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Rev. Douglas Fauth has been Pastor and Teacher of First Congregational UCC since September 2003. Doug is a native of York, Pennsylvania, where his entire immediate family all live. Doug is a lifelong United Church of Christ member and is proud to have roots in the UCC and its predecessor bodies back to the arrival of his family in this country in the early 1800s. Doug served as an organist in United Methodist, Lutheran, Metropolitan Community Church as well as UCC congregations over many years and has been an invited preacher in these traditions as well as Presbyterian, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal and Unitarian Universalist congregations. He graduated in 1989 with a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania and worked in Hershey PA writing TV commercials for several years. Doug earned his Master of Divinity degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary of the United Church of Christ in 1996 and was a General Synod Delegate in 1999. Doug's first call to ordained ministry was as Associate Director of the Christian Association at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. He was ordained on July 31, 2000 at Church of the Redeemer UCC, Hershey--the first openly gay ordinand in the Penn Central Conference of the UCC. In his ministry, Doug feels a strong commitment to worship as the central moment of the congregation's life and emphasizes music, preaching and creative liturgy. Ministries of education, social witness, pastoral care and making the presence of a liberal congregation known in the Baraboo area are also among Doug's ministerial passions. He has served on the Southwest WI UCC Association Division on Stewardship and Mission and has been named to the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Doug enjoys DIY projects around his house, cooking and eating comfort foods, jazz, quirky movies and TV shows, and is an unrepentant National Public Radio junkie.
Geri Schoenoff, RN, is our Parish Nurse. Geri serves both First Congregational UCC and First United Methodist Church in this position. Geri brings a strong background in the nursing profession to her work which is concerned with integrating care for our members' health in a holistic manner--in body, mind and spirit. Geri has been a member of our congregation for nearly all her life and has probably taken on every role in the congregation at some time or another! Geri and her husband Dick frequently extend the hospitality of their farm and home to the congregation.
Gretchen Dresen is our choir director but, in reality, coordinates the overall music program of the congregation well beyond the choir--and does a fantastic job! Gretchen has a real passion for music and performance. She has sung with a numbe of ensembles, large and small. Gretchen and her husband Bill have been members of the church for over 25 years and are faithful leaders in the church.
Larry Stout is our primary organist/accompanist. Larry is an incredible keyboard artist and is in charge of music for Circus World. Larry travels a great deal with the circus during the autumn-spring period, often coming in on a Sunday morning straight from a travel engagement to play for worship. It is not unusual to find him at local events playing most any type of music you can imagine. Larry joined First Congregational in 2006 and we are blessed by his presence. When Larry is unavailable to play for worship, we are thankful for a talented group of accompanists including member Audrey Christofersen and local musicians Gregg Punswick, Paul Fritsch, Amos Roe and others.
First Congregational UCC is governed as a whole by the congregation but annually elects officers and board and committee members in January. The Cabinet is comprised of five persons who are elected as officers of the congregation and a representative from each of the standing boards and committees. The elected officers currently serving are: Moderator Kit Eilertson, Vice Moderator Bill Dresen, Treasurer Carl Alexander, Assistant Treasurer Mark Stelling and Secretary Arthur "Chris" Christofersen. The pastor is an ex officio member of the Cabinet and all boards, committees and subcommittees with voice, but no vote.
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