted to lead in the areas of worship and
congregational life. Bill is passionate about
impacting the world for Christ through music and
the creative arts. His life goal of encouraging
people to be true worshippers is reflected in some
of his favorite scripture verses, John 4:23 &
24. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when
the true worshipers shall worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks
to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth." Bill has been privileged to enjoy
past seasons of ministry in Los Gatos, CA for 20
years, Bremerton, WA for 3 ½ years, and Reedley,
CA for 3 years, before coming to SFC. His broad
background in music of widely varied styles,
musical theater, involvement with arts in the
community, travel, and love for people have
enriched both his artistic and spiritual life. He
is partnered in life and ministry with his wife,
Diane. Two sons, Chris and Will, complete the
Allison family. |
| A favorite verse that inspires Bill
is John 4:23 - Yet a time is coming and has now
come when the true worshipers will worship the
Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind
of worshipers the Father seeks. |
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Matthew Bleckley
Jr. High Coordinator
matt@saratogafederated.org |
| Matt came to SFC in 2007 as the
Junior High Coordinator. His primary
responsibilities include spending time with junior
highers and attempting to make church a welcoming
and loving place for young adolescents. |
| "It is my passion to enter
into deep meaningful relationships with students
and encourage them to live a life worthy of their
calling." |
| Matt is a recent graduate of Azusa
Pacific University where he received a degree in
Youth Ministries. He has been actively involved in
churches and other ministries throughout the Bay
Area and Southern California in youth ministry for
the last four years. He enters this place with
high hopes for the work that God has planned and
with great excitement for the opportunity to be a
part of it. |
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Directors
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Jerry Bruce
Director of Church Administration
408-867-1000, x249
jerry@saratogafederated.org |
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Jill Okamura
Children's Ministry Early Childhood Coordinator
408-867-1000 ext. 242
jill@saratogafederated.org |
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Debbie Sturm
Children's Ministry Elementary Coordinator
408-867-1000 ext. 232
debbie@saratogafederated.org |
| Debbie joined the SFC staff in
October, 2005 as Elementary Coordinator. She
coordinates the Sunday school program for first
through fifth grades as well as many special
events for the kids. Debbie enjoys spending time
with kids and sharing her love of Jesus with them. |
| The mission statement of the
children's program is: "Our ministry exists
to Reach children, to Connect them with
Christians, to help them Grow in their faith, to
challenge them to Serve others using their
God-given gifts, and to Honor God with their daily
lives." |
| God has blessed the children's
ministry program, and it is growing in every age
level. Seeing God at work in the lives of the
children and their families here at SFC is very
exciting. |
| Debbie and her husband, Erick, were
married in 1979. They have two grown children,
Erick and Michael Lynn. |
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Administrative Staff
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Copyright © 2007 by Saratoga Federated Church,
Saratoga, California. All rights reserved. |
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