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Staff |
Reverend Dawn Teuthorn was ordained an ELCA pastor on July 28,1991. She is a graduate of the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) in Berkeley, which is part of a unique ecumenical collaboration of seminaries called the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). Prior pastorates include: Co-pastor, Peace Lutheran Church in Newton, Kansas, 1 year; Associate Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Master, Sacramento, CA, 4.5 years; Pastor, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Cupertino, CA, 9 years; Associate Pastor, St Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA, 3.5 years. Pastor Dawn has spent much of her life in leadership, has worked with children and youth in a variety of settings, loves living faith through acts of service, and deepening one's connection with God, self, and other. Her ministries have characteristically involved shared ministry with laity and clergy. She loves collaboration. She loves encouraging the discernment of gifts and living out those gifts in service for the good of the Gospel. She appreciates the gifts our differences offer in building up of the body of Christ, and perceives the encompassing love of God made known to us in Jesus Christ is all about GRACE. She lives for grace. It ultimately is what brought her to the Lutheran church. She was raised Roman Catholic while also dwelling within evangelical Protestant circles. Her exposure to the Christian church has been varied along denominational lines throughout her life, however, when she came into Lutheran circles, it felt as if she had come home. She finds Lutheranism rich in all it has to offer the Christian church and world beyond. She seeks to follow God's lead in all she does and finds the inclusivity surrounding the good news of Jesus Christ often informs her journey. It’s what led her to her current position at Coastside Lutheran Church. Pastor Dawn is married with three teenage sons and lives in Sunnyvale. She looks forward to getting to know our congregation and the community, and loves hearing a person's life story. We are blessed to have her presence, faith, and spirit leading us into our future together!
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Amy Cowan earned a BM in Voice from Rice University in Houston and an MM in Opera from the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. In addition to acting as music director/choir director for Coastside Lutheran, Amy teaches general music at King’s Mountain Elementary School, and directs the Intermediate Choir for Vivace Youth Chorus of San Jose. She is also in her fourth year as vocal director for Coastal Theatre Conservatory and teaches private voice through Lisa Spector’s Music School. This summer, Amy completed her Certification in Kodály Methodology from Holy Names University. Amy has lived on the coast for over three years with her husband, Brian. Please contact Amy at music@coastsidelutheran.org
Rebecca Jeffs
I am pleased to have this opportunity to do two things today—introduce myself and introduce the exciting programs here at Coastside Lutheran. To start, I was raised in Half Moon Bay (and baptized at CLC), attending church with my family at the United Methodist church. I grew up working as a youth leader at summer camps, working in the church nursery, and attending youth groups regularly. As it came time to decide what to do with my life, I realized that teaching children was a passion of mine. I attended San Francisco State University and received my B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in speech and language arts in 2003. In 2004, I received my Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and went on to teach first and second grade in San Jose for two years. Last year, after deciding to stay at home with my son Sam, I was invited to Rally Day. We felt so welcome and had so much fun that we have been attending ever since!
I am so excited to be the new Christian Education Director—it allows me to combine my love of teaching and raising my son. One of the things I most look forward to the most is the new J.A.M.(Jesus and Me), children from Kindergarten thru 5th grade get together with their peers to hear bible stories, do related crafts, cooking, and music. We are very optimistic about this new program and look forward to seeing your children enrolled! I realize that the time is unusual—if you need help with transportation I am happy to help arrange a carpool. If you have child who is outside the age range who you would really like to attend, let me know and we can perhaps arranging that as well. If you know any other children who may be interested, please pass this on to them also!
For older youth, we offer a Middle School and High School Youth Group every Saturday night from 6:30 to 9:30 (through May). These evenings include a group-prepared meal and prayer, and a multitude of fun activities including, (but not limited to), scavenger hunts, bonfire nights, game nights, and bowling.
I look forward to seeing your families!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Jeffs
rebeccajeffs@sbcglobal.net
Julie Barwick, Worship Accompanist, is a California native who grew up in the San Diego area. She received her B.A. in Music from UC, Berkeley. Recently she returned to the Bay area to continue her studies in composition. When asked what she enjoys, her first answer is that she loves to play, teach and listen to music. She also loves dogs and travel. Julie has been part of the CLC staff for almost a year.
