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About Us

Staff and Leaders


Dr. Mary Graves

Senior Pastor

email: mgraves@trinity-pres.org

Mary is a nationally acclaimed preacher whose sermons continually draw people into God’s word and out into service. “I feel like she is speaking just to me,” is the comment of many.

Mary received her Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and her doctorate in spirituality from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She received the seminary’s Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction and currently serves as a spiritual director. She began her pastorate at Trinity in September 1996.

Mary’s goal is that people experience God’s liberating love first-hand in Christian community and bring that liberating love to a world desperate to receive it.

Mary's vision for Trinity:

People will know that Jesus is alive by the way we love one another, especially the unloved and those in need.

We will be transformed by:

Schooling ourselves in the words and ways of Jesus;

Simplifying our lives, as a church and in our homes;

Building relationships with the poor.


Kurt Heineman

Associate Connections Pastor

email: kheineman@trinity-pres.org

Kurt was born in the Bay Area but for the most part grew up in Boulder, Colorado. Kurt’s family of origin didn’t regularly attend a church while he was growing up. His life was forever changed as a teenager during his first visit to a youth group meeting at First Presbyterian Church in Boulder. After hearing the gospel for the first time that night, Kurt decided to follow Jesus.

Kurt received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puget Sound in Science, Technology and Society and his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Kurt first sensed his call to ordained ministry in the PC(USA) during an internship where he worked for the Rev. Earl F. Palmer as his Study Assistant.

Kurt began his ministry at Trinity in January 2015. In these first six months of ministry, Kurt wants to learn as much as he can about Trinity, the community and Trinity’s three main priorities for 2015: Sticky Faith, Connections, and developing a Common Language for our Spiritual Journey.

Kurt is married to his wife Katie who recently graduated from the University of Washington at the end of 2014 with at Master of Occupational Therapy. Kurt and Katie love playing sports, hiking and camping, traveling, watching great movies, and spending time with friends and family.


Dr. Brett Fenwick

Parish Associate

Dr. Brett Fenwick served actively as Parish Associate at Trinity from 1998 to 2013. Previously he held U.S. pastorates at First Presbyterian Church, Albemarle, NC, and First Presbyterian Church in Pulaski, Virginia. He also served overseas for eleven years with pastorates in Tripoli, Libya, and Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Fenwick was a consultant from 1988 to 2013, assisting clients with the strategic management of cultural differences in business. He was a principal with Aperian Global in San Francisco, which provides training and consulting for global companies. His work focused on leadership development and global team performance issues.

Dr. Fenwick is retired and lives in San Carlos.


Kristan Verveniotis

Director of Children and Youth Ministry/Worship Coordinator

email: kverv@trinity-pres.org

Kristan has been a member of Trinity for more than 25 years and is excited to be a part of Trinity’s staff.

Leading groups of people has always been a part of Kristan’s life whether it is at work, home, school or church. Growing up with a pastor and a church music director as parents gave her a love for the church and a great foundation for life. After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree at Arizona State University, she set to work engaging people of all ages in music and learning experiences. Since coming to Trinity in 1989 she has been heavily involved in music and worship, which are her great joys! Over the years, she has also been involved in leadership for Seniors Ministry, Vacation Bible School, Middle School ministry, Long Range Planning, Trillium Vocal Trio and Joyful Noise children’s choir. In 2008 she felt called to serve in Children's Ministry at Trinity. Currently, she splits her time between that and serving as Worship Coordinator. Kristan lives in San Carlos with her husband Paul. They are grateful for the blessings of their extended Trinity family in the raising of their two daughters, Nicole and Eleni who currently live out of the area. Her family enjoys music, exotic food and being outdoors – road-trips, ocean kayaking, camping, boating, hiking. . .it’s all good!


Jenny Waddell

Preschool Director

email: jennywaddell3@gmail.com

Jenny Waddell first was introduced to Trinity Preschool in 2007 when her oldest daughter was in the Threes class. Since then all three of her children have attended the preschool with the youngest in the Threes class this year. Jenny holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and taught first grade in Atherton for 13 years before deciding to continue her educational career at Trinity. She has been teaching the Threes class for the last two years.

Jenny is passionate about play based education and is excited to be taking over as Director of the preschool in the fall.


Victoria DeSalles

Office Manager

email: office@trinity-pres.org

Victoria was born and raised in San Mateo and still lives there today. She grew up in the church. Her brother is a teaching Pastor.

Victoria was a floral designer for many years, winning two national awards and designing for the Rose Parade.

Victoria met her husband through a mutual friend and now has two young boys (Ben 4 and Tommy 3). She received her bachelors degree from University of Phoenix in business management and loves to read, cook and garden in her spare time.


Claudia Nadalin

Administrative Assistant

email: cnadalin@trinity-pres.org

Claudia resides in San Carlos where she raised her two children, Donald and Michelle. A native of San Jose, The Valley of the Heart’s Delight, she lived for a brief period in Sacramento and graduated from San Jose State University.

She is an active member of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in San Carlos and has also served on the Stanford Canterbury Board, serving Episcopal and Lutheran students.

Recently she began volunteering with Sequoia Village and is meeting many wonderful individuals throughout Belmont, Redwood City, and San Carlos, including delightful Trinity members.

In addition to volunteering, Claudia spends time with family and friends, walking her dog, developing her creative interests, travel, and caring for her home.


Team Leaders

Adult Ministry

Leslie Rose (co-lead) - lerosetd@yahoo.com

Madeline Ditzler (co-lead) - mditzler02@gmail.com

Buildings and Grounds

Rod Lehr - rodlehr@comcast.net

Children’s Ministry

Alison Nordt - alison.a.nordt@lmco.com

Community Outreach

Mike Garoutte - garouttes@aol.com

Connections

Chuck Litchfield - Shrubber@aol.com

Global Outreach

Kathy Kyne - kathyk20@earthlink.net

Leadership & Nominating

Bob Boynton - b.boynton@comcast.net

Deborah Kemper - debkemper0404@yahoo.com

Preschool

Jenny King - jlindeburgking@gmail.com

Amy DeCoito - a.a.decoito@gmail.com

Personnel

Margie Pullen - margiepullen@sbcglobal.net

Stewardship and Finance

Pat Brown - patbrown111@comcast.net

Support and Endowment

Joel Van Hofwegan - jjvanhof@gmail.com

Worship

Sylvia Wunsche-Wienands - ooli@stanford.edu

Sticky Faith (formally Youth Ministry)

Kurt Heineman – kheineman@trinity-pres.org


Deacons

Where did Deacons come from? God's word in Acts 6 says:

Then the twelve called together the whole community of disciples and said, "It is not right that we should neglect the word of God, in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and serving the word."

The Greek term for deacon literally means "one who serves" or "ministers." This passage reflects the way the early church chose and set apart those people who served in a particular caring ministry. When the commitment is made by a deacon, the deacon answers “yes” to the question “Will you be a faithful deacon, teaching charity, urging concern, and directing the people’s help* to the friendless and those in need?”

Trinity chose to fulfill this calling by electing deacons to coordinate assistance for the congregation when needed. Additionally, the Deacons, with assistance from the congregation, prepare and serve lunches to the homeless locally once a month, deliver flowers weekly to the sick and shut-ins, coordinate memorial services, coordinate and distribute food and gifts to the needy at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and provide other assistance as requested by the pastors and other ministries of the church. Parish members assist with these ministries.

Deacon Moderators - Allen Sears and Cliff Kemper

Kathy Ailand - kathyailand@comcast.net

Carolyn Boynton - Carolyn_boynton@comcast.net

S. Colombo

Suzy Colton - suzycolton@yahoo.com

Helen Gerhauser - gybe@sbcglobal.net

Marcia Granucci - mgranucci@icloud.com

Adrienne Heist - heistradri2000@yahoo.com

Leslie Jacobs - lesliejacobs@comcast.net

Anne Karasky - karasky@comcast.net

Cliff Kemper - cliffk1999@yahoo.com

Leslie Kriesel - leslie.kriesel@gmail.com

Kathy Meola - Kathryn.meola@gmail.com

Richard Muller - Richard_Muller@comcast.net

Nora Patrick - nora.patrick@bedbath.com

Allen Sears - asears@cnri.reston.va.us

Bill Taylor - btaylorjr@gmail.com

Sabine Won - sabinedwon@yahoo.com


Session Elders

Christian Halden - derosafan@comcast.net

Phil Hayashida - pbridehayashida@yahoo.com

Leslie Rose - lerosetd@yahoo.com

Mary Kaufman - kaufmanmary@att.net

Sally McClure - salmcclure@gmail.com

Kathy Morey - kathy.morey@gmail.com

Keri Satterwhite - satterwhite2@gmail.com

Kirsten Halden Vincent - maddythebt@comcast.net

Andy Vincent - avitus@gmail.com


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