Meet the Leaders of our Church

Staff | Officers | Chairpeople | Circles & Groups

Staff

Rev. James Watson 
  Senior Minister

  Rev. James T. Watson came to Loveland in order to serve First Congregational Church as Senior Pastor in December of 2006. He has served both urban and rural congregations in Washington State , Iowa and Nebraska .

James did his undergraduate work at the University of Michigan , and began basic theological studies at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary , finally earning his M.Div. at Eden Theological Seminary. He has also done post graduate work at Vancouver School of Theology at the University of British Columbia , and doctoral work at the Institute for the History of the Reformation at the University of Geneva in Switzerland , researching the interpretation of the Psalms in the 16^th Century Reformation.  

Scholarship is only one aspect of James ’ ministry. He balances his penchant for study with a flair for cooking. During some time off from active ministry, James also pursued a degree in culinary arts and has worked as an Executive Chef in the Seattle Area.  

His passions in ministry include: community organizing and leadership development, an openness to and embracing of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, a delight in teaching people about the greater and lesser known traditions of the Christian Church throughout the centuries, the pursuit of the spiritual life, a commitment to social justice, and a desire to reflect all of the above in a rich communal worship life.  

James is married to the Rev. Thelma B. Burgonio-Watson, a Presbyterian minister, who has educated many congregations, denominations and local communities on how to form a religious response to the issues domestic violence, child abuse, clergy misconduct, and, most recently, human trafficking. Together they have one daughter, Sasha , who is an undergraduate at the University of Montana in Missoula .

Rev. Phillip Hunger,
Youth Minister    

    As Youth Minister Rev. Hunger's responsibilities include the Youth Fellowship Group and the Youth Church School Class along with other ministerial involvement as needed.
    Employed by IBM in Boulder he moved to Colorado in June of 2002 after serving nine years as the pastor of an inner city congregation in St. Louis whose mission was focused on neighborhood children and youth. Through an after school program, a summer day camp, working closely with the local grade school and many other efforts the congregation sought to enhance the lives of neighborhood children and youth.  
   Also through Church Base Community Organizing, Rev. Hunger became active in public education with involvement in the planning of the Career Academy, a high tech vocational high school in St. Louis, with an emphasis on the natural sciences.

Peggy Volpe
Administrative Assistant

Peggy Volpe is married top a wonderful man, Bruce, with a stepson JP and two wonderful grandchildren, Tyler and Josh. The grandkids bring a lot of joy and are the light of her life. "Life got Sooooo much better after they were born!" Also, the grandkids' mom, Bre, is a very large part of her life.

I am a Colorado native, living all over Colorado and Wyoming. My dad built roads, so we moved a lot as kids.

I am thrilled to be working here and can't wait to meet all of you. Anytime you need anything from me at the office, don't hesitate to ask. I look forward to working with you.

Dr. Gerald Holbrook                                                                               Music Director and Organist

In addition to his work as an organist and church musician, Gerald W. Holbrook holds a doctoral degree in organ performance from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Masters degree in piano performance from Roosevelt University in Chicago.  Dr. Holbrook’s performance credits include solo recitals throughout the USA and the Bahamas.  He has performed with several mid-west symphony orchestras; sung and recorded with the William Ferris Chorale and, most recently, performed in Moscow while on tour with the Abendmusik chorus.  He also specializes in Gregorian chant giving workshops around the country in the ancient genre and has three recordings to his credit.  As a composer, he focuses on sacred choral music.  Some of his recent works have been performed by the San Francisco’s noted Schola Contorum.  Prior to his move to Colorado, he taught organ at Union college in Lincoln, Nebraska.  He currently teaches organ at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins.

Not Pictured:

Rick Frank, Sexton

top of page

Officers

top of page

Chairpeople

top of page

Circles & Groups

Youth Group - Rev. Phillip Hunger Faith Circle - DeLoris Swanson YESS - Nancy Schuetz

top of page

Church Phone:  970-667-4884   |   Email:  firstc@frii.com   |   Fax:  970-667-4884
Address:  800 N. Lincoln Ave. Loveland, CO 80537